Colorado Could Require Colleges to Provide Abortion Pills for Students

Coloradans voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution back in 2024. But today, access still remains limited for some, advocates say.

“On college campuses, right now, it’s hit or miss,” State Representative Lorena García explains. “College students end up having to find a health clinic or go to a doctor somewhere off campus. Many students, particularly those who live on campus, don’t even have cars. It makes it a really inaccessible process.”

García wants to close that access gap with House Bill 26-1335. If made law, the bill would require higher education institutions with on-campus student health centers to provide on-site abortion medication services by August 2027. Institutions with pharmacies onsite would be required to maintain a stock of abortion medication to dispense to students, according to the bill text; those without pharmacies could submit a prescription to be filled at an off-campus pharmacy.

The bill would apply to around twenty public and private universities and colleges throughout the state, according to supporters. Institutions can be exempt from the requirement if it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

“Deciding where to receive abortion care and then taking time off work and classes to do so is incredibly daunting,” says Kiyana Newell, policy and research director of New Era, a youth-focused political advocacy group that proposed the bill. “New Era has been organizing on college campuses for twenty years. …Ensuring health centers offer medication abortions would eliminate barriers for students who deserve timely and reliable health care.”

A handful of states have already passed similar laws requiring on-site medication abortion services at universities, including California, Delaware, Illinois and New York. Other states, like Massachusetts and Connecticut, require universities to establish plans to help students access reproductive health care.

Colorado’s House Bill 1335 is scheduled for its first vote in the House Education Committee on Thursday, April 16.

García says she hasn’t received much pushback against the bill so far. Just three organizations are registered in opposition to the policy as of Tuesday, according to the Secretary of State’s Office: the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs, Christian Home Educators of Colorado and the Pacific Justice Institute.

“As a Christian organization that believes in the Biblical truth of the blessing of life in the womb, we are dismayed at the lack of value the State of Colorado places on children and women,” says Colleen Enos, director of government relations at Christian Home Educators of Colorado. “Children are counted as a blessing from God. …The Bible speaks specifically of pre-born children, whether wanted or not, and the miracle of life.”

Opponents also raise concerns about the safety of abortion medication. They cite a report by a conservative think tank based on an analysis of insurance claims from 2017 to 2023, which found that almost 11 percent of women prescribed the abortion medication mifepristone experienced a “serious adverse event.”

A Washington Post analysis questioned the report’s findings, pointing out that it was not externally peer reviewed, did not disclose the database it used, and may have inflated the number of adverse events in some cases due to its use of vague diagnostic codes. Clinical studies have found that less than 1 percent of patients experience serious adverse events.

“As physicians, we strongly oppose this bill that puts young women on college campuses, who often need extra guidance and care when facing an unplanned pregnancy, at severe risk,” says Dr. Catherine Wheeler of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs. “This bill has no safeguards and does not assure emergency care access for the nearly 11 percent of women who are documented by insurance claims to have a severe complication.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration first approved medication abortion using mifepristone in 2000. In 2023, there were approximately 642,700 medication abortions nationwide, accounting for 63 percent of all abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-reproductive rights research and policy organization.

House Bill 1335 is backed by multiple medical and health care organizations, including the Colorado Nurses Association, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative and Center for Health Progress.

“The Colorado Nurses Association recognizes the individual’s right to autonomous, informed health care decisions and access to care when those decisions are made,” CNA Executive Director Mark Longshore says. “Nurses are obligated to share all relevant information about reproductive health care and support the patient once the decision is made. Providing that education without being able to provide access to care does not meet the needs of students on campus.”

In total, fifteen organizations are registered in support of the bill, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, including ACLU of Colorado, Associated Students of Colorado State University, the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity & Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Violence Free Colorado and the Women’s Lobby of Colorado.

“For many students, campus health centers are the most accessible and affordable option for health services,” says Kathia Garcia, public affairs manager at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. “College students across Colorado already rely on on‑campus health centers for their reproductive and sexual health care, including birth control, STI testing and treatment, wellness exams and other preventive services. Colorado HB 1335 builds on that trusted foundation by allowing medication abortion to be provided through campus health centers.”

Colorado has among the most permissive abortion laws in the country; it is one of 29 states where abortion is broadly legal and one of only a handful with no ban or limit on abortion based on how far along a pregnancy is. Colorado also shields patients from anti-abortion laws in other states, prohibiting persons and businesses from responding to out-of-state investigations regarding a person who engaged in health care activities that are legally protected in Colorado.

Voters solidified abortion access even further in 2024 with the passage of Amendment 79. The ballot measure enshrined the right in the state constitution and allowed state funds to be used to pay for abortions, including Medicaid and state employee health insurance.

“We hope that once a right or a constitutional amendment passes, that suddenly, poof, it becomes a reality. This is a perfect example of how we have to continue working to make sure that the true spirit of the law that was passed by voters is actually enacted by the state,” García says. “The Democratic Party is committed to ensuring access to reproductive health care and justice, especially now.”