350 Students Ask UHS for Refund Of Abortion Fee

Over 350 students have received a 56-cent refund for the portion of their annual University Health Services (UHS) fee which pays for abortion coverage, Dr. Warren E.C. Wacker, director of UHS, said yesterday.

UHS policy instituted last November provides abortion coverage of up to $150 for any University woman who requests it, but allows a refund to students opposed to voluntary abortions.

Six times as many men as women have requested refunds, Wacker said.

Since the program went into effect, the number of undergraduates receiving abortion referrals from UHS has remained the same, Wacker said.

UHS does not perform abortions itself but refers students to clinics in the Boston area, usually the Crittenton Clinic in Brighton.

About 25 to 40 undergraduates each year receive referrals from UHS, Wacker said. The rate of abortion referral for graduate students is slightly higher, he added.

Before a referral is given, women receive counseling from Ann Bisbee, assistant to the director of UHS. In counseling, Bisbee emphasizes helping students make the right decisions for themselves, she said yesterday.