Yale's introduction of RU-486 sparks controversy

At a time when students are deciding whether to take Molecular Genetics or Elementary Kiswahili, some women at Yale may have a harder choice to make. Now, in addition to providing the "morning after pill" and performing surgical abortions, Yale intends to offer students and staff the choice of using the abortion drug RU-486, also known as Mifeprex, under the University Health Plan.

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RU-486, a non-surgical option for terminating a pregnancy, blocks a hormone that is needed for pregnancy to continue. It is used in conjunction with another drug, Misoprostol, which causes the uterus to cramp and expel the embryo. It can be used within nine weeks after the first day of the previous menstrual cycle.

According to the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) website, "Women might prefer to use Mifeprex over traditional, surgical abortion for a variety of reasons. Among the benefits of Mifeprex is the fact that it does not require an invasive procedure or surgery, and consequently it requires no anesthesia. In addition, many women feel it gives them greater control over the process and increases their privacy."

Yale has chosen to offer this drug because, according to Thomas Conroy, acting director of Public Affairs, "University Health Services [YUHS] seeks to provide the best and most comprehensive care to the students, staff, and faculty it serves."

This decision has created a stir among pro-life and pro-choice organizations around campus. Emily Grant, DC '02, a member of the Party of the Right and the Pro-Life League, was upset about Yale's decision. "RU-486 sounds like a horrible way for any woman to abort her child," Grant said. "Instead of being surrounded by other human beings and nurses who can comfort her during her surgery, the woman is sitting alone, by herself, while her baby is flushed out of her."

On the other hand, Caroline Barber, DC '02, founder and president of the Reproductive Rights Action League of Yale (RALY), respects Yale's decision to stand by its policy to offer complete reproductive health care services, including RU-486, to all students.

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"I adamantly support the health service's decision to make this safe and legal means of pregnancy available to Yale students and faculty," Barber said.

While many pro-life activists fear that women may use RU-486 as an alternative to birth control, Barber doesn't find this realistic. "RU-486 is far from being a means of birth control," she said. "Medical abortion is, like surgical abortion, a last result for women who are experiencing unintended pregnancies. Studies have consistently shown that abortion is never a preferred, or desired, means of contraception."

RU-486 has some negative side effects that have some people worried. The drug can cause cramping and bleeding, for example.

Grant noted an inconsistency, though. As she said, "In the clinical trials, some women reported such severe internal bleeding that they required hospitalization—and this drug is supposed to liberate me?"

While these side effects are severe, Yale is aware of potential dangers and takes care to inform its patients. "Anyone who receives care from YUHS is informed by his or her provider of any potential risk or side-effect of any treatment or medication," Conroy said.

Barber added, "Medical abortions have been safely performed for over a decade in Europe. And the side effects are no different from the common complications of a natural miscarriage."

According to statistics provided by NARAL, over 600,000 women have safely used this medical option to terminate their pregnancy.

But what seems to be frustrating pro-life groups the most is the fact that Yale requires that all students buy into the basic health plan, which includes unlimited abortions for all female students.

"All the Yale Pro-Life League wants is to be able to opt out of the abortion part of the plan," Grant said. "The students at Harvard have this right. Why should my money go to pay for an operation or medication which I believe is murder?"

Barber challenges this view. "There are many people who oppose a variety of medical services. It is, however, up to a patient and his or her doctor to decide what is best for that particular individual. Those who utilize a health care plan that supports this ideology must respect that they may not control what services are or are not offered by their health care provider," she said.

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