Abortion laws now dictate college choice?

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, women have been stripped of reproductive rights all around the United States. Fourteen states currently ban abortion from the moment of conception, while Georgia has banned abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy (at six weeks, most women wouldn’t even be aware of the pregnancy). A missed period is usually a point of concern, but being only two weeks late typically isn’t worth a pregnancy test. Four states hold restrictions around 20 weeks which comes from the idea of the pre-viability line (the point in a pregnancy where the fetus or embryo is assumed to feel pain).  Protected states like California and New York have gone out of their way to make sure contraception, medicine, and abortion procedures are readily available.

Now, with students ready to decide which college to go to, they’re faced with another challenging decision. High school seniors are left with the responsibility of deciding whether their dream college aligns with not just their personal/political morality, but their own health and safety. Colleges and universities in southern America are well-regarded schools. The catch is, most southern states have bans or restrictions on abortion. Tennessee’s Vanderbilt University and Rice University in Texas. Rice ranks number fifteen out of 443 national universities while Vanderbilt ranks higher than Brown. Sure, these colleges may have a great education system, but is it worth sacrificing bodily autonomy for a diploma?

An example of the restrictive measures that some universities in unprotected states are enforcing can be seen in the University of Idaho’s recent regulations of abortion rights. The University of Idaho sent out a memo reminding students and faculty that promoting abortion services could land them with a felony on their criminal record. Of course, students are the ones most affected by this and the possibility of having a criminal record for a simple medical procedure is beyond terrifying. In many Republican states, abortion bans restrict not only the procedure itself, but abortion pills and other medicines that may induce an abortion. Texas, Tennessee and other abortion-banning states have prohibited the prescription of methotrexate– a medication that treats lupus and cancer yet is also known to induce abortions.  

The real fact is that people of lower income don’t have the financial resources to travel out of state just to have an abortion. Vox cites that an abortion procedure typically costs upwards of $1,000. That’s not even including travel fare, hotels and food. This means that being a broke college student that needs an abortion is nearly impossible to receive one in 15 U.S. states. Once abortion services are restricted, abortions don’t just stop happening. That’s what states don’t understand. They’re still happening, just under the table in an unsafe setting or manner.