Medical students want P.E.I. to offer free access to abortion drug

A group of medical students from Dalhousie University islobbying the P.E.I. government to provide free access to Mifegymisoan abortion drug.

The PEILobby Day team, with support from the Dalhousie Medical Student Society, is planning a trip to Charlottetown on Sept.8, when they hope to meet with local politicians.

A letter was senttoP.E.I. MLAs last week outliningthe group's mission and their request for meetings.

"The goal of this is very much to have face-to-face discussions with decision-makers,"saidJessicaPinkham, a third-year medical student at Dalhousie,the leader of the PEI Lobby Day teamand the letter's author.

"I would really like to see our province be progressive with this and show that women and their reproductive rights are a priority."

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The group wants to meet with leaders

The group wantsto meet with provincial MLAs to discuss reproductive access and to specifically ask thatMifegymisobe added to the provincialformularyso that it will be funded for women who would like to use it as a form of medical abortion.

"This medication has been approved by Health Canada and is recommended by the Canadian drug review as it is safe, effective and cost-effective," Pinkhamwrote in the letter. "It was calculated to be $961 less per patient than a surgical abortion. Furthermore, it will increase access to abortion for women living in rural areas of P.E.I."

The letter also invites leaders to schedule meetings over the phone or Skype duringthe week leading up to the event if they're unable to meet in person.

So far, Pinkham said they have heard back from one MLA.

About 25 people are helping out with the lobby day initiative, and13 people havecommitted to travelling to Charlottetown in September.

'It's something that's really important to me'

Pinkham said the initiative is particularly personal to her because she's from the Island.

"Being from P.E.I. ... and then also becoming more involved in the health care system through medical school, I've seen, first-hand, women go through the decision to go ahead with a therapeutic abortion," she said. "It's so multifaceted that I just think there should be other options as well as a surgical abortion."

Women should be ableto make informed decisions about their reproductive health, she said.

Health PEI still debating coverage

The abortion drug was approved for use by Health Canada two years ago, but Health PEI says it is still exploring whether tocover the cost for Islanders.

New Brunswick recently announced it will offer Mifegymiso, also known as RU-486, free to women with a valid health card. Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario,and Quebechave also committed to offering the drug for free.

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A spokesperson for Health PEI saiddecisions regarding drug availability are focused on ensuring the health and safety of Islanders.

The drug has been on the market since January.

Special training required

Before being allowed to prescribe Mifegymiso, doctors are required to complete special training.

As of mid-June, 22 Island doctors had completed the training, and another four had registered for the course, according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada.

Mifegymiso is a two-part treatment, combining mifepristone to block the hormone progesterone and misoprostol to induce a miscarriage.

In Canada, the drug has been approved for use in the first seven weeks of pregnancy.

The treatment costs about $300.

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