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UC Berkeley Abortion Clinic Proposal Unanimously Approved By Student Government

BERKELEY (KPIX 5) -- A proposal to install an abortion clinic on the University of California, Berkeley campus was passed unanimously by the university's student government.

Student Senator Aanchal Chugh proposed the clinic, and is now being bombarded with hate messages.

"Saying it's against God, it's devilish, and the university should go to hell," Chugh said.

UC Berkeley provided abortion services on campus back in the 1980s.

Aanchal said it's important to make it accessible, because college-age women are the in the age group that has the most abortions.

"We feel that student health is something that the administration has not been focused on," Chugh said. "And it's important for students to do well academically."

While the university said it supports women's access to abortion, administrators are hesitant to move forward with the idea.

The university declined an on camera interview, but said in a statement there are plenty of medical professionals in the area who can provide the service.

Critics say an abortion clinic on campus could send the wrong message."Making it accessible to people kind of screams, 'hey, you can go do whatever you want, and just come here and we'll have it covered,'" student Bailey Mason said.

Other students disagreed. "I think students should have something on the campus that they can go to and a safe place,"said student Kylie Cherin.

Student government representatives said they plan to meet with university officials to push for implementation of the proposal.

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