Earlier this year, the California State Senate passed SB (Senate Bill) 320, a bill that would require chemical abortion medication (RU-486) to be prescribed at the student health centers of every CSU and UC campus. Despite the opposition of students and some university administrators, the bill has passed the Senate, and will now be introduced to the California Assembly Health and Higher Education Committees for votes this month.
Chemical abortion is a process where a woman takes two medications at 8-10 weeks of pregnancy to induce an artificial miscarriage. There are numerous and significant emotional and physical side effects, including heavy bleeding—which can involve the passage of blood clots as large as a lemon—nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. Student health centers are designed to provide students with access to basic health care resources, and the complications from chemical abortion are beyond their capacity.
If SB 320 passes the Legislature and is signed into law, California (i.e., its taxpayers) would be on the hook for the cost of lawsuits resulting from women experiencing complications. California state employees will be directly involved in the provision of abortion, with no conscience protections of any kind indicated for university healthcare staff who might not wish to participate in providing this medication.
On Tuesday, June 12th, the California Assembly Health Committee will vote on this bill. The Assembly Higher Education Committee will vote June 19th. Follow the links to see the full list of members of the Health and Higher Education Committees.
In addition, now is the time for pro-life supporters to call your local assembly members. If it is possible, we encourage all of those who oppose this bill to show up at the state Capitol on either of these very important dates.
On June 12, Right to Life and Fresno State Students for Life members will meet with other pro-life supporters at 10:00 AM in the Capitol Rotunda to visit legislative offices. We will also attend the 1:30 PM vote in Room 4202.
In the meantime, we urge you to call your local Assembly Members and urge them to vote NO on SB 320. You can find who represents you by entering your address here.
Joaquin Arambula – 916-319-2031
Frank Bigelow – 916-319-2005
Jim Patterson – 916-319-2023
Rudy Salas – 916-319-2032
Devon Mathis – 916-319-2026