News Update

Biden to issue new guidance to colleges to protect abortion access

President Joe Biden plans to unveil new U.S. Department of Education guidance that will require universities to protect students who have abortions from discrimination, according to Bloomberg.

Biden will announce the new guidance during a meeting of a task force he launched after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that guaranteed pregnant people the right to an abortion, Bloomberg reported.

“Extreme abortion bans are having consequences that extend beyond abortion, including reports of women being denied access to necessary prescriptions and contraception at pharmacies and on college campuses,” said Jennifer Klein, co-chair of the White House Gender Policy Council, in a memo.

In prepared remarks shared with The 19th, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona added that the Supreme Court ruling “has sown fear, confusion and distrust on our college campuses.”I think about the 1-in-4 women who experience sexual assault in college, and what this means for their safety and well-being. I think about the community college student I met earlier this month, who was unable to enroll until she escaped a violent abuser. Access to reproductive health care is vital to student success in college and beyond,” Cardona added.