13. Can employees who work outside of the campus health center provide students with information about pregnancy- and abortion- related organizations (such as Planned Parenthood)?

Please review the introduction to Section II.  As noted above, employees outside of campus health centers should refer students with any health issue, including pregnancy and abortion-related questions, to the campus health centers and not attempt to answer them on their own.

14. What issues could arise for a non-campus health center employee if a student asks for assistance from or asks questions of the employee related to pregnancy or abortion services?

See Question 13 and the Introduction to Section II.

15. Can employees speak out against or in favor of the Dobbs decision?

The general guidance on employee statements and advocacy regarding any political issue applies to Dobbs. Only the chancellor has the authority to make statements on behalf of the institution, except where the institution has granted authority to another employee to communicate on behalf of the institution. Any subunit message needs to be consistent with the institutional message and is expected to be issued in consultation with university communications.

If employees or groups of employees in certain subunits are experts in related fields and are providing input or comment on an issue as an expert, but not on behalf of the university at the direction of the Chancellor, messages and statements should refrain from taking a position or appearing to represent the position of the university or their department. Rather, these comments should be presented as academic review/analysis for input or consideration.

Employees as private citizens are free to engage in these activities on their own time and with their own resources.

16. What external organizations can employees in the scope of their employment still partner, engage and work with related to abortion and pregnancy services?

So long as the existing agreements have not been affected by changes in the law, there should be no change. For specific questions, please contact the Office of General Counsel or your institution’s Office of Legal Affairs.

17. Will the UW system support their employees’ needs for abortion services (i.e., funding and leave to travel)?

Employees have access to leave benefits (sick, vacation, personal holiday) that can be used for medical purposes. The UW System and its institutions do not have a separate category of funding or leave benefits for reproductive health care, including abortion. Employees should check directly with their health insurance provider regarding any changes in coverage.

18. What reproductive healthcare statements/resources can instructors share in their syllabi or in class?

Instructors are not required to include healthcare statements, about abortion services or otherwise, or resources in their classes or syllabi, nor are such statements generally considered appropriate or relevant content for syllabi or class discussion (except as noted in Question 19). Students are regularly provided information from the institution about the availability of healthcare on campus and should be referred to campus health centers if questions arise in class about pregnancy or abortion services.

19. What information can instructors share in the classroom about reproductive healthcare, which may be relevant to a variety of disciplines?

Instructors may continue to share information about reproductive health care, including abortion, that is relevant to course content, is part of course material, and is based on facts or supported by research within the field. Instructors should refrain from engaging in direct advocacy or promotion of specific political or advocacy positions in the classroom.

20. What information/resources can instructors or staff share about reproductive healthcare during advising sessions or office hours?

See Question 13 and the Introduction to Section II.

21. Can faculty or staff personally provide transportation, funding, pregnancy tests, Plan B, etc. to students? What are the reprecussions if they do?

See Question 13 and the Introduction to Section II. Also, providing personal assistance, such as funding and transportation, directly to students for health care, including abortion services, is outside an employee’s job duties/scope of employment and may subject the employee to personal liability, discrimination complaints, or other allegations.

Employees should also always take care to observe the boundaries and power differentials between themselves and students.  While the university does not tell employees what to do on their own time, overly involving oneself into a student’s personal life may lead to problems, such as perceived favoritism and sexual harassment allegations (e.g., my professor pressured me into getting an abortion and even drove me to the clinic and paid for it).  Campuses should not be seen as encouraging employees to have such personal relationships with students on this or any matter.

Additionally, most campuses now have policies that require employees to report personal/sexual relationships with students (consistent with Regent Policy 14-8, Consensual Relationships.

Employees should take care to heed these policies and ask specific questions if they are unsure about their obligations.

22. When are instructors obligated to give syllabi and other course information when outside requests are made? Do outside individuals/groups need to go through official channels or is an instructor permitted or required to respond to such outside requests directly?

External requests (e.g., public records requests, subpoenas, other governmental orders) for syllabi and other course materials should be forwarded to your campus public records custodian.

Course syllabi are regularly released as part of the public records process or in response to legal process without restriction. Other course materials need closer review to assess whether any materials need to be withheld based on intellectual property protections or other reasons.

23. What steps should instructors take if students challenge the validity of course content or assignments that relate to abortion?

Students are permitted to express opinions germane to the subject matter of a course, including conflicting viewpoints and/or opinions, and to challenge course material, but they do not have a right to change course material or cease instruction of specific material for the particular class. Instructors are empowered to guide classroom discussion and set reasonable limits on the classroom time made available to students for the expression of their opinions. Instructors are responsible for balancing students’ right to expression with reasonable limits on discussion in classrooms (in-person and online) and other learning environments. Students may not, however, disrupt instruction. Potential types of disruption and/or policy violations include but are not limited to unauthorized recording, unauthorized attendance (not enrolled in the class), interrupting instruction with protest or other behavior that interferes with instruction.

Instructors who are concerned about potential disruption in their classroom are advised to plan in advance by engaging instructional leaders, departmental/ building support staff, their dean of students, and/or other university employees as needed to discuss best practices, assess risk, and develop a response plan.

24. Did the Dobbs decision impact my UW System employer-sponsored health insurance coverage?