The University of Oregon Young Democratic Socialists and the Socialist Feminist Committee have launched a campaign advocating for reproductive healthcare on campus. The “Medicated Abortion on Campus” campaign is petitioning for the University Health Center to provide medical abortion care.
Members of SFC said they chose to establish the campaign in response to the University District PeaceHealth closure, and in consideration of the lack of medical abortion care at the University Health Center.
UOYDSA Labor Chair Carolyn Roderique said that the closure of the University District Hospital was “a huge blow to public health care, especially to our student population…So, I think that [the PeaceHealth closure] motivated us [SFC] even more to try and figure out what we could do and especially making sure despite the hospital closing that people would still have access to abortion.”
UO student and emergency contraception user Claire Pashak agrees that the closure of University District Hospital will affect accessibility to abortion care and that abortion care is not accessible enough to UO students.
“That [UD Hospital closure] definitely will affect a lot of UO students in a way that a lot of people don’t understand because they might not have had an experience where they’ve had to go there for abortion pills or counseling or any sort of sexual help,” Pashak said.
Roderique described the introduction of medical abortion care to the University Health Center as “a simple demand” for the university to meet, considering that the nearest Planned Parenthood is “a hot minute on the bus away.”
There are several medical abortion sites in Eugene including two Planned Parenthood Health Centers.
Roderique expressed that they are deeply unsatisfied with the university’s stance toward reproductive rights.
“Most of their stances toward reproductive rights are entirely performative. Especially with no sort of abortion care on campus,” Roderique said.
The UO Health Center offers emergency contraception and free safer sex supplies. These resources are found at the Erb Memorial Union and the UO Health Center.
According to an email statement from Associate Vice President for Student Services and Enrollment Management and Executive Director of University Health Services Debra Beck, the University Health Center also provides students who are managing an unplanned pregnancy counseling and referrals.
Pashak suggested that emergency contraception should be more accessible to UO students by providing the resource for free, since “the university has the money.”
According to Roderick, efforts toward promoting sexual wellness at UO are not being driven from the University Health Center, but rather from student organizations such as the University of Oregon Women’s Center and LGBTQA3 Alliance.
Roderique believes that student organizations and volunteers who work around reproductive care should not have to carry the “burden of healthcare.”
“Health care should be a given on campus. Rather than, ‘let’s hope a student org cares enough to fill in the gaps.’ So, I think the student orgs that do work around reproductive care are fantastic, but I don’t think they should be the ones that have to do it,” Roderique said.
The organization UO Students for Choice has been involved in advocating for medical abortion care on campus for the past two years, and has met with the University Health Center and UO Administration regarding the subject. However, UO Students for Choice said they were overlooked by the University Health Center.
“In order to get medication abortion on campus, with what we [Students for Choice] have seen with the university, they are not going to listen specifically to students,” co-director of Students for Choice Audrey Tirrill said. “We were told, unfortunately, that because of the funding that the university gets, that they are not able to provide this resource, which was very disheartening,” Tirrill said.
According to Tirrill, Students for Choice provided the University Health Center research on medication abortion and results from a survey conducted by UO Students for Choice, asking students about the types of services and resources they would like to see on campus.
“Showing them a survey didn’t matter [to the University Health Center]. Then when they asked, ‘oh, we need research,’ and then when we gave them that [it] wasn’t enough,” Tirrill said.
According to Tirrill, 46% of survey respondents said that they would want abortion pills provided on UO campus.
Pashak also highlighted the need for medication abortion on campus, since the accessibility for the pill has increased now that students “can mail order abortion pills.”
Tirrill also said that UO Administration blamed university donors for the pushback on medication abortion. However, Tirrill was unable to provide any evidence that this exchange took place.
“When we got the funding answer from UO Administration, it would be ‘well the type of donors,’ so the donors would stop because they don’t agree with abortion.”
According to UO spokesperson Angela Seydel, communication between UO Administration and University Health Center did not occur.
“With respect to referenced communication with Students for Choice – we’re unaware of any discussion.”
Following these unsuccessful efforts, Tirrill said they believe the University Health Center and UO Administration’s true motives are financially oriented.
“They showed us their true motives, which was the money at the end of the day. It wasn’t to get resources for students because this is an institution,” Tirrill said.
Additionally, Students for Choice were part of the efforts to pass HB 2002, an omnibus bill related to reproductive health care and health care for nonbinary and transgender people.
Originally, HB 2002 was introduced with a provision requiring all university and community college student health centers to provide students with access to emergency contraception and medication abortion. However, this provision failed to pass.
According to Oregon Health Authority Director Dr. Sejal Hathi, HB 2022 “does establish the fundamental right for people to make decisions about their reproductive health. This includes the right to use or refuse contraception, to continue their pregnancy and give birth, or to terminate their pregnancy,” Hathi said in an email statement to the Daily Emerald.
In a letter to Chair and Oregon State Representative Rob Nosse and Members of the House Committee on Behavioral Health and Health Care, Beck emphasized their support for HB 2002.
“The University of Oregon University Health Services believes our students have the right to access comprehensive medical care and UHS strongly supports the omnibus bill HB 2002,” Beck said in the letter. “We urge you to pass this bill.”
However, Tirrill voiced their doubts regarding Beck’s support.
“Just because you agree with a bill to pass, that doesn’t mean you’re going to help students, and do the work to get an actual resources on campus,” Tirrill said.
