Post-Fertilization Confusion
By Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge, M.A.
LIFE MATTERS
The Newsletter of the Respect Life Office of the Diocese of Rockford
Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge, Director Rev. David A. Peck, Spiritual
Director
555 Colman Center Drive Rockford, Illinois 61108 815.877.LIFE
www.rockforddiocese.org/respectlife
April 2006 Volume
I attended a meeting recently where
a discussion ensued about the mechanisms of the birth control pill ("The Pill")
and other hormonal "contraceptives." Sitting around a large configuration of
tables were about forty people all of whom are ardently pro-life. All but four
were Catholic. With the exception of two individuals (one Catholic and one
Evangelical), everyone in the group agreed that the scientific evidence clearly
demonstrates that one of the mechanisms of hormonal contraception is to render
the endometrium of the uterus hostile to implantation - thus potentially acting
as an early abortifacient. The dissenters said they did not know if hormonal
contraception can cause an abortion. If these two solidly pro-life individuals
are unclear about the nature of hormonal contraception, it logically follows
that there are many others who are also confused.
First things first
There are basically two categories of hormonal contraceptives combined (monophasic,
biphasic, or triphasic) oral contraceptives (COCs) and progestin-only methods.
Common COCs are "The Pill" (including, but not limited to: Allesse, Estrostep,
Lo/Ovral, Milvane, Mircette, Mirelle, Nordette, Ortho-Novum, Ortho Tri-Cyclen,
Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo, Ovral, Sequilar, Seasonale, Triphasil, Triquilar, and
Yasmin); the hormone releasing vaginal ring (NuvaRing); and the patch (Ortho
Evra). Progestin-only methods include "mini-pills" including but not limited to:
Micronor, Nor-QD, Ovrette; Depo-Provera also known as DMPA that is given by
injection every three weeks; the intrauterine system (IUS) Mirena which may be
left in place for up to five years and the intrauterine device (IUD)
Progestasert Progesterone T which must be replaced yearly.
How do hormonal contraceptives work?
The Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) has been published for more than fifty
years and is the most trusted source of information on both prescription and
over-the-counter drugs. It is used by physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and
others who need accurate information about drugs. The pharmacology of COCs is
explained in the PDR's 2006 edition (p. 2395): Combination oral contraceptives
act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this
action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the
cervical mucus, which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus,
and changes in the endometrium, which reduce the likelihood of implantation.
The pharmacology of progestin-only contraceptives is also addressed (p. 2411):
Progestin-only contraceptives prevent conception by suppressing ovulation in
approximately half of users, thickening the cervical mucus to inhibit sperm
penetration, lowering mid-cycle LH and FSH peaks, slowing the movement of the
ovum through the fallopian tubes, and altering the endometrium. While this same
information concerning the mechanisms of combined oral contraceptives and
progestin-only contraceptives is included in the package inserts for physicians
and pharmacists, it typically is not found in the patient package insert.
Every hormonal "contraceptive,"
without exception, lists altering of the endometrium as one of its possible
actions. Most mention "thinning" or "atrophy" of the endometrium which makes is
"unsuitable" or "hostile" for implantation of the "fertilized egg" (very tiny
human being). Some describe the action as "keeping the uterine lining from
thickening to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg." Of course, these
descriptions are just clinical ways of describing a potential, very early
abortion; if a human embryo cannot implant in the endometrium, he or she will
die.
Speaking before the United States Supreme Court in the 1989 case of Webster v.
Reproductive Health Services, attorney Frank Sussman (representing the
abortionists) commented, "The most common forms of what we most generally in
common parlance call contraception today, IUD's, low-dose birth control pills,
which are the safest type of birth control pills available, act as
abortifacients. They are correctly labeled as both." According to the Mayo
clinic website (hardly a pro-life site), "hormonal contraceptives, a popular
method of birth control . . . prevent pregnancy by inhibiting ovulation, by
altering cervical mucus, which decreases sperm mobility, and by impairing embryo
implantation in the uterus."
Why, then, is there lack of agreement?
The 1995 edition of Stedman's Medical Dictionary defines pregnancy as "the
condition of a woman or female mammal from conception until birth." It defines
"conception" as "the formation of a viable zygote by the union of a spermatozoon
and an ovum; fertilization."
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and other
abortion advocacy groups reject the traditional definition. They want people to
believe that conception and pregnancy begin at implantation. This is one reason
some physicians do not acknowledge the abortifacient mechanism of hormonal
contraceptives. If you reject the long standing definition of conception, you
can refuse to recognize that preventing implantation is an early abortion. No
wonder there is so much confusion. It would seem that a standard medical
dictionary would take precedence over a vote by members of an organization, but
sadly, that is not the reality. Those who claim that hormonal contraceptives
cannot cause early abortions do so on the basis of this distorted and
politically convenient definition of "conception."
It is sometimes argued that hormonal
"contraceptives" cannot have an abortifacient mechanism as some women do become
pregnant while taking the pill. In reality, this means all three mechanisms of
the pill failed. Altering the endometrium does not imply that implantation is
impossible, just that it is less likely.
One does not have to be a researcher to recognize that the manufacturers of
hormonal contraception know the mechanism of action of their products. The drug
companies concede, albeit sometimes reluctantly, that these "contraceptives"
alter the endometrium. They know that when the endometrium is thinned or
altered, the survival of tiny humans if far less likely. It does not take a leap
of logic to understand that if a woman is taking hormonal "contraceptives" and
ovulation occurs, there is a greater chance that the newly formed human will be
aborted. Denying this is intellectually dishonest, even if it is politically and
financially beneficial.
So far, 227 physicians have publicly signed on to the following: We, the
undersigned physicians do therefore declare that the pill and similar birth
control products act, part of the time, by design, to prevent implantation of an
already created human being. These products clearly cause an early abortion and
are - despite the semantic gymnastics of their ardent apologists -abortifacient."
In no way, does this mean that hormonal contraceptives always act as
abortifacients. Implying that would be as intellectually dishonest as saying
they never do.
Learn more
Those who remain unconvinced may learn more by visiting the following web
sites:
http://www.epm.org/articles/26doctor.html
http://archfami.amaassn.org/cgi/content/full/9/2/126
http://www.epm.org/bcp.html
http://www.aaplog.org/collition.htm
http://www.epm.org/articles/pilldebate.html
http://www.prolifephysicians.org/lifebegins.htm
http://www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/issues/abortion/fact1098.htm
http://ccli.org/nfp/contraception/mdexplains.php
http://www.omsoul.com/pamview.php?idnum=153&orderid=d711842cd96aae22f9f16fb3e1fd8cdb
http://www.all.org/article.php?id=10193
LIFE MATTERS is published monthly by the
Respect Life Office of the Diocese of Rockford. It is sent to all priests,
seminarians, religious sisters prayer team members, and parish respect life
coordinators. Individual subscriptions may be obtained for a donation of $15.00
per year. This publication may be copied so long as it is done in full. It may
be quoted so long as proper citation is provided with the quotation. 2006
Respect Life Office-Diocese of Rockford
Holy Cross Catholic Church - Batavia, IL -- Page
Last Updated 03 Apr 2007
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