According to a report released earlier this week, the U.S. abortion rate in 2011 hit the lowest level since 1973 (“Abortion Incidence and Service Availability in the United States, 2011,” Guttmacher Institute). The number declined from an estimated 1.21 million in 2008 to 1.1 million in 2011. What these statistics do not reveal, though, is the number of abortions caused by the widely-used morning-after pill which is available over the counter (without a prescription) to women 17 and older. Also called Emergency Contraception (EC), there are two types: Preven (ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel) and Plan B (levonorgestrel). Though there is controversy over whether these pills cause the death of a fertilized egg, the drugs.com web site says that both types can “inhibit implantation (attachment of a fertilized egg to the uterus).” That is an abortion of a fertilized egg which would grow into a living human being except it is not allowed to implant in the mother’s womb. Proponents of emergency contraception argue that the medication prevents “pregnancy” and thereby reduces the need for induced abortion, but they define “pregnancy” as “implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of a woman's uterus.” This is a verbal smoke screen. The relevant fact for the Bible-believing Christian is that a new life is created when a fertilized egg becomes a human embryo. A report in early 2013 said that the number of women in the U.S. using the morning-after pill has risen dramatically in the last decade. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control found that 11 percent of women had used them, but that was two years ago and usage was increasing rapidly. Donna Harrison of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists says the following about Preven, “It kills embryos. And it kills embryos before they implant, and it kills embryos after they implant” (“Morning-After Pills,” NPR, Jan. 21, 2013). Abortion statistics apparently do include those caused by the Abortion Pill (RU-486, mifepristone) which can be taken up to several weeks after pregnancy and kills the unborn infant. (Friday Church News Notes, February 7, 2014, www.wayoflife.org [email protected], 866-295-4143) Comments are closed.
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