Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) -- It's another year and another campaign for Harvard University pro-life students who don't want their dues and fees used to pay for abortions through the campus health insurance plan. As they and students at other colleges have had to do in previous years, students are seeking to opt out of involvement.

The annual effort at Harvard dates back to 1994 when then-student Daniel Choi found information on the university funding abortions buried in a student handbook.

Though there is no abortion facility on campus, but Harvard's student health insurance, operated by Blue Cross Blue Shield, pays for pregnant students to obtain abortions at off-campus abortion businesses to the tune of $350-$575 per abortion.

Other the last two weeks, students have found blue “opt-out” cards sponsored by Harvard Right to Life that gives students one dollar per term as a rebate for the amount they pay to cover abortions.

According to The Crimson student newspaper, Harvard gave out 128 refunds in the 2006-2007 academic year for students who didn't want to be forced to pay for abortions.

HRL president Jeffrey Kwong tells the paper that number will rise this year and he said his group has collected over 400 rebate forms so far.

“We’re trying to allow students that have a moral objection to abortion to have the right to opt-out of paying for an elective abortion,” Kwong said.

Though abortion advocates claim to support choice, Sean Mascali, a man who heads up the pro-abortion Students for Choice group on campus, told the newspaper students should have no choice when it comes to being forced to pay for abortions.

“It’s dangerous and incredibly scary for special interests to dictate the health needs of the Harvard community,” Mascali said, “especially when those interests don't seem to appreciate the gravity of the health concerns that students face.”

The abortion subsidy has existed for about 20 years and other colleges and universities, such as Yale University, have come under fire for paying for abortions with student fees.
At Yale, women students are entitled to free, unlimited abortions, at Columbia the forced abortion insurance plan includes no opt-out.

Related web sites:
Harvard Right to Life - http://hcs.harvard.edu/~hrl