Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed HB3709 into law, requiring public universities to provide contraception and medication abortion to students starting in the 2025-2026 school year.
The law mandates that state colleges and universities must:
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Offer consultation appointments with healthcare professionals who can dispense abortion pills and contraception
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Ensure on-campus pharmacies stock and provide these medications
Pritzker praised the legislation, saying:
“Six years ago, I made a promise to the women of this state: As governor, I will ensure that your medical decisions will be your own. Today is another step forward in fulfilling that promise. We will continue to fight until every woman in this state gets the health care she deserves.”
However, critics strongly opposed the measure. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life Action, accused Pritzker of “selling out Illinois students to the abortion industry”, claiming the law prioritizes Planned Parenthood and “sacrifices young women’s safety for a political agenda.”
How medication abortion works:
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The drug mifepristone blocks progesterone, stopping the pregnancy from developing.
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Misoprostol then causes contractions and bleeding to expel the pregnancy.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, medication abortions accounted for 63% of all U.S. abortions in 2023 — an estimated 642,700 cases, up from 53% in 2020 and 39% in 2017.
Pritzker also signed a separate bill, HB3637, strengthening protections for providers who send abortion pills to states with restrictive abortion laws.
