Wednesday June 6, 2001

HAWAII TO PAY FOR ABORTION PILL RU-486

Honolulu, June 6, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Hawaii's Department of Human Services will begin using state dollars in mid-June to cover the cost of providing RU-486 to participants in QUEST, the federal and state-financed managed care program for poor and disabled women. Federal monies from the program will not be applied because the Bush administration will only pay for the ãabortion pillä mifepristone to end a pregnancy in situations of rape, incest or when a woman's life is in danger, and Hawaii does not require women to report if they were raped or victims of incest. The same federal restrictions apply for surgical abortions.

State Rep. William Stonebraker has proposed legislation to ban RU-486 for girls 16-years-old and younger. "I'm unsure that we've really done enough research on the effects this has, especially on the psychology of young girls," cautioned Stonebraker. Use of the drug in France and other countries has led to death and serious complications.

RU-486 will cost about $500, compared with $425 for a surgical abortion.

It will initially be available at Family Planning Centers of Hawaii and later at some small clinics and private practices across the state. There were 3,941 abortions performed in Hawaii last year.

For more see:
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2001/Jun/02/ln/ln02a.html

URL: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/jun/01060602.html

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