4. When the Pill Arrives

Terminating an unwanted pregnancy, even in the bluest of blue states — Massachusetts, where legislation like the ROE Act promises to secure reproductive rights as they come under fire elsewhere across the nation — can be a tough ordeal. Especially on college campuses, where some student health centers will refer patients to local providers, unable to render abortion services themselves. But not for long. 

In January, 2022, UMass Amherst announced its plans to roll out medication abortion, a two-step, self-administered pill, as an extension of existing reproductive healthcare available to its students, faculty, and staff. 

In this episode of It Happened in Amherst, Rebeca Pereira covers a tiny pill that could alter the course of pregnant patients’ lives and change the standard of abortion accessibility forever.