WASHINGTON, D.C. — "So-called emergency contraception is a risky drug regimen that can take the life of a newly formed human person," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. "The decision in Massachusetts forcing pharmacies to sell this potentially lethal product is just one more example of the culture of death in our society. The additional misinformation presented in Tuesday night's episode of the 'Boston Legal' program only serves to compound the damage by misleading viewers, who are not provided with an accurate account of the drug's effects."
A recent decision by the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy, which oversees contraception laws, now forces all Massachusetts pharmacies to fill Plan B – commonly known as emergency contraception – regardless of pharmacists' moral objections. The fictional courtroom of "Boston Legal" added fuel to the fire by suggesting that Catholic teaching about the morning-after pill is an example of religious obstructionism that must be overcome – through the legal system, if necessary.
American Life League opposes the morning-after pill because one of the mechanisms for use is the hardening of the uterine wall which can prevent a newly formed human embryo from implanting in its mother's womb. "The bottom line is, Plan B can kill, and the government should never sanction abortion of any kind," said Mrs. Brown. "Because of this simple fact, it should have never been approved by the FDA."
She also expressed dismay that not some of the pro-life movement's most prominent voices are silent on the subject of the morning-after pill. "The manufacturer states quite clearly that one of this drug's modes of actions results in the ending of a newly-created human being's life. Why is it that some of the very people who are dedicated to ending abortion cannot see that this, too, is an assault on an innocent person? I would hope that they examine the facts, pause and reflect, and add their voices to the call for immediate removal of this deadly drug from the market."
Source: American Life League
What do you make of the recent research that has concluded that "emergency contraceptive pills appear to work by interfering with ovulation, thus preventing fertilization of the egg. They do not appear to disrupt postfertilization events, such as the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus."
Their research found that when the MAP was taken after ovulation had already occurred, the embryos implanted just as well as in the group where no drugs were used at all.
When I was in midwifery school, the stuff in our textbooks about hormonal contraception always included a lot of "might"s and "possibly"s. I think that it is because pro-lifers have gotten people to care about the issue that more effort is being made to find out what's really going on in there.