A thought on the morning-after pill.

[The Witch]

Inspired by http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4944975&mesg_id=4944975">this thread. I've known there was something in that topic that rang very true to me and I think I know what it is now.

Let's discuss medicine. What does it do?

http://www.patienthealthinternational.com/article/500894.aspx">Medicines work by encouraging your body to act in a way that will produce a desired outcome. For example, they may encourage your body to increase the activity of certain cells or replenishing substances that a healthy body would have naturally.

A lot of the time, common viruses or infections will clear up anyway, but by using medicine, a person is encouraging his or her body to provide that common outcome.


Now let's discuss the morning-after pill. What does it do?

http://www.nyu.edu/nyuhc/clinical-women-ecp.html">The morning-after pill changes hormone activity to prevent fertilization or prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus lining.

A lot of the time, according to the info in the above thread, those eggs don't attach anyhow. This is known as a http://www.babyhopes.com/articles/chemical-pregnancy.html">chemical pregnancy. It's a process that often (more than 50% of the time) occurs naturally, but by using the morning-after pill, a woman is encouraging her body chemistry to provide that common outcome.

If a woman is allowed to alter her body chemistry with other medicine, there's no difference between that and use of the morning-after pill.

Comments/corrections?

[Inland]

1. Difference in conscious intent to change an outcome?

You end up back with whether the outcome is a death or not. I say, not, but if I thought that a fertilized ovum is The Big Deal in and of itself, I would see the distinction between natural and taking a drug with the intent of changing the outcome.

[WildClarySage]

2. But even if I believed that the ovum is the Big Deal, I would still have

to weigh its value against that of the needs of the pregnant (or soon-to-be pregnant) woman and decide accordingly. The abortion debate must not be allowed to digress into "pre-born pwecious babykins being killed" hyperbole, if it does, we have conceded the debate by default. The real issue is whether or not we value women and their rights to determine their own reproduction or do we see women as a commodity to be controlled or managed.

[mzteris]

3. two things

one: most fundies think life begins at conception;

two: "leaving it all in God's hands" is their primary concern.

No birth control - because it's GOD's decision whether or not to cause a "human" to be conceived; then it's GOD's decision whether or not to implant; to be a boy/girl; to be healthy or have defects; it's all GOD's choices. People are just supposed to do what they're told - no questions asked.

[WildClarySage]

5. The ultimate lack of personal responsibility- God made me do it.

[mzteris]

6. it's an ego thing

good things happen to you because God loves you and you're SUCH a "good Christian"

bad things happen to you because you're SUCH a "good Christian" that A) the devil is trying to turn you; or B) God is testing you; or C) God is causing bad things to happen so you can show what a "good Christian" to all those non-Christians by "handling" all those bad things so Christianly-well.

Any way you look at it - it's NEVER YOUR FAULT and you always look good by comparison.

[CornField]

4. You have hit on the primary reason we cannot let

the morning-after pill be removed from the market.

In essence, the morning-after pill does the same thing that birth control pills do. That is: it makes the uterus an inhospitable place for a fertilized egg.

If the morning-after pill is tossed aside based on the fact that it is an abortifant, exactly how long will it be before birth control pills are also removed?

[ismnotwasm]

7. That is exactly right

Just one of my MANY problems with the anti-choice stance, is that so many pregnancies self terminate. If they were so concerned with the sanctity of life, they would be screaming for money for research to stop these "chemical pregnancies" Instead, they get into the realm of the metaphysical, the "God's will" stuff. Hypocritical and disgusting

My community nursing instructor used to say both woman AND men should carry Plan B's in thier pockets (She actually said carry two)