5 days ago
Student-led U of I medication abortion bill passes House, Senate
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A bill expanding access to contraception options, including medication abortion, on Illinois college campuses is heading to the governor's desk.
On Monday, Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA) announced the passage of House Bill 3709/Senate Bill 2444, which began with a PPIA GenAction University of Illinois student-led movement. This bill amends the Public Higher Education Act to mandate that public colleges in Illinois with health services and a pharmacy have the ability to prescribe and dispense contraception and medication abortion.
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This initiative started with the PPIA Generation Action (GenAction) chapter at the U of I. This change will go into effect in the 2025-26 school year.
'I'm so proud of the UIUC GenAction students for recognizing where there was inequity and taking action to make a positive change that benefits all Illinois college kids at public institutions,' said Jess Sturges, PPIA program manager who oversees student activities. 'The UIUC chapter got all the other GenAction students across the state involved. These students lobbied in Springfield, testified in Springfield and called for witness slips to ensure the legislation passed. It was an important lesson in how democracy should work and that their voices matter.'
This legislation was inspired in part by a spring 2024 U of I campus-wide student election referendum question that asked about student support for increasing access to contraception and medication abortion on campus through McKinley Health Center.
While the referendum received strong support, the health center needed a requirement from the state prior to implementing the new policy. Governor JB Pritzker's Office became involved after the UIUC co-President, Emma Darbro, spoke at a patient experience panel at the Illinois Department of Public Health Women and Families Health Conference.
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Additionally, Darbro also testified before the House Higher Education Committee on March 19, 2025, and the bill passed. Darbro and UIUC co-President Grace Hosey testified before the Senate Executive Committee on May 21, 2021, and the bill passed again.
'Two years ago, the UIUC GenAction Chapter wrote, campaigned for and successfully passed a student referendum for our campus pharmacy to provide emergency contraception,' Hosey said. 'The student support was overwhelming, and the Governor signed legislation for all public Illinois universities to offer wellness kiosks providing emergency contraception. But we knew we couldn't stop there. While abortion is legal in Illinois, access is still a barrier for students, so we knew getting medication abortion options on campuses was critical. This is time-sensitive care that students deserve to have.'
GenAction is Planned Parenthood's nationwide program geared towards young people across the country who are organizers and activists in their communities and on college campuses.
PPIA has eight GenAction Chapters in colleges across Illinois. For more information on PPGenAction, visit their website.
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