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
S-0432.2
SENATE BILL 5321
State of Washington 69th Legislature 2025 Regular Session
By Senators Nobles, Bateman, Chapman, Cleveland, Dhingra, Frame,
Harris, Hasegawa, Krishnadasan, Lovelett, Lovick, Orwall, Riccelli,
Salomon, Slatter, Stanford, Trudeau, Valdez, and C. Wilson
Read first time 01/17/25. Referred to Committee on Higher Education
& Workforce Development.
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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
50 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 and 16
effective treatment for pregnancy termination and a health service 17
every pregnant person in the state has the legal right to choose, it 18
is the intent of the legislature that public institutions of higher 19
education make medication abortion as accessible and cost-effective 20
for students as 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 that connects patients in 37
Washington to reproductive health services or through other delivery 38
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methods. This service may be offered by providers at the student 1
health center or through telehealth services, or by providers 2
associated with a public program that connects patients in Washington 3
to reproductive health services. 4
(2) By the start of the 2026-27 academic year, each public 5
institution of higher education that does not operate a student 6
health center must provide information and referral services for 7
medication abortion to students seeking such services. The 8
institution must: 9
(a)(i) Provide referrals to qualified health care providers who 10
can lawfully administer medication abortion; 11
(ii) Referrals must include the contact information for at least 12
two qualified health care organizations, including telehealth 13
organizations; 14
(b) Offer private and accessible space on campus for the student 15
to participate in telehealth appointments upon a student's request 16
for telehealth accommodation; 17
(c) Offer any necessary technical support for students using 18
telehealth services, including reliable internet access; and19
(d) Offer electronic devices to access telehealth services.20
(3)(a) All institutions must maintain a comprehensive health 21
services website that provides clear, accessible information and 22
resources regarding reproductive health services including, but not 23
limited to, prenatal care and options for pregnancy termination.24
(b) The website must include: 25
(i) Detailed instructions for scheduling appointments, with 26
contact information for both pregnancy-related services and 27
behavioral health services; and 28
(ii) Links and contact information for campus resources that 29
assist students in requesting academic accommodations, including 30
absences, rescheduling exams, or adjusting other academic 31
requirements due to pregnancy, recovery from medical treatment, or 32
related conditions. 33
NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. Sections 1 through 3 of this act 34
constitute a new chapter in Title 28B RCW.35
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