Many Democrats in the state of California are advocating for the availability of birth control and abortifacient drugs at colleges.
Democratic state Sen. Connie Leyva put forth a new bill on Monday, called the “College Student Right to Access Act,” as the legislature met in a new session.
“California has always been a leader, and why shouldn’t we be a leader in women’s rights as well?” Leyva said in an interview with The Daily Californian. “We need to say to the rest of the country that we value women, we respect women, and they need to choose what to do with respect to their own body.” (RELATED: Chelsea Clinton Says It’s ‘Unchristian’ To End Legal Abortion, Claims To Be Deeply Pious)
Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom is on the record as saying he would support a measure that would make the pill available on campuses associated with the University of California and California State University. “I would have supported that. I have long supported that,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle. “I subscribe to Planned Parenthood and NARAL’s position on that.”
Newsom also indicated to the Chronicle that he would be sympathetic to opening a San Francisco supervised injection site, where those addicted to drugs can legally take heroin.
California Gov. Jerry Brown didn’t think it was necessary for colleges to provide the abortifacient drugs since students can always find similar things at most pharmacies. The pill can be taken up to 10 weeks into a pregnancy. (RELATED: Jerry Brown Blames ‘Those Who Deny’ Global Warming For Deadly Wildfires)
Levya told the Washington Examiner that providing students greater access to the drug will help them “plan their futures and accomplish their goals.”