Postsecondary/med. abortion

AN ACT Relating to access at public postsecondary educational 1
institutions to medication abortion; and adding a new chapter to 2
Title 28B RCW. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:4
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds and declares the 5
following:6
(1) Access to abortion is a human right, an integral part of 7
essential health care, and vital for promoting public health.8
(2) There are approximately 196,000 pregnancy capable students 9
attending Washington's public institutions of higher education and 10
many of these students need access to abortion services each year. A 11
central mission of Washington's student health centers serving these 12
institutions is to minimize the negative impact of health concerns on 13
students' studies and to facilitate retention and graduation.14
(3) Students seeking pregnancy termination face substantial 15
travel, financial, and logistical barriers. Students must travel as 16
far as 78 miles, or over four hours on public transit, round trip to 17
the nearest abortion-providing facility, and the average wait time 18
for an appointment is 10 days. The supreme court Dobbs v. Jackson 19
women's health organization decision has increased the burden on 20
abortion-providing facilities in the state, meaning longer wait times 21
H-0857.1
HOUSE BILL 1677
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Representatives Thai, Nance, Reed, Doglio, Ramel, Ormsby,
Salahuddin, Parshley, Macri, Simmons, and Zahn
Read first time 01/28/25. Referred to Committee on Postsecondary
Education & Workforce.
p. 1 HB 1677
for students needing to access care. A 2024 report from senator Maria 1
Cantwell's office states that clinics in Oregon have already seen a 2
20 percent increase in patients from Washington state traveling for 3
abortion care, and the average wait times in Washington for abortion 4
appointments in a Seattle area clinic have already increased by one 5
week due to the influx of patients traveling from out of state. These 6
financial and time burdens negatively impact academic performance, 7
mental health, and physical health. 8
(4) Many of Washington's public institutions of higher education 9
have student health centers, but only two campuses with student 10
health centers are known to be in the process of implementing 11
abortion services. Medication abortion is extremely safe, 12
efficacious, and cost-effective. Research shows that the provision of 13
medication abortion in student health centers is safe, effective, and 14
feasible. 15
(5) Because medication abortion is recognized as a safe option 16
for pregnancy termination and a health service every pregnant person 17
in the state has the legal right to choose, it is the intent of the 18
legislature that public institutions of higher education make 19
medication abortion as accessible and cost-effective for students as 20
possible. 21
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. The definitions in this section apply 22
throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires 23
otherwise.24
(1) "Council" means the Washington student achievement council as 25
defined in RCW 28B.77.010. 26
(2) "Medication abortion" has the same meaning as 27
"abortion medications" in RCW 69.41.050. 28
(3) "Public institution of higher education" or "public 29
institutions of higher education" means institutions of higher 30
education as defined in RCW 28B.10.016. 31
(4) "Student health center" means a clinic or health center 32
providing physical health care services to students operated by 33
public institutions of higher education. 34
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. (1) By the start of the 2026-27 academic 35
year, each student health center must offer access to medication 36
abortion, either through a public program or public programs that 37
connect patients in Washington to reproductive health services or 38
p. 2 HB 1677
through other delivery methods. This service must be offered with the 1
utmost privacy and discretion and may be offered by providers at the 2
student health center or through telehealth services, or by providers 3
associated with public programs that connect patients in Washington 4
to reproductive health services. 5
(2) By the start of the 2026-27 academic year, each public 6
institution of higher education that does not operate a student 7
health center must provide information and referral services for 8
medication abortion to students seeking such services. The 9
institution must, with the utmost privacy and discretion:10
(a)(i) Provide referrals to qualified health care providers who 11
can lawfully administer medication abortion; 12
(ii) Referrals must include the contact information for at least 13
two qualified health care organizations, including telehealth 14
organizations; 15
(b) Offer private and accessible space on campus for the student 16
to participate in telehealth appointments upon a student's request 17
for telehealth accommodation; 18
(c) Offer any necessary technical support for students using 19
telehealth services, including reliable internet access; and20
(d) Offer electronic devices to access telehealth services.21
(3)(a) All institutions must maintain a comprehensive health 22
services website that provides clear, accessible information and 23
resources regarding reproductive health services including, but not 24
limited to, prenatal care and options for pregnancy termination.25
(b) The website must include: 26
(i) Detailed instructions for scheduling appointments, with 27
contact information for both pregnancy-related services and 28
behavioral health services; and 29
(ii) Links and contact information for campus resources that 30
assist students in requesting academic accommodations, including 31
absences, rescheduling exams, or adjusting other academic 32
requirements due to pregnancy, recovery from medical treatment, or 33
related conditions. 34
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Sections 1 through 3 of this act 35
constitute a new chapter in Title 28B RCW.36
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