Post by PapaEZRA on Feb 28, 2006 5:45:43 GMT -5
The morning-after pill should not be confused with mifepristone (also called Mifeprex, and formerly known as RU-486), an abortifacient which is taken to end a pregnancy after implantation has occurred. The morning-after pill must be taken before implantation, or it will have no effect.
The morning-after pill may, however, prevent the implantation of an embryo in cases where it fails to prevent fertilization in the first place. Although the United States Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other health agencies define pregnancy as beginning with implantation, some pro-life medical professionals, embryology texts, and activists argue that preventing implantation is unethical, as the blastocyst (early-stage embryo) then dies instead of growing into a fetus and, ultimately, being carried to term.
Recent medical studies in animals (the rat and the monkey) were inconclusive as to how often or whether the morning-after pill prevents implantation; however, this mechanism of action cannot be ruled out in all cases, as it is impossible to prove a negative. Therefore, women who believe it is immoral to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting may wish to avoid use of this drug.
"I feel very strongly that this shouldn’t be about abortion politics. This is a way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and thereby prevent abortion. This should be something we all agree on." – Dr. Susan F. Wood (former director of the FDA Office of Women's Health who resigned in protest after the FDA denied over-the-counter status to EC).
Pro-Life groups often label emergency contraceptives as "abortion pills", rather than "contraceptive pills." In a statement regarding the morning-after pill, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists states:
"One must be careful of the terminology. Many now speak of "conception" as that moment when the human blastocyst, the early ball of approximately 100 cells, implants in the mother's uterus (womb). The time from actual fertilization (sperm and egg unite in the Fallopian Tube) until implantation, a period of about 7-10 days, is ignored, even though no genetic change occurs in the cells during this time period. Many family planning specialists who have supported the terminology change can thus rationalize that the destruction of the human embryo between fertilization and implantation should be labeled "contraception," rather than "early abortion."
Different drugs also have variant effects, as they may use different mechanism for action, and dosages of hormone. In May of 2005, a study was published showing that Plan B 'appears to work by interfering with ovulation, thus preventing fertilization, and not by disrupting events that occur after fertilization.
In addition, manufacturers of oral contraceptives have long claimed that the Pill provides three lines of defense against pregnancy: It prevents ovulation (most of the time), blocks sperm by thickening cervical mucus, and, should all else fail, theoretically reduces the chances that a fertilized egg will implant in the uterus by hormonally altering the uterine lining.
However, it is not known if this post-fertilization effect actually happens. "There is no evidence that the Pill's effect on the uterine lining interferes with implantation or has a post-fertilization effect," says contraception expert Felicia Stewart, MD, codirector of the Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy in San Francisco. "Documenting it would be a very difficult research task."
David Grimes, MD, a clinical professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, says the Pill and other hormonal contraceptives work primarily by preventing ovulation.
Consensus comes from a surprising source. "The post-fertilization effect was purely a speculation that became truth by repetition," says Joe DeCook, MD, a retired OB/GYN and vice president of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "In our group the feelings are split. We say it should be each doctor's own decision, because there is no proof."
Further clouding the issue is the fact that even among women trying to become pregnant — women obviously not taking the Pill — embryos naturally fail to implant 40 to 60 percent of the time. These are eliminated upon the next menstruation.
From Wikipedia
The morning-after pill may, however, prevent the implantation of an embryo in cases where it fails to prevent fertilization in the first place. Although the United States Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other health agencies define pregnancy as beginning with implantation, some pro-life medical professionals, embryology texts, and activists argue that preventing implantation is unethical, as the blastocyst (early-stage embryo) then dies instead of growing into a fetus and, ultimately, being carried to term.
Recent medical studies in animals (the rat and the monkey) were inconclusive as to how often or whether the morning-after pill prevents implantation; however, this mechanism of action cannot be ruled out in all cases, as it is impossible to prove a negative. Therefore, women who believe it is immoral to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting may wish to avoid use of this drug.
"I feel very strongly that this shouldn’t be about abortion politics. This is a way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and thereby prevent abortion. This should be something we all agree on." – Dr. Susan F. Wood (former director of the FDA Office of Women's Health who resigned in protest after the FDA denied over-the-counter status to EC).
Pro-Life groups often label emergency contraceptives as "abortion pills", rather than "contraceptive pills." In a statement regarding the morning-after pill, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists states:
"One must be careful of the terminology. Many now speak of "conception" as that moment when the human blastocyst, the early ball of approximately 100 cells, implants in the mother's uterus (womb). The time from actual fertilization (sperm and egg unite in the Fallopian Tube) until implantation, a period of about 7-10 days, is ignored, even though no genetic change occurs in the cells during this time period. Many family planning specialists who have supported the terminology change can thus rationalize that the destruction of the human embryo between fertilization and implantation should be labeled "contraception," rather than "early abortion."
Different drugs also have variant effects, as they may use different mechanism for action, and dosages of hormone. In May of 2005, a study was published showing that Plan B 'appears to work by interfering with ovulation, thus preventing fertilization, and not by disrupting events that occur after fertilization.
In addition, manufacturers of oral contraceptives have long claimed that the Pill provides three lines of defense against pregnancy: It prevents ovulation (most of the time), blocks sperm by thickening cervical mucus, and, should all else fail, theoretically reduces the chances that a fertilized egg will implant in the uterus by hormonally altering the uterine lining.
However, it is not known if this post-fertilization effect actually happens. "There is no evidence that the Pill's effect on the uterine lining interferes with implantation or has a post-fertilization effect," says contraception expert Felicia Stewart, MD, codirector of the Center for Reproductive Health Research and Policy in San Francisco. "Documenting it would be a very difficult research task."
David Grimes, MD, a clinical professor in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, says the Pill and other hormonal contraceptives work primarily by preventing ovulation.
Consensus comes from a surprising source. "The post-fertilization effect was purely a speculation that became truth by repetition," says Joe DeCook, MD, a retired OB/GYN and vice president of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists. "In our group the feelings are split. We say it should be each doctor's own decision, because there is no proof."
Further clouding the issue is the fact that even among women trying to become pregnant — women obviously not taking the Pill — embryos naturally fail to implant 40 to 60 percent of the time. These are eliminated upon the next menstruation.
From Wikipedia