Abortion Pills Mandated for Public Colleges

Illinois State Senators debated and them passed HB 3709 on Friday (May 30, 2025) afternoon by a partisan vote of 37 to 19. The bill, sponsored by State Senator Celina Villanueva (D-Chicago), will target vulnerable female students at public colleges and universities, by expanding the availability of contraception and other essential services directly on campus.

House Bill 3709 would require every public higher education institution in Illinois to provide students with access to health care professionals authorized to prescribe contraception and medication abortion beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. If the campus has a pharmacy, that pharmacy would be required to dispense those prescriptions if a student chooses not to use a third-party provider.

The bill defines "contraception" broadly, including both medication and medical devices used to prevent pregnancy, and "medication abortion" refers to the destruction of a human fetus through prescribed medication.