There is general agreement among pro-choice groups, and medical professionals that
emergency contraceptives is a contraceptive. It does not not induce abortions.
In the even that a pregnancy has begun -- that is, a blastocyst has implanted in
the wall of the uterus -- the medication has no effect.
It is birth control, according to physicians and pro-choice groups:
Medical professionals and Pro-Choice groups generally define pregnancy as beginning
when a fertilized ovum, which has developed to the blastocyst stage, has attached itself fully to the lining of the uterus. Mary Pendergast of the FDA stated that:
"The scientific and medical definition of abortion is after
implantation [in the wall of the uterus]...These birth control pills are
used to prevent pregnancy, not to stop it. This is not abortion." 3
At the time of
the FDA announcement, Gloria Feldt, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of
America, said that the FDA had taken "a bold step -- a courageous
step..." because it brings the information to far more women.
Physicians -- at least those who are not conservative Christians -- generally agree that:
Pregnancy does not begin when an ovum is fertilized; i.e. at conception.
Pregnancy typically begins about 12 days after conception, after the
blastocyst has fully implanted itself in the lining of the womb.
Abortions are defined as medical interventions after pregnancy begins.
Since the emergency contraception pills are taken within 3 days of intercourse or an
Intra-uterine device (IUD)
is inserted within 5 days, they generally prevent the start of pregnancy. Thus, emergency contraception
is not a form of abortion.
Physicians conclude that the morning after pill and the IUD are not
abortifacients. They do not induce
abortions, but rather prevent pregnancy from starting up.
Sponsored link:
It can cause an abortion, according to some pro-life groups:
Most, (if not all) pro-life groups define:
The life of a human being as starting at the instant of conception.
Pregnancy as starting at conception.
As noted above, it is probable that when EC is taken:
Either an ovum has not been released, or
An ovum has recently been released but not fertilized.
Under these conditions, EC acts as a contraceptive. However, it is possible that when emergency contraception
is taken, conception has already taken place. Thus they consider the morning after pill
as having the potential to terminate a pregnancy and induce an abortion. And since
they believe that it terminates the
life of a child -- a human person -- they regard both techniques as potentially
causing a murder.
Some pro-life groups appear to ignore the fact that EC usually acts as
a contraceptive; they seem to assume that it always acts as an
abortifacient:
Gracie Hsu of the Family Research Council said: "For pro-lifers in
general, we believe that [human] life begins at conception and that means this,
technically, is an abortifacient."
Robert Maginnis, vice president of the Family Research Council
said: "As far as we're concerned it causes an abortion to take place.
It kills a human embryo." 1
On 1997-FEB-25, the "Christian Medical & Dental Society"
(CDMS) of
Bristol, TN issued a press release. Using the pro-life definition of pregnancy, they
stated that:
"Contrary to the claims of some, the so-called 'morning-after
pill' will dramatically increase - not decrease - the tragic number of
abortions in this country. The public is being misled into believing
that this concoction prevents a pregnancy when actually in most cases it
will abort a pregnancy...Approving and promoting these pills is not only
medically irresponsible, it is also sending the wrong message to the
American public. Instead of promoting this as an alternative for family
planning, we should be emphasizing sexual responsibility."
On 2008-DEC-12, the Roman Catholic issued a papal document titled "Dignitatis
Personae." It considers EC to fall "within the sin of abortion."
Catholic hospitals will probably start to deny EC to women worldwide.
More details
Who is right?
Religious conservatives and pro-life supporters, alone, classify EC as
abortifacient medication. This is consistent with their unique definition that
pregnancy begins at conception. Physicians, religious liberals and pro-choice
supporters classify EC as a contraceptive, because it prevents pregnancy. This
is consistent with the generally accepted definition of when pregnancy begins.
The fundamentalist Christian organization, Family Research Council (FRC),
accuses what they call the "Contraception and abortion industries" of
deliberately confounding "the events of female fertility for self-serving
reasons. For example, they attempt to redefine the beginning of pregnancy: They
claim that pregnancy starts upon implantation of the embryonic human being,
rather than when the new life is created at fertilization." 2
The historical record shows that there has been a consensus among physicians for
many decades that pregnancy begins at implantation. It is only religious
conservatives, and then only recently, who have redefined it as occurring at
conception.
Some pro-lifers assert that the "Contraception and abortion industries"
define EC as contraceptive medication in order to make it more acceptable to
women. The FRC suggests that stem cell researchers are also somehow involved in
the promotion of EC. The rationale is that by treating a pre-embryo (a
fertilized ovum which has not implanted in the wall of the uterus) as "an
entity lacking in rights," that the public might be more willing to allows
the use of stem cells extracted from pre-embryos "for
scientific research, or as a subject for genetic screening." Some pro-choicers
assert that pro-lifers and religious conservatives define EC as abortifacient in
order to convince more women to not take EC, with the result that they risk becoming pregnant.
Lawrence Morahan, " 'Morning-After' Pill Available at Some DoD
Clinics," CNSNews.com, 2002-JUN-3, at:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPentagon This URL is no longer accessible.
"Little Pills: Targeting Youth with New Abortion Drugs," Family
Research Council. Online at:
http://www.frc.org/
FDA panel endorses 'morning after' pill," CNN, 1996-JUN-29, at:
http://www.cnn.com/
Copyright � 1999 to 2007, by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Originally published on 1999-JAN-13
Latest update: 2007-AUG-15
Author: B.A. Robinson
