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 | People have differing definitions of when pregnancy begins. |
| Medical experts are uncertain of the exact mechanism by which contraceptive methods work in specific instances. |
Definitions:
Both pro-live and pro-choice advocates agree on the sequence of events leading to a developing fetus:
- Ejection of a mature spermatozoon from a man's testicle, a few weeks before conception.
- Ejection of a mature ovum from a woman's ovary shortly before conception.
- Fertilization of the ovum by one spermatozoon, usually in one of the two fallopian tubes. The fertilized ovum is called a zygote or pre-embryo.1
- Movement of the zygote towards the uterus.
- Its development to the blastocyst stage and its implantation in the wall of the uterus.
- Its development into a fetus.
But they differ in their definition of the start of pregnancy. Pro-choicers generally use medical definitions. Pro-lifers almost universally state that pregnancy begins at conception.
| Term | Many Pro-Life Supporters | Many Pro-Choice Supporters | General Medical Definition |
| Start of pregnancy | At conception | At implantation of the fertilized ovum in the wall of the uterus | Same as pro-choice definition |
| When does life become a human person? | At conception | Various beliefs: at viability; when the fetal brain's higher functions start up; at birth; etc. | Various |
| Definition of a contraceptive | Prevents fertilization of the ovum | Prevents fertilization or implantation of the blastocyst. | Same as pro-choice definition |
| Abortifacient | Medication which terminates human life, anytime after fertilization | Medication which terminates human life, anytime after implantation | Same as pro-choice definition |
| Abortion | Termination of the life of a baby at or after the zygote/pre-embryo stage | Termination of the life of a blastocyst after it attaches itself to the uterine wall, or of a morula, embryo or fetus before viability. | Same as pro-choice definition |
| Baby | A zygote, morula, blastocyst, embryo, fetus, newborn, or infant. | A newborn or infant | Same as pro-choice definition |
Any medication or device which allows fertilization of the ovum but does not allow the blastocyst (fertilized ovum) to be implanted is considered:
| By pro-lifers to be an abortifacient, because they believe that a human person has already been created, and pregnancy has already begun. |
| By pro-choicers and the medical community to be a contraceptive, because pregnancy has not begun. |
Of the many contraception and abortion methods:
| The rhythm method, and other "natural" family planning techniques approved by the Roman Catholic church, are barrier contraceptives. They use the barrier of time to prevent an ovum from being fertilized. If successful, then the technique prevents live sperm and a live ovum from being present in the fallopian tubes simultaneously. | ||||||||
| The condom is another barrier contraceptive. It uses a physical barrier made of latex to keep sperm from entering the woman's body. | ||||||||
| Regular usage of the contraceptive pill is generally considered to prevent conception by inhibiting ovulation. | ||||||||
| Emergency contraception (EC) or "the morning after pill: Doctors sometimes prescribe a multiple dose of regular contraceptive pills in cases where a woman has had unprotected sex. These pills may prevent the release of an ovum, or may prevent it from being fertilized. In these cases, it acts as a contraceptive. However, if the ovum has already been fertilized, it is believed that the pills may prevent the implantation of the blastocyst in the wall of the womb. Pro-lifers generally consider that, under these conditions, the pill is an abortifacient; others consider its use to still be contraceptive. | ||||||||
| Intra-uterine devices (IUDs) are believed to allow fertilization but prevent implantation. Pro-lifers generally consider an IUD to be an abortifacient; others consider it a contraceptive. | ||||||||
| Methods which cause the pre-embryo which is implanted in the wall of the
uterus, or an embryo, or a fetus to be removed or ejected
from the body are universally regarded as producing an abortion. These include:
|
Recent activities with an impact on this topic:
| 1998: The House, and later the Senate, passed an amendment to the Treasury Department/Postal Service appropriation bill that requires insurance companies to include contraceptives in their prescription drug coverage. House Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) led an unsuccessful fight against including contraceptives in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Smith said: "social conservatives are mounting a concerted effort to make it clear that 'contraception means [that] fertilization does not take place.' "2,3 According to the Southern Baptist Convention, "Some opponents of the measure fear RU 486, the French abortion pill, would be [automatically] covered when the Food and Drug Administration approves it." 4 Smith considers any medication or techniques that are known to act (or may possibly act) after fertilization to be "baby pesticides." This includes the use of multiple doses of ordinary contraceptives, or normal use of Norplant, Depo-Provera, and IUD's. |
| 2001-DEC: The American Medical Association debated
whether physicians should inform women that the potential exists that
birth control medication might possibly cause a fertilized egg to be
expelled from the body before pregnancy begins. Dr. John C. Nelson, a
member of the AMA's executive committee, said that the proposal was
voted down because "many people from the American Society of
Reproductive Medicine...decided that they would testify, and their
testimony was that there is not sufficient scientific evidence to
suggest" that birth control substances can work in this way. Nelson
added: "One of the foremost infertility doctors in the country [said]
that's not the way it works...I have no reason to doubt him." Walter Weber is a spokesperson for the American Center for Law and Justice, a Virginia-based fundamentalist Christian public interest law firm. He said: "If [pro-life women] are using a method that can operate after fertilization as well as before fertilization, and they don't know it, they are basically being deceived by lack of information into violating their own consciences." He believes that the AMA proposal might be re-introduced at a later AMA general meeting. 5 |
References:
- For definitions of many pregnancy-related terms, see our glossary of abortion terms
- USA Today, issue of 1998-JUN-25
- "Congressional extremists target family planning," Population and Habitat Update, 1998-SEP/OCT.
- "Senate OKs contraceptive coverage; federal plan covers abortifacients," Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention," at: http://www.erlc.com/Sanctity/Abortion/Articles/
- Christine Hall, "AMA Votes Against Abortion Disclosure," Cybercast News Service, http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?
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Site navigation: Home page > "Hot" topics > Abortion > here |
Copyright 1999 to 2007 by Ontario Consultants
on Religious Tolerance
Latest update: 2007-MAY-25
Author: B.A. Robinson
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