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Duke Folds to Pro-Abortion Pressure, Changes Student Health Insurance to Fund Abortion

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Mary Mobley - 17 Jun 2026

This summer, Duke University made the decision to switch its health insurance plan. Seems simple enough, right? Apparently not, as that decision has now become clouded with controversy following the school’s decision to cave to pressure from pro-abortion activists who want to force others to pay for their abortions. 

Here’s what happened. 

Last month, Duke University announced that it would be switching its student insurance plan from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Aetna. At the same time, it released a draft of what the new insurance would cover. Notably, the proposed plan excluded coverage for most abortions — and rightly so, given that abortion is not health care. 

The announcement was met with outrage from a small but loud subset of Duke students, who couldn’t seem to fathom the idea of the school not funding their decision to end their preborn children’s lives. The school’s graduate student union drafted a petition demanding, among other items, that abortion coverage be added to the plan. 

The petition was signed by about 800 Duke students, faculty, and alumni — a miniscule fraction of a school that typically has a total enrollment of 17,000+ students — and endorsed by organizations such as the school’s Planned Parenthood chapter. 

But instead of standing its ground, Duke, which began as a Christian school and still houses one of the nation’s 13 United Methodist seminaries, caved to the pressure, updating its plan to include abortion coverage. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to supporting abortion, Duke isn’t even the worst offender. That title goes to the over 216 campuses across the country that don’t just fund abortions but actually commit them at on-campus health centers. 

Yet Duke’s decision is especially sad given its origin as a school founded by Quakers and Methodists and originally known as “Trinity College.” 

Clearly, the university has lost its way. It’s time for it to return to its true purpose: educating students in virtue, not empowering them to end the lives of preborn babies. 

READ NEXT: Killing Future Students: Which Colleges Offer On-Campus Abortion?

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