University to roll out on-campus abortion pill plan after initial delay

(Daily Caller News Foundation) – A partner campus of Columbia University will be rolling out a plan in May that involves supplying students with abortion pills, the Columbia Spectator reported Tuesday.

Barnard College will be implementing its plan, which was announced in the fall 2022 semester, to provide additional abortion service in the form of mifepristone abortion pills to students at the school following the overturning of Roe. V Wade, according to the Spectator. The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to decide on access to the pill, which the Food and Drug Administration allegedly fast-tracked safety protocols to approve. 

Barnard’s Primary Care Health Service will host student focus groups in upcoming weeks to find out student perspectives about the service and to identify new ways to support students considering abortion, according to the Spectator.

“We wanted to make sure that we’re addressing this from every angle that will be supportive of students,” Sarah Ann Anderson-Burnett, director of Medical Services and Quality Improvement of Barnard, told the Spectator.

Barnard now has six medical professionals, including two physicians and four nurse practitioners, who are capable of performing the procedure, Mariana Catallozzi, vice president for Health and Wellness and chief health officer of Barnard, told the Spectator. The school also launched a partnership with AccessNurse, a medical call center that will assist with patient concerns related to abortions by bill.

Barnard also expanded the availability of its abortion providers to after-hours and year-round, Anderson-Burnett told the Spectator.

“The training doesn’t end with the clinicians,” Anderson-Burnett told the Spectator. “Clinicians are trained on the actual provision, but there’s also an overall training that will be provided to key partners and stakeholders across the campus because we want every step, every touchpoint, to be supportive and to be trauma-informed and to be patient-valued and centered but also respect confidentiality and privacy.”

The delayed rollout has been partially attributed to an August 2023 grant the college was granted, which allowed Barnard to join a large network of primary care providers that will help steer the college through the procedures, the Spectator reported.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst spent more than $650,000 to stock abortion pills in March 2023 at the request of Democratic Maryland Gov. Maura Healey. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill in May 2023 forcing college in the state to stock abortion pills on campus.

Columbia and Barnard did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.