Pro-life advocates applaud the move and call for more assistance to college students who become pregnant.California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a bill on Sunday that would require public universities to distribute “medical abortion” drugs that would induce abortion up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
Brown, who supports abortion rights, wrote in his veto message, that the bill, S.B. 320, was “not necessary” because “the services required by this bill are widely available off-campus.”
A “medical abortion” is a pill taken by woman to induce a miscarriage and kill the developing unborn child. It involves taking two pills over two days during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. A medical abortion differs from the so-called “morning after pill” which prevents the fertilization of an egg or stops it from implanting in the uterus.
The bill had passed the California Senate on August 30, by a 26-13 vote.
State. Sen. Connie Leyva, a primary sponsor of the bill, argued that access to the abortion pill would serve “the well-being and academic success of college students.”
Pro-life supporters in the state hailed the governor’s veto as a victory, and called on the state to offer more services to college students who become pregnant.
Andy Rivas, the executive director of the California Catholic Conference said, ““Hopefully next session we can convince legislators to pass a bill that students and universities really need, one that provides financial support for students with children,” reported the Catholic News Agency.
The University of California and California State Universities did not take a position on the bill.
