The Mail ABORTIONS

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

For the past several months the CRIMSON, along with many other papers in the Boston area, has been running advertisements for "abortion counseling services, referral services, scheduling services. . . ." I would like to extend a word of caution to anyone considering using such a service.

You, the client, have no way of checking on the legitimacy of these services, or the reputation of the clinics to which they refer you. They make all arrangements for you, not telling you even the name of the clinic until they have received payment.

In one sense this is a service to you. But its primary function is to enable them to receive the money for the abortion directly from you. In most cases you must wire them the money before they will make the appointment. This leaves you no recourse when (if) you find out that the price for the actual procedure was between $25 and $60 less than what you paid. This fee for their services, which you are not told about, is far more than a standard doctor's fee, for far less attention.

All "counseling" is done over long-distance telephone, by which it is difficult at best to determine your particular needs and to choose the facility best suited for you. Basically these services explain the procedure used by out-patient clinics in New York, and make an appointment for you.

Most of these services are above-board. But they are middleman organizations, out to make a profit from a medical service which is badly in need of straightforward accessibility to anyone in need. There is no reason why anyone should have to pay to get facts on what an abortion is and how it is performed. And there is no reason why, with background information on a number of clinics and their procedures, an individual cannot call and make an appointment for herself.

The need, then, is for facts on abortion and reliable information on clinics. I would like to encourage any person in this community to visit Pregnancy Counseling Service at 3 Joy St. in Boston for just this kind of help. There you have a chance to talk personally with a counselor who will help you to decide on the best alternative for your situation. They have personally visited all the clinics to which they make referrals, and will share their information. There is no fee: PCS operates on voluntary contributions.

Room 13 is another source of information. We have literature describing the four types of safe medical abortions. We have a copy of the Massachusetts law on abortion. One of us is a counselor trained at PCS, and will be happy to discuss the various safe, legal options with anyone in need of help. Call any night, 495-4969. The resources in this community are more than adequate to help anyone with a problem pregnancy.