Emergency Contraception

Over the Counter Death

There is a tangled web of organizations pushing hard for wide spread use of Emergency Contraception Pills (ECP) even to the point of legislating that Catholic hospitals must misinform patients and provide ECP on demand. Pharmaceutical companies are joined by Princeton University, and Planned Parenthood in demanding that the ECP product, Plan B, be offered over-the-counter to women and girls of all ages, brushing aside health and ethical concerns.

The current wonder drug that is being touted is the Barr Pharmaceutical’s product, Plan B (levonorgestrel). Unlike most other contraception regimens, which uses a combination of two or more hormones, Plan B utilizes a huge dose of the single hormone: progestin. Progestin works by interfering with ovulation and, if an egg is released, by hindering movement of the egg through the fallopian tube. The hormone also affects the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, so that if conception does occur, implantation is unlikely and the newly conceived life is aborted.

How is it then that ECP providers can claim that contraception cannot cause an abortion? Recently, and conveniently for those pushing ECP, many organizations like The National Institutes of Health, Planned Parenthood, and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have redefined life as beginning at implantation and no longer at conception. When a doctor tries to assure you that contraception does not cause abortion it is because he or she has accepted the lie that life begins at implantation of the embryo and not at conception. It may be a good time to look for a truly pro-life physician.

This “medication” can certainly be fatal for a newly conceived child but what health concerns are there for the women who are taking this large dose of contraception? James Trussell PhD of Princeton University is one of the leading advocates of ECP. A prolific writer and speaker on the subject, he is affiliated with organizations like The Population Council, the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League(NARAL), and Planned Parenthood. He derides any health concerns declaring that ECP is “safer than aspirin”. On the Princeton University website Dr. Trussell even assures us that there are no safety concerns with using ECP repeatedly. Comforting information from Dr. Trussell who’s Doctorate, by the way, is in economics and not in medicine. However, even the Princeton website on ECP lists such side effects as nausea, vomiting, and an increased risk of ectopic (tubal) pregnancy, which can be fatal to the mother. The same Princeton website also states that women who smoke should not take this “safer than aspirin” drug. Despite James Trussell’s contradictory assurances, it doesn’t seem like this is a very safe drug to be taking after all. Other possible side effects include blood clots in the legs, lung clots, heart attack, stroke, liver damage, liver tumor, gallbladder disease, and high blood pressure.

There is a huge campaign to get the FDA to reclassify Plan B for over the counter use which would allow under age girls to acquire ECP anytime they feel the need for it. There is also a law in Congress, S1564 in the senate and HR2527 in the house, that, if passed, will force Catholic hospitals and those who are morally opposed to ECP to provide it on demand. The law also states that the health care provider must inform (misinform) the patient that ECP does not cause an abortion. There is no provision in the law for conscientious objection. So far it doesn’t appear that this bill is going anywhere but this shows how anxious the proponents of ECP are to make it available.

We must oppose emergency contraception. If ECP is made available over the counter it is probable that women, and many teenage girls, will use this drug as an as-needed birth control method, exposing them to long term health problems. Even Dr. Trussell’s Princeton website avers that “wise physicians are clear on follow-up”. But, are teenage girls, who are seeking to hide their promiscuous activity from their parents, or who are shamed at falling victim to sexual predators likely to pursue medical follow-up? The proponents argue that these drugs need to be available to women who have had an unexpected sexual encounter or who have been raped. Wrong, a rape victim needs to go to the hospital and to the police; not to a drug store. She may have problems more severe than an unwanted pregnancy. If a minor girl is being sexually active or is being abused by a sexual predator, it is not in her best interests to allow her to hide that fact from her parents. She needs help: not secrecy and not over the counter contraception.