Texas’ new abortion law made history last month as one of the most restrictive measures taken in the United States to limit access to abortions in decades. The new law makes no exceptions for instances of rape or incest, while also limiting terminations of pregnancies related to health concerns. Many people are left questioning what the ramifications of this enactment will be and what it will mean for people across the U.S., including at Syracuse University. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women in their 20s accounted for 57.7% of abortions in 2018, making safe access to abortion pertinent to college students. 

Though Gov. Kathy Hochul has recently announced a plan to protect and affirm reproductive rights within New York state, students on SU’s campus must have access to reproductive health care services  — especially in the aftermath of a law that is actively hindering reproductive rights. 

SU freshman Natalie Robinson is from Georgia, where Gov. Brian Kemp, signed a law in 2019 banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected. This regulation sparked fear for Robinson and others. 

“One of the reasons that I chose to come to Syracuse was the ongoing regulation of reproductive rights happening in Georgia,” Robinson said. “I thought if something bad were to happen, I wouldn’t have any options. If something tragic were to happen, like rape, I wouldn’t have had anywhere to go. I would have just had to go through it.”

College students are seeking the necessary resources required to make informed and safe decisions about their reproductive health. This amplifies the need for not only safe abortion access for students, but other reproductive health resources. Contraceptive access, pregnancy testing and counseling, examinations, resources for transgender and gender non-conforming students, and other additional health services should be more readily available to students at SU and around the country.

The Barnes Center at The Arch is SU’s central health and wellness hub. It is the prime location for SU students to receive health treatment, referrals, prescriptions and mental health resources. 

According to its website, the Barnes Center at The Arch offers multiple services geared toward reproductive health care, such as contraceptive management, pregnancy counseling, pregnancy testing, preventative counseling, gender affirming care and sexual and reproductive health exams. 

Though these services are helpful, some students question their accessibility and feel that they are not advertised enough. “I have not heard anything about finding OB-GYN or reproductive health services on campus. Those are resources I would like to see advertised. Let us know it’s available. Let us know where to find them, if they’re even there,” Robinson said.

Alexandra Grypinich, a third-year student, also questions the availability of these important resources, “I don’t really know much about women’s health on campus. As a third year, I probably should have heard more by now,” she said. 

It’s important that the rhetoric on reproductive health becomes less allusive and more open and positive. One way to achieve this is through advertising. Grypinich suggested a similar marketing tactic to the sexual health supply ordering system known as the Safer Sex Express initiative provided by the Barnes Center. 

In addition to resources not being showcased, the services listed by the Barnes Center do not compare to clinics surrounding SU. Clinics like the Syracuse Planned Parenthood cover additional ground, providing menstrual help, urinary tract infection testing and treatment, Pap tests, fibroids evaluation, breast exams, colposcopy and routine physicals for those aged 21 years and older. These resources are also made extremely transparent through its website. 

It is also crucial to cover the full scope of individuals affected by reproductive health issues. Rebecca Lambert, a professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at SU, shared the importance of extending a conversation that predominantly stays central to women and their needs. 

“A lot of the times in the discussion of what gets included in women’s health care, certain populations get forgotten, like transgender students, gender non-conforming students and nonbinary students. There are a lot of different needs that have evolved into what gets included under the umbrella of what gets talked about,” Lambert said.

Having full reproductive services available and accessible to every student can make a profound impact on a student’s well-being. It can also positively impact the SU community. 

“(Accessible reproductive health care) allows them to be able to focus on their education. If they have the services available to help them when needed, it will allow them to continue doing things like going to class and continuing with assignments. It helps keep health care from becoming a barrier,” Lambert said.

Reproductive health care on college campuses includes a wide range of services and resources that are vital to student’s everyday lives. Students deserve to have their needs met thoroughly and without judgment from the community. SU needs to be diligent with transparently representing reproductive health resources. The university should highlight its existing services to end ongoing stigma and create positive connotations surrounding the conversation of reproductive health. 

Extending available reproductive health care services to support each student’s diverse needs will make a remarkable impact. By creating a narrative that focuses on inclusion, empowerment and education, promoting accessible reproductive health care services will allow students to take full advantage of their time on campus, free of worries surrounding access to these services.

Cara Steves is a freshman magazine and digital news journalism major. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at cgsteves@syr.edu.

Published on October 3, 2021 at 8:55 pm