Eleanor Allen-Henderson, a UA junior recounted about with a chronic illness she had in the Fall of 2017.
“It was a really painful experience in my life,” Allen-Henderson said.
Her “painful experience” happened almost 5337 miles from the deserts of Tucson. Allen-Henderson was in Chile studying abroad where she was taking English courses counting toward her degree in the field.
“They have a right to their own bodily autonomy. It is empowering people to make the best choice for them,” Lynch said.
Another subject VOX Arizona is addressing is access to birth control. She cites an executive order passed by Donald Trump which makes it optional for institutions of higher education to provide birth control products.
Lynch approves of UA’s attitude and initiatives towards birth control services. However, the national Planned Parenthood organization asked VOX to be aware of the issue in the event that UA decides to reduce or eliminate birth control services offered to students.
If this happens, VOX will begin collecting petition signatures immediately.
Ashley Little is a UA junior who studies public health. She is also the co-president of VOX. Campus health does not accept her insurance so, she decided to join the campaign.
Little questions the faculties ability to relate to minority students.
“A lot of their counselors are not culturally competent,” Little said.
Some international students have concerns about the mandatory insurance UA requires them to purchase.
Kris Kruetz in the Interim Executive Director of UA campus health services. He explained UA’s reason for imposing the mandated fee.
“Some international students would purchase the health insurance {to} demonstrate they had a comparable insurance policy and then cancel the insurance receive the refund and go uninsured while they were here,” Kruetz said.
He claims UA has a responsibility to the federal government to make sure all international students are insured while studying at UA.
“The only way we could do that reasonably was to mandate that they purchase health insurance that we {the UA} they will keep while they are students at UA. {That way} we are able to monitor their status,” Kruetz said.
David Salafsky is director of health promotion and preventive services at campus health.
He talked about how campus health cannot accept Medicaid plans because the program serves community members whereas campus health only serves students.
“Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University face similar challenges,” Salafsky said in response to critics.
Tayler Tucker is the media relations specialist for planned parenthood Arizona.
Tucker explained that OBGYN students who attend medical school in Arizona must take to learn about abortions. Arizona students must observe abortion procedures for a certain amount of hours to do the process themselves.
Tucker did not know the exact number of hours required. After students finish their observation hours, there is not a specific abortion license to obtain.
All medical students who attend medical school in Arizona must do the observation in an abortion clinic or during their residency rotations. Tucker adds that medical students need to confirm that their learning environment is willing and able to demonstrate abortions.
Tucker adds that OBGYN’s are underemployed. She attributes “stadium laws” as a contributor to the problem.
“The pipeline is being stopped, and that is frightening,” Tucker said.
Tucker wants hospitals to create their own programs for abortion procedure education. She says it is the best way to prepare potential employees to perform the procedure on the front lines. Tucker explained that there are medicinal options for women who decide to get an abortion within the first 10 weeks of their pregnancy. Tucker describes medicinal abortion as a “less invasive” option compared to the traditional surgical method. However, she thinks abortion surgery is safe.
“Abortions are safer than colonoscopies at all stages,” Tucker said.
Tucker has a message for people who do not use doctors who support and perform abortions.
“This idea that a doctor is not qualified because they provide abortions is a myth,” Tucker said.
Tucker says that planned parenthood is working to make abortion a more accessible option for women. Currently, abortion candidates must have substantial insurance coverage, or they are financially stable enough to pay out of pocket.
“There needs to be huge amounts of activism,” Tucker said.
Kat Sabine is the executive director of Pro-choice Arizona(PCA) and foundation and the abortion fund of Arizona for comment on the stadium bill. The request was denied altogether. PCA strives to educate and advocate for female reproductive rights both on a local and national level. Her Campus Arizona attempted to contact three members of a UA OBGYN club but did not receive a response at the time of publication.