Governor signs bill to provide medication abortion access at all state college campuses

On the one-year anniversary of the leak that the U.S. Supreme Court would rule to overturn the constitutional right to abortion access, Gov. Hochul said these measures reflect her commitment to keep abortion and birth control available in New York.

“We must meet this moment with tenacity and the leadership that’s required, and that’s why we’re gathered, that’s why we’re going to talk about some legislation and try to be the model for other states,” she said.

Citing data that shows that college-aged students are the top group to seek abortion care in New York, she said offering medication abortion in the small pharmacies maintained by SUNY and CUNY campus health centers will ensure that students have what they need to make the choice that is right for them.

“Too often, barriers stand between them and the resources they need,” she said.

The medical centers on SUNY and CUNY campuses, typically staffed by nurse practitioners, can offer birth control and other contraceptives, as well as a limited stock of commonly prescribed medications like antibiotics. But they have not typically stocked the medications prescribed for a medication abortion, which can be used up to 11 weeks into pregnancy, and can be taken at home without direct medical supervision.

With schools sometimes located in remote areas or communities that don’t have clinics or other health care programs for low-income people, Gov. Hochul said it can be difficult for pregnant college students to access even medication abortion, which is the most common method used in the U.S.

It also opens access to out-of-state students, residents of states where abortion access has been significantly restricted since the Dobbs decision overturned the national right to seek an abortion.

“For hundreds of thousands of young New Yorkers, this legislation will make the difference between an unwanted pregnancy and a future where they can decide what they want to do,” Gov. Hochul said.

In extending the ability for a pharmacist to prescribe birth control, Gov. Hochul said birth control access will dramatically improve, especially in rural areas.

“They’re far more likely to live next to, closer to a pharmacy than to a doctor, a health care provider,” Gov Hochul said of the residents of the state’s many health care deserts, defined as places where a majority of residents live more than 15 minutes from their nearest health care provider.

A study complied by GoodRx found that a majority of New York’s rural counties, essentially every county that does not contain one of the five major cities, has at least one health care desert, whether that’s lack of a trauma center or a shortage of pharmacies. Most counties have multiple shortages.

Lack of access to pharmacies is a common issue in upstate New York, impacting nearly every county without a major city.

A majority of north country residents live more than 15 minutes from any of their three closest pharmacies; 62% in Jefferson County, 91% in Lewis County, 41% in St. Lawrence County. The numbers are slightly better in the urbanized areas of the state and their neighboring counties, with 56% in Greene County and 34% in Columbia County living farther than 15 minutes from a pharmacy.

On Tuesday, Gov. Hochul said these bills are just the first steps in expanding reproductive rights.

“There’s more to do, but it begins in rooms like this, today, when we sign this important legislation into law,” she said.