by Steven Ertelt

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a law expanding his mandate forcing every California college and university to sell abortion pills, even though none of them offer prenatal care.

The new law Newsom signed takes effect Jan. 1, 2029, if the Legislature appropriates funding. Colleges that already operate a student health center must sell abortion pills — on site, by telehealth, through a contracted provider, or by directing students to an off-campus center with follow-up on campus — and must post the abortion pill availability on their websites.

Of 115 community college campuses, 92 have health centers. Campuses without one are not required to open a clinic.

The bill, by Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, D-San Francisco, builds on Senate Bill 24, signed in 2019 and effective in 2023, which made California the first state to require University of California and California State University health centers to provide abortion pills. Newsom's office listed the measure among new laws expanding the killing of babies in abortions on community college campuses.

Since the university mandate took effect, almost 1,700 babies have been killed in abortions on California campuses, according to an analysis of data from the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

In fiscal year 2024-25, hearing documents showed nearly 300 drug-induced abortions on UC campuses and 349 on CSU campuses.

Pro-life groups said the state is expanding abortion while offering almost no medical care for students who continue a pregnancy. None of the 33 UC and CSU campuses advertise comprehensive prenatal care. Only three — UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis and Chico State — provide ultrasounds for pregnant students.

Cal State Long Beach connects students to outside providers. UCLA, which lacks a campus health center, must offer abortion referrals.

"We strongly urge schools to accommodate pregnant and parenting students, as education is a pathway out of poverty and a tool that should be extended to people who have families, and not just those who don't," Students for Life spokesperson Kristi Hamrick said. "When it comes to medical care on college campuses, we can't ask schools to set up a health center if that is not a service they offer. But if they have one, we can demand that life-affirming care be included."

Leandra Wells of the California Family Council opposed the community college bill at a July hearing, saying pregnant women need better support and not more pressure to abort their unborn babies.

Nearly one in five college students are parents. Some campuses offer non-medical help, including family study rooms, lactation spaces, priority registration, or Cal State Fullerton's "Tiny Titan Bundle" of baby supplies. Title IX already requires exam flexibility and other accommodations for pregnant students.

New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland, Illinois and Connecticut have passed similar campus abortion-pill laws since California's university mandate took effect. In Illinois, public university health centers must offer abortions, and none advertise prenatal care.