Some forms of artificial contraception
ARE forms of abortion as well.
Any contraceptive that prevents the fertilized egg from implanting, or otherwise causing it to be eventually destroyed, is an abortifacient contraceptive. These includes pills, IUDs, injectables, and implantables.
- “Postfertilization Effects of Oral Contraceptives and Their Relationship to Informed Consent,”
(Arch Fam Med -- Postfertilization Effects of Oral Contraceptives and Their Relationship to Informed Consent, February 2000, Larimore and Stanford 9 (2): 126):
“It seems likely that for perfect use of COCs, postfertilization mechanisms would be likely to have a small but not negligible role. For POPs, COCs with lower doses of estrogen, and imperfect use of any OCs, postfertilization effects are likely to have an increased role. In any case, the medical literature does not support the hypothesis that postfertilization effects of OCs do not exist.”
- The Physician's Prescribing Information for Yaz and Yasmin (two combined oral contraceptive pills (COC) manufactured by Bayer) and Nuvaring, admits this abortifacient mechanism in the following documents:
These documents contain a statement such as:
"Combination oral contraceptives (COCs) 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 increases the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduces the likelihood of implantation)"
- CVS/Pharmacy (www.cvs.com), described the functions of IUDs in this manner:
“IUDs are thought to prevent pregnancy by making the womb ‘unfriendly’ to sperm and eggs. Sperm is either killed, or kept from reaching and fertilizing an egg. An IUD also may keep a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb and growing into a baby.”
- Mechanisms of action of intrauterine devices: update and estimation of postfertilization effects, Stanford JB, Mikolajczyk RT, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
“There are many potential mechanisms of action for the intrauterine device (IUD), which vary by type of IUD (inert, copper, or hormonal). This paper reviews the evidence for each potential mechanism of action. On the basis of available data for fertilization rates and clinical pregnancy rates, the relative contribution of mechanisms acting before or after fertilization were quantitatively estimated. These estimates indicate that, although prefertilization effects are more prominent for the copper IUD, both prefertilization and postfertilization mechanisms of action contribute significantly to the effectiveness of all types of intrauterine devices.”
Of course, not all contraceptives are abortifacient. If there is no fertilized egg to destroy, then you do not have an abortion. If a contraceptive prevents fertilization only -- and does
NOT prevent implantation or otherwise destroy a newly-conceived person -- then it is
not abortifacient. Plain condoms, for example, are obviously
NOT abortifacient. Their use, however, encourages promiscuity and this in itself is a grave cause of concern. But that is another topic.
God bless!