Penna Dexter

A bill working its way through the California Senate would require the state's public universities and colleges, including community colleges, to offer abortion drugs at their health centers. The bill's sponsor, state Senator Connie Leyva, insists it's necessary to relieve young women of the "burden" of traveling to obtain an abortion. She says, "Students should not have to travel long distances, pay out of pocket, or even miss class or work responsibilities in order to receive health care that can be provided at an on-campus facility that is specifically designed for student health care." Notice that in that one sentence she uses the term "health care" twice to describe abortion. See if you think this sounds like health care: If this law is enacted, state schools will be required to provide what's called medical or chemical abortion on their campuses. This type of abortion is done during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. It involves a two-step process which causes a miscarriage. The pregnant woman takes a drug called mifepristone or RU486 at the doctor's office or, in this case, at the college health clinic. This drug serves to cut off the blood supply to the lining of the mother's womb, resulting in the death of the baby. The young woman will leave the clinic and, within 24 to 48 hours, she'll take a second set of pills; misoprostol or Cytotec. These cause contractions. She will likely experience cramping and hemorrhaging which are often severe, and within a few hours to a few days, she'll expel the baby. There's no doctor there for that. She'll probably be in the bathroom in her dorm or apartment. She'll deal with the remains alone. Senate Bill 320 has passed the California Senate Education Committee. California taxpayers will likely provide collegiate women with free abortions, even sparing them the inconvenience of having to leave their campuses. But there's a cost to these abortions the state will never pay.