I was listening to KVOI, the local religious right AM station, and I heard campaign ad by the Center for arizona Policy (CAP), that claimed Plan B was identical to abortion. Let's be clear now:
Plan B works by preventing an egg from reaching the uterus, thus preventing conception. PZ Myers (Pharyngula) explains this here and you should read the whole thing. Here are the crucial excerpts:
Luteinizing Hormone, assists in stimulating the mature follicle, and in particular, a rapid surge in LH is what triggers the follicle to pop, releasing the egg, in a process called ovulation. This is a key step, so remember this: a spike in LH levels triggers ovulation.
After ovulation, the egg goes on its way, and might be fertilized, leading to pregnancy. The follicle left behind isn't done yet, though; it becomes a structure called the corpus luteum, which continues to produce estrogen (necessary to maintain the uterine lining), and also gradually produces more and more progesterone. Progesterone helps maintain the uterine lining, but also suppresses LH production by the pituitary. It's a kind of timer. The corpus luteum is maintained by the levels of LH, but the corpus luteum also produces rising levels of progesterone, which shut off LH…and when too little LH is produced, the corpus luteum shuts down, no estrogen and progesterone are produced, the uterine lining is no longer maintained, and a woman finds a bloody mess in her panties.
The key thing to remember about this part, though, is that progesterone suppresses LH.
Put two pieces of the story together: a spike in LH levels triggers ovulation and progesterone suppresses LH. Hmmm. This suggests an idea. If you wanted to prevent ovulation, how would you do it?
Giving someone a large dose of progesterone would shut down LH production, so there would be no ovulation, so no egg would be released, and any sperm happening to be in the woman's reproductive tract would find nothing to fertilize.
Monday, November 27, 2006
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Here is the transcript of our radio commentary, which ran on radio stations throughout the state on Monday:
Sex without consequences is back, as ASU’s Campus Health Services are now dispensing Plan B without a prescription. These “morning after pills” contain an ultra-high dosage of synthetic hormones which can block a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus, causing an abortion. Besides being a clear violation of our state law against the taxpayer funding of abortions, the long term impact on our daughters by these high doses of drugs is not known. Since the prescriptions sales have begun, the demand shot up 50 percent, and the potential danger only increases as women are encouraged to stockpile future doses for their needs down the road. At the rate of $40 a dose, and with no physical exams or doctor involvement, these pills prove once again that those who claim to be so concerned with women’s health are much more focused on healthy profits!
The Center for Arizona Policy has two main reasons for opposing the “morning after pill.” The first is that one of its potential actions is to prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. You claim that “Plan B works by preventing an egg from reaching the uterus, thus preventing conception.” Implied in this statement is a false definition of “conception” equating it to “implantation.” But it is not semantics or definitions that we are concerned with – it is the action of intentionally preventing a unique and newly formed individual created at fertilization (when the sperm unites with the egg) from being implanted in the womb. See Plan B web site, third bullet point. This is one of the three ways the manufacturer says the drug works. This action is equivalent to abortion.
Even when Plan B does not act as an abortifacient, here’s more to consider. With Plan B now being sold over-the-counter, women can – and are being encouraged to – stockpile this drug at home for future “emergency use.” Low-dose birth control pills require an annual exam and a physician’s prescription. But for ultra-high doses of the same synthetic hormones, no physical exam or prescription is needed. Little is known about the long-term effects of these high dose regimens, and no one knows about the potential deleterious effects of repeated doses over time.
You claim that “Plan B works by preventing an egg from reaching the uterus, thus preventing conception.” Implied in this statement is a false definition of “conception” equating it to “implantation.”
I should have been clearer: Plan B prevents ovulation.
Thank you for taking the time to reply.
it is the action of intentionally preventing a unique and newly formed individual created at fertilization (when the sperm unites with the egg) from being implanted in the womb. See Plan B web site, third bullet point. This is one of the three ways the manufacturer says the drug works. This action is equivalent to abortion.
Thank you for drawing this to my attention. I think you should claim that the action is equivalent to a miscarriage.
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