TO THE EDITOR:

We were disappointed that the DTH article on the new student insurance plan controversy (“UNC-system students able to opt out of abortion benefit,” Aug. 22) included only anti-choice perspectives on the issue.

Contrary to statements in the article, abortion is health care for many women. It is a legal and safe medical procedure that about one-third of U.S. women will have by age 45, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

As future health care professionals, we are concerned about the precedent set by President Erskine Bowles’ recent decision to allow students to “opt out” of sharing the costs of comprehensive reproductive health care in the new student insurance plan.

We are aware of no other cases in which students may specify that their insurance funds should not cover particular medical procedures obtained by other students. Why should abortion, a legal and common medical procedure, be treated differently? Should students be allowed to opt out of paying into the insurance pool for other services to which they personally object?

As long as nearly half of pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, abortion will continue to be essential health care for women whose primary birth control has failed, and who wish to have control over the timing of their reproduction. Health insurance provided by the UNC system should continue to serve all students and ensure that female students can exercise their full range of reproductive options.

Amy Sparks
Anne Starling
UNC Medical Students for Choice