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Abortion pill sparks debate on campuses nationwide
Archive
The controversy surrounding the November approval of RU-486 (mifepristone) has extended itself to college campuses nationwide. The debate is centered on whether campuses can and should provide students access to the drug.
Many college health centers have opted not to provide the drug, citing that they are unable to meet the FDA distribution requirements.
These requirements state that only doctors who “are able to provide surgical intervention in case of incomplete abortion or severe bleeding” or who can make “plans in advance to provide such care through others keep” may provide the drug. Many have interpreted this language to mean that student health centers within a reasonable distance of a hospital can provide the drug, while others believe that the student health center itself must be able to provide the surgery if needed.
Emory University, University of Georgia at Athens, Boston University, all Florida public universities and University of Pennsylvania have opted not to make the drug available to students. Yale recently announced that RU-486 (marketed under the brand name Mifeprex) would be available to students. Yale already provides students with surgical abortions.
The manufacturer had no plans to market the drug in the United States or any other country in which the social and political conditions were not prepared for the drug.
The drug works by blocking the receptors of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone is needed to maintain pregnancy. Mifepristone is followed by a dose of misoprostol which expels the embryo. The drug must be taken within the first 49 days of pregnancy. The FDA found in clinical trials in the United States and France that the drug was between 92 and 95.5 percent effective.
Proponents of the drug say that the procedure is as safe as suction abortion, which is non-invasive and requires no anesthesia. Side effects of the drug include uterine cramps, bleeding, nausea and fatigue, similar to the symptoms of a natural miscarriage.
According to the FDA, 1 in 100 women experience heavy enough bleeding that surgical intervention is required. Of the women in the United States, 95.7 percent said they would recommend the drug.
The drug is not appropriate for women with ectopic pregnancies, or for women using IUDs.
Most universities currently provide students with contraceptives. UI and BSU student health centers do not provide abortions but do provide contraception, birth control counseling and pregnancy care. As is the case with most student health centers, the UI student health center can provide referrals to organizations such as Planned Parenthood for abortions. Mifeprex will be manufactured in the United States by the Danco Group, a company based out of New York.
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Annette Henke is a reporter for the Idaho Argonaut at the University of Idaho. Article reprinted with permission.