Community events on campus next week
Community events on campus next week
Trigger Warning: This message discusses the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision by the Supreme Court, abortion, and healthcare inequality.
Dear Students: 
I have heard from many members of our community – students, staff, and faculty alike – who are understandably dismayed by the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. I write to acknowledge the individual and community impacts that will result from this decision. Even though abortion remains legal in the State of California, many are concerned for the wellbeing of communities in other states and communities of color who have been especially negatively impacted by inequitable access to reproductive healthcare, including abortion. Still others are concerned about the immediate loss of access to reproductive healthcare for people who become pregnant, but also further threats to their bodily autonomy. In terms of local care in California, options remain the same, regardless of the Supreme Court’s decision. I am including campus resources for support and healthcare, as well as a copy of the California Proclamation on Reproductive Freedom for your reference.
Below are some ways you can engage in our campus community – whether to learn more or to seek support about any concerns you might have. As members of an academic community we have unique opportunities to engage in current events through teaching, learning, research, and our personal actions. As with any current events of interest to you, I encourage you to take full advantage of our university community: 
  • Take courses that provide deeper insight into issues, and engage with faculty to learn more about the issues and their impacts. 
  • Pursue research opportunities that allow you to closely examine issues in order to better understand their origins and possible future directions.
  • Get involved with student and community organizations that mobilize people to act.
Engage Locally
A Reproductive Freedom Solidarity and Support Space
Hosted by the Women's Center and Health & Wellness
Monday, June 27, 1 - 3 p.m., 1220 SRB
Gather in our Lounge for discussion and creative expression or come to our Community Room to find a quiet space for contemplation.
Additional campus programs are being developed now in the face of this late-breaking news. You can find program announcements for upcoming programming in a variety of places, including:
Resources 
UC Santa Barbara includes a wealth of service and advocacy organizations. Two that you might be interested in connecting with are:
  • Student Health Service is committed to maintaining its reproductive and sexual health services, including convenient access to birth control. SHS offers medical abortion services to our students and is compliant with California SB 24.
  • The Women's Center provides education on women’s issues, feminism, healthy masculinities, and gender and sexual equity. The Women's Center also offers free wellness items, including condoms and menstrual products, to people of all genders.
I have included an excerpt from the California Proclamation on Reproductive Freedom (2019) below in order to provide clear insight into our State's legal orientation toward reproductive healthcare, including abortion. 
Sincerely, 
Margaret Klawunn
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Excerpt from the Proclamation on Reproductive Freedom
Signed May 31, 2019 by Governor Gavin Newsom

"I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby issue the California Proclamation on Reproductive Freedom to educate women of their reproductive rights, as recognized in the Constitution and law of California, including:

Constitutional Right to Privacy: Article 1, Section 1 of the California Constitution guarantees that privacy is an inalienable right enjoyed by all Californians. This right of privacy includes a woman's right to choose. 

Statutory Right to Choose: California's Reproductive Privacy Act prohibits the State of California from denying or interfering with a woman's right to choose or obtain an abortion prior to fetal viability, or after fetal viability to protect the life or health of the woman. 

Young Women's Right to Choose: California's right to privacy guarantees that young women do not have to secure parental or judicial consent in order to obtain an abortion. This right protects the most vulnerable young women, avoids unnecessary delay and keeps young women safe by avoiding back-alley abortions. 

Right to Access: The right to choose should not depend on the ability to pay. California recognizes this important principle by requiring that all state­ regulated private health plans, including Covered California plans, provide equal access to maternity and abortion services. Further, California uses state funds to ensure that abortion services are available to low-income women. 

Right to Choose a Provider: While many states have imposed medically unnecessary requirements on clinicians who provide abortions, California has taken the opposite approach. California allows Medi-Cal patients to seek abortion care services from any qualified Medi-Cal provider. California also permits advanced practice clinicians, including nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and physician assistants with specialized training, to perform early abortion care. This policy increases the number of trained health professionals who provide early abortions and expands access to the many rural Californians in areas without physicians who provide such services. 

Right to Confidentiality in Exercising Choice: California recognizes that abortion providers and others who assist women in exercising their right to choose often face harassment, threats and acts of violence. California law protects the personal information of these individuals as well as that of the patients themselves. Further, an individual may choose to have an abortion without consent or involvement of their parent or guardian, spouse, or the biological parent of the fetus."
UC Santa Barbara | Division of Student Affairs
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Student Life | 2260 SRB | University of California
Santa Barbara, CA | 93106-5010 US
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