Covering abortions, slowly

Abortion has long been a controversial issue, and until now the University Health Services has been too worried about objections to try including abortion coverage in its health care plan.

But after experimenting this summer with a program for employees and faculty members that allowed participants with moral objections to withdraw the portion of the health services fee that would go toward that coverage--less than $1.00--the UHS, with Corporation approval, decided to offer the same program to students.

The UHS went out of its way to cover all possible objections. Before it asked the Corporation to allow abortion coverage, it changed the University's health insurance policy to include maternity benefits, so that women who want to carry a baby may ask the University for help.

The Rev. Thomas F. Powers, chaplain for the Harvard Catholic Students Center, said yesterday he believes the new policy respects the right of students who disagree with the program to withdraw from it entirely. Powers acknowledged that many consider abortion coverage important--a sign, perhaps, that those who oppose non-therapeutic abortions will probably be satisfied with the UHS policy.

And those who consider abortion within the realm of individual choice believe the UHS decision to change its policy valuable. Ann G. Bisbee, assistant to the director of UHS for abortion referral, said this week that the policy change will allow students considering abortions to focus on emotional questions rather than financial ones.

Although most students who desire abortions have been able to find the necessary $150 eventually, she said, the question of finances has often assumed greater importance than it deserved.