Oral Contraceptives = Abortion?
Someone recently asked me what I knew about “the pill”, also known as oral contraceptives. Though I knew the facts which were passed onto me via the grapevine, I hadn’t ever done proper research about the pill, what it does, its what side effects it might have.
I found a very informative
website, which seems to give solid facts based on Randy Alcorn’s research, and the research done by various pharmaceutical companies as well as medical docters.
There was a quite a number facts which I’ve never been aware of, specially such as the evolution of the pill from the 1960’s until now, but also that it has three main mechanisms - not only one.
The pill was introduced commercially sometime in the 1960’s, and its estrogen content back then was a very high 150 micrograms. After proving that this had some serious side effects, the estrogen dosage was reduced to a mere 35 microgames in the late 1980’s, and today the dosage varies between 20 - 35 micrograms.
Serious negative side effects of estrogen had been clearly proven. These included blurred vision, nausea, cramping, irregular menstrual bleeding, headaches, increased incidence of breast cancer, strokes, and heart attacks, some of which led to fatalities.
The highest available dosage today being 50 micrograms, but this isn’t readily available, and I would assume that you need to get a docter to recommend this for you in order to use it.
Below are the three main mechanisms of birth control pills:
1. inhibiting ovulation (the primary mechanism),
2. thickening the cervical mucus, thereby making it more difficult for sperm to travel to the egg, and
3. thinning and shriveling the lining of the uterus to the point that it is unable or less able to facilitate the implantation of the newly fertilized egg.
The first two mechanisms are contraceptive. The third is abortive.
The reason why I’m going on about the dosage is that the research done, basically implies that the contraceptives with a high dosage would inhibit ovulation, the the contraceptives with a low dosage would not necesarily ensure that ovulation doesn’t occur, but the chances that the uterus lining will be too thin for the fertilized egg to implant itself is pretty good.
Its for this reason that people have been saying that oral contraceptives are just much an abortion as when you go to an abortion clinic to get it done, but sadly a lot of people are not aware of this, or they’re just too ignorant to investigate. I guess in the end its still something each woman has to decide for herself, but its just good to have the facts straight when making your decision.
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Mmm, tough issue to address. The part of discussing birth control that concerns me the most is all the conflicting information out there–for instance, Planned Parenthood refutes the claim about the thinning of the lining of the uterus. (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/birth-control-pill-4228.htm)
It seems like the whole discussion prevents people from making the right choice for them because they don’t know whose information to trust.
I found your site through your quick cake recipe (which I’m about to go investigate in my own kitchen) and decided to puruse the rest of your site.
You didn’t ask for it but here would be my two cents: my best girlfriend and I have been debating this for ages as a purely academic question. If a person is opposed to abortion because it toys with the purpose of sex, clearly there is no kind of contraceptive that is appropriate for use. However, if one merely has a sense of moral compunction about seeking out the termination of a pregnancy, I think birth control is within those ethical bounds. Birth control prevents abortion. The third mechanism that you describe as abortive, could also be considered a hormonal miscarriage - and in my opinion is no different than any other fertilized egg that simply doesn’t make it.
That’s my opinion. But you’re right, it’s an individual decision.
Actually, Alcorn — and just about everybody else, it seems — is using old, recently-debunked data.
Yes, the original and continued proponents of The Pill believed it to have a third “back-up” abortifacient effect, because of the thinning of the uterine lining. But this thinning takes place only if there is no breakthrough ovulation.
If there is breakthrough ovulation, the corpus leuteum pours out more than enough hormones to offset the Pill, and the uterine lining grows rich and hospitable, ready to nurture new life just as it was meant to.
For a parallel, imagine spraying bug spray in a man’s face. If you do it on a calm day, he’ll get a lung full of poison. But on a windy day, the force of the wind is more than enough to overcome the force of the aerosol. The bug spray will dissipate harmlessly.
This is good news! But it’s not getting widespread attention. Thousands of newly conceived embryos are not being casually or inadvertently aborted.
We really need to stop beating this dead horse and address ourselves to the actual carnage that is taking place.
LOL this is stupid, next thing someone is going to say is that having your period and releasing the egg is abortion.. I mean really, get a life people.
Hope no lady needs to go for abortion. I’m against it.
Hi Dizzy Dee, how are you doing? Long time no see.
Okay, this’ rich coming from a guy..but..
The pill is the way forward. I have heard of many many miss-haps with routes like the injection.
Honestly, even though the pill has a wide range of side-effects (some more than others).. it’s still one of the most reliable ways. Couple them with a back up contraceptive (which we should all use in any event), a condom & you’ll rest easy at night.
@eastcoast that’s a really selfish thing to say. The topic of abortion is perhaps left for another post
Christina, have you got any sources for your claims?
What you say is interesting, but contradictory. If low-dose pills result in ovulation being stopped less often, and the lining of the uterus is enriched when breakthrough ovulation occurs, how come the effectiveness rate isn’t really bad?
I guess your opinion on this would depend on where you get your facts and how reliable they are. Also I think that if you have used the pill then your opinion will be different also.
It seems that women are always expected to make these choices and then to feel guilty about making them. Surely it is better to protect yourself against unwanted pregnancy than to create lots of unwanted babies that may (in some cases) be treated as such?
If a fertilised egg does not implant then I refuse to see the use of the pill as basically an abortian, that egg is not a baby it is a cluster of cells that was potentially a baby. It is not the same thing as going to a clinic and knowingly aborting a baby.
I think you have an interesting view and I respect it but I disagree with many of your points.
Sorry, but I have to argue a bit. Birth control cannot cause an abortion. The morning after pill cannot, either.
With birth control, a fertilized egg can still attach, and thus cause a pregnancy. (If ovulation occurs.) Not common, but if the dose isn’t right or if there are other issues (taking an oral antibiotic at the same time, etc) it is possible. Birth control does NOT force the implanted egg to shed, however. It can’t. Same with the morning after pill-that tries to keep the egg from attaching, which is why it has to be taken as soon as possible. If you wait too long, the egg has attached, the morning after pill is useless.
On something the article you read talks about–keeping the fertilized egg from attaching? I don’t see how that could be considered abortion, because women’s bodies naturally do that sometimes anyways. Getting pregnant doesn’t just require a fertilized egg, it has to attach to–ever hear of a tubal pregnancy? That’s where the egg attaches in the wrong spot. Not too uncommon for it to not attach at all.
I disagree with abortion, I think that forcing out a fertilized & implanted egg is wrong. But not letting it attach?
(I work in a pharmacy, and this is a discussion we’ve had many times, as well as in my schooling.)
Cristina, how do you know this for sure?
“If there is breakthrough ovulation, the corpus leuteum pours out more than enough hormones to offset the Pill, and the uterine lining grows rich and hospitable, ready to nurture new life just as it was meant to.”
Please post where you got you data.