Colorado Campus to Offer Abortion Pills by Next Summer

A college in Colorado is preparing to open as an abortion pill pharmacy by next summer. Recently, Governor Jared Polis signed House Bill 1335, which mandates that universities with health centers provide access to abortion pills.

According to reports, schools with pharmacies are required to stock these medications. For those without pharmacies, staff can either write prescriptions for off-campus pharmacies or distribute drugs directly to students. Campus health centers need to adhere to this new regulation by August 1, 2027.

The University of Denver has confirmed its intention to offer abortion-inducing medication through its health and counseling center. Michael Laffer, the assistant vice chancellor for Health and Human Services, emphasized the establishment of “privacy safeguards” for non-invasive service, along with staff training on mifepristone—the initial drug used in a two-drug abortion method.

Interestingly, this law does not apply to Regis University, a private Jesuit institution in northwest Denver, which also lacks a student health center, as noted by interim chief of staff Cheryl Tyrol.

Colorado is recognized as one of the most supportive states for abortion rights in the nation, having no restrictions on the procedure.

The governor enacted this law amid ongoing legal discussions regarding telemedicine for medication abortions. The Guttmacher Institute has reported that medication abortions made up 63 percent of all abortions in the U.S. healthcare system in 2023, a significant increase from 53 percent in 2020 and 39 percent in 2017. This data does not encompass abortion medications sourced through underground channels, including networks that ship pills to women in states with more restrictive laws.

For a medical abortion, mifepristone functions by blocking progesterone—hormones crucial for sustaining a pregnancy. This blockage leads to the deterioration of the endometrial lining, halting the supply of blood and nutrients to the developing fetus, ultimately resulting in its demise. Subsequently, misoprostol (known as Cytotec) is administered to induce contractions and bleeding to expel the fetus from the womb.