A bill that would require colleges and universities in Colorado to provide access to abortion medication is moving through the state legislature after passing its first committee on Thursday.
This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at kunc.org.
The abortion medication included in the bill consists of two pills, mifepristone and misoprostol, taken over the course of one to two days. The drugs are widely considered safe and effective by major medical organizations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the World Health Organization.
Colorado colleges and universities often already provide other reproductive health care services, like birth control and testing for sexually transmitted infections, but many don’t provide access to abortion medication.
The measure, House Bill 1335, backed by a group of Democrats, aims to change that by requiring higher education institutions with student health centers to make abortion medication available to enrolled students.
Schools with an on-site pharmacy would need to keep the drugs in stock, while those without one would still be required to prescribe the medication and send prescriptions to an off-campus pharmacy. The bill would apply to public and private schools, but those with religious affiliations could opt out if the requirements conflict with their beliefs.
If passed, the legislation would take effect immediately upon being signed into law.
The House Education Committee voted along party lines to advance the measure.
The proposal is part of broader efforts by Democratic lawmakers in recent years to protect and expand abortion access in Colorado. In 2024, voters approved Amendment 79, which enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, let state Medicaid dollars pay for the procedure, and allowed health insurance plans for tens of thousands of state and local government employees to include abortion coverage.
State Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County, a main sponsor of House Bill 1335, said women shouldn’t have to leave campus to get care.
“Why should they be forced to go to a different place to access a constitutional right?” Garcia said. “They should be able to access the full breadth of their health care right there on campus when they’re already doing so for other things. Abortion care should not be something that someone has to go to some other clinic to access.”
Providers say students can face barriers even when care is available, such as difficulty finding providers and accurate information.
State Rep. Lorena Garcia, D-Adams County, speaks at a news conference at the Colorado Capitol in Denver on April 8, 2025.“Students still struggle finding that correct information and finding a provider that’s going to offer them compassionate, medically accurate care,” said Kathia Garcia, public affairs manager at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Supporters testified during Thursday’s committee hearing that those challenges mean easily-accessible campus health centers often become students’ critical access point for care, especially for those who are far from home.
“When I moved to Colorado three years ago, I had no loved ones within 1,000 miles of my new home,” Stephanie Schmidt, a student at the University of Colorado Boulder, told the committee. “The Campus Health Center was crucial… it became my pharmacy, drugstore and provider for all care because I was isolated from what is familiar.”
Opponents raised concerns during the hearing that the policy would be overburdensome for schools and would infringe on individuals’ religious freedoms.
“There is no requirement to give women information on adoption or that abortion drugs can be reversed,” said Colleen Enos, director of government relations for Christian Home Educators of Colorado. “There is nothing in the statute to affirm a health care worker’s right to refuse to provide abortion pills or prescriptions according to their deeply held religious beliefs.”
The bill now awaits consideration by the full House.
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS, and The Colorado Sun, with support from news outlets throughout the state. Startup funding for the Alliance was provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Hence then, the article about campus health centers in colorado may soon be required to provide abortion medication was published today ( ) and is available on Colorado Sun ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Campus health centers in Colorado may soon be required to provide abortion medication )
Also on site :
- Johnny Knoxville Takes Credit For “Monstrous Explosion” In Simi Valley During ‘Jackass: Best and Last’ Wrap
- Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers Reveals Cervical Dystonia and Essential Tremor Diagnoses: ‘My Voice Will Not Be What It Was’
- SK hynix Begins Mass Production of 192GB SOCAMM2 'Setting a New Standard for AI Server Memory Performance'