Ask Pat

Emergency contraceptive pills vs. the abortion pill

Q)How much does an abortion pill cost and how safe is it? What is the effective time difference between a morning after pill and an abortion pill?

A)

These two things are completely different. The "morning after pill" (better called emergency contraception pill) can be used up to 72 hours after an episode of unprotected/underprotected intercourse. They are used as an emergency backup to prevent pregnancy, and they work by preventing fertilization and/or implantation of a fertilized egg. For this reason, emergency contraceptive pills are not considered to be abortion pills. These are offered at Hartshorn Health Service, and the cost is about $25. The "abortion pill" actually involves several medications, exams, and ultrasounds and can be an option for abortion instead of the medical abortion procedure. The cost tends to be far greater for the "pill" abortion than the medical procedure, and it is far more complex in terms of exams, etc. The cost for this type of abortion is about $1000 or more, and the usual procedure is about $400 or so. These are not offered at Hartshorn Health Service