Feminist Campus - Prescribe Choice: Campaign for Reproductive Freedom - Take Action: Women's Health and Mifepristone

Know Your Campus Health Center

Take action to improve women’s health services on campus! Conduct a survey of your campus health center, using the enclosed questionnaire as a guide. Knowing what services your campus health center provides will help you determine how your group can effectively improve health services for women on campus. Consult with the Medical Director of your campus health center, as well as pro-choice health care providers at your campus health center. When you have completed your survey, publicize your findings on campus.
Download the Prescribe Choice Campus Health Center Survey, apply it to your campus, and tell us the results

Join FMF’s Campaign to Increase Funding for Mifepristone Research

Petition for federal funding for research on the other medical uses of mifepristone and to keep mifepristone on the market for early abortion. Contact the Campus Team to receive FMF petitions to send to President Bush and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Petition Bush, HHS, FDA and NIH to support Safe Medical Abortion, Increase Mifepristone Research Funding

Affect Campus Health Center Policy

Using the results of your campus health center survey, choose two or three issues to address and organize a campaign to increase women’s health services on campus. Work with feminist faculty and administrators on campus, along with providers at your campus health center to learn everything you can about health center’s official processes for changing policies and internal politics. This will help your group to develop the best possible strategy for approaching the campus health center about improving and/or offering more services for women.

Strategies might include several of the following: setting up an appointment with your campus health center’s Medical Director, meeting with pro-choice health care providers at your campus health center, organizing a petition drive, planning visibility events, writing letters to the editor of your campus and community newspapers, rallying your campus through speak-outs, and holding follow-up meetings with appropriate health center or administrative policy makers. Remember, changing campus policy can take time, so set realistic goals and work closely with your Campus Organizer throughout your campaign to maximize your efforts!

Publicize Locations Where Women Can Access Mifepristone

Locate local abortion providers that offer mifepristone and publicize this information on campus. You can find local providers by calling the National Abortion Federation hotline at 1-800-722-9100 or call Planned Parenthood’s hotline at 1-800-230-PLAN. Mifepristone information is available online at earlyoptions.org.

Health Centers Do Not Need Ultra-Sound Equipment to Offer Mifepristone

The FDA requires that mifepristone providers be able to accurately date a pregnancy and diagnose ectopic pregnancies. Many doctors and clinics wrongfully believe that ultrasound equipment is needed to date a pregnancy, but the FDA does not require it. In actuality, gynecologists, internists, and nurse practitioners are all qualified to date a pregnancy by conducting a pelvic exam. In one study, researchers found that over 90% of women could accurately date their own pregnancy when provided with appropriate information (Population Council, Harper et. al, 2001). Ectopic (tubal) pregnancies account for less than 2% of all pregnancies and while it is optimal to use an ultra-sound machine for diagnosing an ectopic pregnancy, it is not necessary. If your reproductive health care providers have questions or concerns about administering mifepristone, have them contact the National Abortion Federation (NAF) at 202-667-5881. NAF is the professional association for abortion providers in the United States and Canada.

Mifepristone Resources

Feminist.org
FMF’s award winning website includes comprehensive information and resources on mifepristone and the twelve year campaign FMF led to make mifepristone available to women in the United States.

EarlyOptionPill.com
EarlyOptionPill.com is the website of Danco Laboratories, which markets Mifeprex (the trade name for mifepristone) in the United States. Their site contains information on mifepristone and its uses, as well as instructions on how to get Mifeprex.

Earlyoptions.org
This site is administered by the National Abortion Federation (NAF) to educate health care professionals about mifepristone. The site also contains information for women considering medical abortion.