NYU Says It Will ‘Look At’ Carrying Abortion Pill At Health Center
An FDA rule change may allow the university to provide medical abortion, a service students have long petitioned for.
(Nina Schifano via Washington Square News)
by Tori Morales
This story was originally published on New York University’s Washington Square News.
NYU’s Student Health Center Pharmacy is considering becoming certified to dispense a medication used for abortions after student calls for expanded access to the procedure on campus and a change to Food and Drug Administration policies. Pharmacies must comply with the FDA’s guidelines, which were updated in early January to reduce strain on specialized clinics licensed to provide the drug.
Students have long criticized the SHC and Wellfleet, NYU’s student insurance provider, for the organizations’ policies regarding abortion. Concerns worsened in 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a 1973 court case which codified the right to abortion. In October 2022, four months after the landmark case was overturned, about 70 students walked out of classes to protest limited abortion access and advocate for NYU to expand student insurance coverage of elective abortions.
In addition to potentially pursuing certification, the university plans to reevaluate its student health insurance’s coverage of abortion services, according to NYU spokesperson John Beckman. Wellfleet covers medically necessary abortions in full due to a New York state law which requires private insurance companies to cover the procedure, but requires a 20% co-pay for abortions that medical professionals deem elective.
“Almost all medical services and procedures under the NYU student health insurance plan require some kind of co-pay or co-insurance, and that is true of elective abortions, too,“ Beckman said. “The university is going to look at the issue.”
Read the rest of the story at Washington Square News.