NYU YDSA protest demands NYU expand abortion coverage
Protesters gathered on the steps of the Kimmel Center for University Life on April 15 to call on the university to expand abortion coverage to those without NYU insurance.
(Michaela Seah via Washington Square News)
New York City, NY — by Michaela Seah
This story was originally published on New York University’s Washington Square News.
A month after NYU announced that it would provide elective abortions at no cost to students enrolled in its university-sponsored health care plan, a group of students and faculty say that NYU must do more to ensure equitable access to the procedure for its entire student body. Dozens of advocates gathered at the Grand Staircase of the Kimmel Center for University Life to demand that NYU expand coverage to all students, regardless of their insurance provider.
The protest was led by members of NYU’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America who were previously part of the campaign that led to the university’s policy change on elective abortions for students with an NYU-sponsored insurance plan. After months of petitioning, rallying and an open letter to Linda Mills, NYU’s incoming president, WSN reported on March 31 that university officials would eliminate co-payments on elective abortions received through its insurance plan starting this fall.
“NYU calls itself this progressive institution, especially to visiting students or prospective students,” said Lauren Muñoz, a CAS junior who is a member of NYU YDSA and helped organize the protest. “But getting here, you realize that they don’t always live up to that standard. They’re better than a lot of schools, of course, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Read the rest of the story at Washington Square News.