Preserving the Intended Use of Student Life Fees Act 

 
A bill to prohibit the use of student life fees for funding abortions with three exceptions.  
 
Sponsor​: Brett Barbin (Representative, Class of 2019) 
 
WHEREAS​, every registered undergraduate student must pay a Student Life Fee of $1,581 during 
the 2018-2019 academic year,  
 
WHEREAS​,​ ​the Bursar states that Student Life Fees are meant to “cover many services dedicated 
to enhancing the quality of student services and campus activities, and are used to provide and 
promote educational, social, cultural, and recreational programs and services for all students 
throughout the year,” 
 
WHEREAS​, the University uses Student Life Fees to partially fund “student health, student 
counseling, student disability services, immigration and visa services, dean-on-call and sexual assault 
dean-on-call programs, emergency funding programs, disciplinary affairs, Ratner and other 
recreational facilities, Graduate Council and Student Government, spiritual life, [and the campus 
shuttle program],” 
 
WHEREAS​, some Student Life Fees go toward Student Health and Counseling Services which 
covers “contraception consultations” and “sexual health education and condoms,” but makes no 
mention of abortions. This would place abortions in the category of “other services not listed here,” 
which are “​not​ covered by the Student Life Fee,” 
 
WHEREAS​, these Student Life Fees finance the functions of Student Government, College 
Council, and its various committees,  
 
WHEREAS​, students should not be financially compelled to violate their sincerely-held moral 
beliefs,  
 
Be it enacted by the College Council of the University of Chicago Student Government:  
1. No funds authorized or appropriated by College Council, and none of the proceeds 
thereof, shall be expended for any abortion; 
2. The limitation established in ​§ ​1 shall not apply to an abortion, 
a. if the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest, 
b. in the case where a person suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or 
physical illness, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising 
from the pregnancy itself, that would, as certified by a physician, place the person in 
danger of death unless an abortion is performed; 
3. The limitation established in ​§ ​1 shall not be construed to apply to any other form of 
contraceptive measure.  
 
 
Student Health and Counseling Services use of the Student Life Fee: 
https://wellness.uchicago.edu/about/services/student-life-feed/ 

 
 
 
Impetus for this legislation: