A controversial abortion pill became available at several Chicago medical clinics last week — six weeks after it was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration.

Mifepristone, a pill that provides a non-surgical alternative to traditional abortions, is now being offered at Planned Parenthood’s Near North Health Center, 1200 N. LaSalle St.; Family Planning Associates Medical Group, 659 W. Washington Blvd.; and Concord Medical Center, 17 W. Grand Ave.

Because Northwestern’s Searle Student Health Services does not offer mifepristone, these locations are the nearest clinics where NU students can receive the pill. Dr. Mark Gardner, director of student health at Searle, said the health center does not have enough money to train staff and purchase the equipment necessary to implement use of the drug.

“The procedure is not cost-effective for a place our size,” Gardner said. “Fortunately, there isn’t enough student need to justify it.”

Gardner said he does not think NU will offer mifepristone in the future because the “university’s health center is not an abortion clinic.” Searle refers women seeking abortions to one of the Chicago clinics.

The pill, also known as RU-486, induces abortion by blocking receptors of progesterone, a key hormone in maintaining a pregnancy. Mifepristone is administered in combination with misoprostol, a drug that causes uterine contractions and bleeding. The combination of the two medications terminates the pregnancy.

Planned Parenthood’s Near North Health Center first offered mifepristone abortions Wednesday, said Vasyl Markus, the organization’s vice president of public policy. Four women underwent the procedure last week.

Before having a medical abortion, women must undergo a counseling session at Planned Parenthood in which specialists explain mifepristone’s function and possible side effects, Markus said. Doctors then perform a pelvic exam and an ultrasound to make sure that the woman is pregnant. These processes can occur three to seven weeks into the woman’s pregnancy.

After confirming the pregnancy, the doctor gives the woman the mifepristone tablet. Two days later, the woman takes two misoprostol pills at home, which complete the abortion process in 92 to 95 percent of all cases.

Two weeks later, the woman returns to the clinic for a check-up, and the doctor performs another ultrasound to confirm that the pregnancy has ended. In the rare case that the woman still is pregnant, the doctor can surgically remove the embryo.

Mifepristone abortions are offered only on Wednesdays at the Near North clinic, Markus said, whereas women can receive surgical abortions Tuesday through Saturday at any of Planned Parenthood’s five offices.

Both mifepristone and surgical abortions are safe, Markus said, but some women may prefer the mifepristone method because it is less invasive and does not require anesthesia. Both types of abortion cost patients about $300.

The tense political climate that has always accompanied the abortion debate most likely will be intensified by the use of mifepristone, Markus said. About 15 people stood outside Planned Parenthood’s Near North clinic Saturday, protesting abortion and the use of mifepristone. They joined hands and sang Catholic songs to the women entering the clinic.

Members of NU’s Women’s Coalition visited the clinic Saturday to support a woman’s right to an abortion, escorting women seeking surgical abortions into the clinic.

“We were there as buffers between the patients and the people who were protesting,” said Beki Park, director of Women’s Co. “We were there to prove that people can act in a mature manner when it comes to abortion. We weren’t there to argue with the protesters.”

About a year ago, Women’s Co members voted to take a stance supporting abortion rights, Park said. Their presence at Planned Parenthood on Saturday was the first time they expressed their position publicly.

Markus said protesters typically gather outside Planned Parenthood clinics on Saturdays to protest abortions. He said he expects to see more protesters now that one of the clinics has started using the mifepristone method.

“They’re always out there, saying things like, ‘You’re wrong! You’re sinning,'” Markus said. “But many women have abortions at Planned Parenthood for health reasons rather than because they want to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.”