While it is understandable for Olin Health Center not to offer the abortion pill RU-486, the center should at least consider providing the pill.
Last week, Yale University announced RU-486 would be offered in its campus health center as part of the standard health plan for students. The plan provides free health care to Yale students from the university health services.
The Food and Drug Administration approved RU-486 for use in September 2000. The administration declared the drug safe in 1996. RU-486 has been available in France since 1988 and is approved for use in the United Kingdom and Sweden.
RU-486 is available only by prescription and can only be used in the first 49 days after a woman’s last period. The pill induces abortion by shedding the lining of a woman’s uterus like a normal menstrual period.
A woman must visit a doctor two to three times after taking the pill to help prevent complications. In about 8 percent of cases, a woman must have surgery after using the pill to control heavy bleeding or finish an incomplete abortion. However, the pill is more than 90 percent effective.
Olin officials have said the health center is not discussing the possibility of providing RU-486. It is understandable Olin does not provide the abortion pill because abortions are not provided there, but the issue of RU-486 should at least be discussed by the center.
The morning-after pill and other contraception options are already available at Olin. The center should at least consider providing RU-486 as part of its services.
Olin provides the convenience of health care without leaving campus, and it should provide as wide an array of services as possible, especially if it wants to stay competitive with other area health-care providers.
RU-486 provides a good opportunity to women who want an abortion, but do not want to go through the surgery. It makes abortion more widely available, especially to women who do not live near abortion clinics.
The FDA’s move to approve this pill was a good one because it provides more options for women who choose to have abortions. Olin and other health centers should do their part in helping to provide those options to women across the country.
Concerns that the pill will make abortion easier and therefore increase sexual promiscuity are unfounded. This, as with forms of birth control, will not decrease sexual responsibility in women.
While the process is different than a surgical abortion, it is equally emotional and is still under the supervision of a doctor. It is not as simple as popping a pill and it won’t be treated as such. This process is not something to be taken lightly.
Olin’s decision not to provide the abortion pill is an understandable one, but the center should at least review the possibility. In order to truly provide for the students of MSU, all options must be weighed.
