Barnard College, a private women’s college in New York City, announced plans to offer abortion pills on campus next year.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling to officially overturn Roe v. Wade, effectively eliminating a woman’s constitutional right to abortion.
“I think we’re putting a stake in the ground that we believe that health and wellness is really the institution’s responsibility for students, and we want to do everything we can to support our students,” Sian L. Beilock, the president of Barnard, which operates in partnership with Columbia University, told The New York Times.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration softened restrictions on one of the medications, mifepristone, used to induce abortions in early pregnancy, meaning women could get it through the mail.
Since the ruling, several states have restricted abortion access. Six states have passed new abortion laws in 2022, protecting access to the procedure, including Colorado, New Jersey and Washington.
Massachusetts lawmakers approved a bill in July requiring public colleges and universities in the state to prepare plans by November 2023 to guarantee students access to abortion pills.
The controversial landmark ruling passed with a 6-3 decision. Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts and former President Donald Trump: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett all found in favor of the reversal.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion. “
The decision went into effect in September.
