The Food and Drug Administration approved the abortion pill RU-486, but it will not be available to students at NIU Health Services.

The drug, also know as mifeprex, is used to terminate a pregnancy if taken within the first seven weeks after conception.

NIU didn’t have to make the decision about whether or not to carry the drug available by prescription only.

When the FDA approved RU-486 it regulated the use of the drug and limited it to facilities trained in providing surgical abortions in case of any complications. Because Health Services does not perform such procedures, the drug will not be available on campus.

Larger universities with medical schools that perform surgical abortions and are equipped to handle any problems that may arise will be more likely to offer the abortion pill, said Beverly Espe, assistant director of NIU Health Services. She said while this may be true, most university health services would not carry it.

“RU-486 is controversial because it is a chemical abortion versus a surgical abortion,” Espe said.

Students wishing to gain access to the abortion pill are referred to facilities such as the Northern Illinois Women’s Center in Rockford.

RU-486 first became available at the center around the first of the year, said a representative. She said since its arrival, she hasn’t noticed a large demand for the pill and said it could be because patients are unaware of their options or prefer surgical abortions.

Espe said there are many pros and cons to the new drug. She said the advantages of RU-486 are the confidentiality and the less invasive procedure compared to surgical abortions. The side effects to RU-486 can include excessive bleeding, nausea and cramping, similar to a natural miscarriage, said Espe.

Under the NIU health insurance plan, surgical abortions are covered at other locations that perform the procedure. However, the plan does not cover prescriptions. Thus, RU-486 will not be covered under this plan, said Regina Crosby, NIU student insurance manager.