In the minds of many pro-lifers, abortion and contraception are entirely separate issues. But without the notion of “unwanted” children that the contraceptive mentality fosters, there would be no abortion. In fact, many forms of hormonal birth control can be abortifacient (cause early chemical abortions) by obstructing the implantation of the newly formed human embryo in his or her mother’s womb. After more than 30 years of killing through surgical abortion, and now with the new breed of chemical abortifacients such as Plan B, the Ortho Evra Patch, and Depo-Provera, the link between abortion and contraception is undeniable. Professor Janet Smith describes the contraceptive mentality in this way: prolifewi.org
The connection between contraception and abortion is primarily this: Contraception facilitates the kind of relationships and even the kind of attitudes and moral character that are likely to lead to abortion. The contraceptive mentality treat sexual intercourse as though it had little connection with babies; it thinks of babies as an “accident” of intercourse, as an unwelcome intrusion into a sexual relationship, as a burden. The sexual revolution has no fondness – nor room for – the connection between sexual intercourse and babies…”
(“The Connection Between Contraception and Abortion” [Homiletic and Pastoral Review, April, 1993)
Pro-Life Wisconsin is opposed to all forms of artificial contraception. We support only natural methods of spacing the births of children. The contraceptive mentality views pregnancy as a “disease” state against which women must be “protected” at all costs – even at the cost of their own health and the lives of their unborn babies. Abortion simply becomes backup contraception. The Unites States Supreme Court went so far as to enshrine the contraceptive mentality in law in its landmark Planned Parenthood vs. Casey decision in 1992.
Please educate yourself about the deadly connection between contraception and abortion and spread this truth with love and patience.
It is a medical fact that the morning-after pill (a high dosage of the birth control pill) and most if not all birth control drugs and devices including the intrauterine device (IUD), Depo Provera, the Patch, and the Pill can act to terminate a pregnancy by chemically altering the lining of the uterus (endometrium) so that a newly conceived child (human embryo) is unable to implant in the womb, thus starving and dying. This mechanism of action is termed a pre-implantation chemical abortion.
One need only explore the websites of individual abortifacient brand-name drugs to verify their abortion causing effect. The most commonly used emergency contraceptive pill package is Plan B. The website for this drug regimen clearly indicates that it can work to prevent a fertilized egg (a human embryo) from implanting in the uterine wall:
Source: http://www.go2planb.com/ under “What is Plan B®” then go to “How Plan B® Works:”
Plan B® works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B® may also work by preventing it [fertilized egg] from attaching to the uterus (womb) (emphasis added). It is important to know that Plan B® will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy.
The package insert of LO/OVRAL-28, a standard birth control pill manufactured by Wyeth Laboratories, also describes the mechanism of the drug:
LO/OVRAL-28: 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 the endometrium (which reduce the likelihood of implantation) (emphasis added).
While admitting that hormonal birth control can inhibit the implantation of a fertilized egg, the makers of these drugs claim that they do not cause an abortion. For example, they argue that emergency contraception “prevents pregnancy” or “will not affect an existing pregnancy.” However, they intentionally define the term “pregnancy” as implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of a woman’s uterus, as opposed to “pregnancy” beginning at fertilization.
Whether one understands pregnancy as beginning at “implantation” or “fertilization,” the heart of the matter is when human life begins. Embryological science has clearly determined that human life begins at fertilization – the fusion of an egg and sperm immediately resulting in a new, genetically distinct human being. This is not a subjective opinion, but an irrefutable, objective scientific fact. Accordingly, any artificial action that works to destroy a human embryo is abortifacient in nature.