Few Private Physicians Offer Women Abortion Pill

Few private physicians offer RU-486 one year after the abortion pill received government approval, a survey released Monday by the Kaiser Family Foundation said.

The survey confirms anecdotal evidence that the abortion pill has been slow to catch on among women and private doctors. It is a setback for abortion rights advocates, who had hoped the pill would take abortion beyond clinics, where women face harassment, to private doctors’ offices.

Tina Huff, vice president of public health information at the foundation, said it has not been easy for doctors to incorporate the abortion pill into their practices. Physicians must provide counseling about the abortion method, provide surgical backup if the pill fails and be available for emergencies.

The survey didn’t explore the apparent lack of demand among women for the pill. Huff said it is possible the higher cost of a medical abortion has deterred women. An abortion with RU-486 typically costs $75 to $100 more than a surgical abortion.

Most women of childbearing age, 86% of women between 18 and 44, are familiar with RU-486 and know it terminates pregnancies, according to the survey. But 42% of women confuse it with the morning-after contraceptive pill.

RU-486 is for women who know they are pregnant and want a nonsurgical abortion. It can be used up to seven weeks after the beginning of their last menstrual period. In contrast, the morning-after pill is emergency contraception--a high dose of birth control pills taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy.

Six percent of gynecologists offer RU-486; 27% of them perform surgical abortions. Only 1% of general practitioners offer a medical or surgical abortion, the survey found.

Forty percent of the 595 gynecologists surveyed said they didn’t offer the abortion pill, also called mifepristone, because they personally oppose abortion.