Plan B is being deceptively marketed as emergency contraception rather than an abortion pill. With a similar chemical make-up as RU-486 and warnings hidden within its own product information, there is no question that Plan B can terminate a pregnancy. Pro-Life activists must continue to educate the public about the true nature of Plan B, and prevent its spread among medical clinics across the nation.
The Plan B website promises that “Plan B is not the abortion pill” and “Plan B will not terminate an existing pregnancy.” While these quotes sound reassuring, if a reader chooses to read the complete product information, a more ominous picture begins to take shape.
The main ingredient of Plan B is the steroid levonorgestrel. The abortion drug, RU-486, is also a steroid because its main ingredient is mifepristone. Because they come from the same chemical family, the molecular formulas for both drugs are very similar. The formula for Plan B is C21H28O2 while the formula for RU-486 is C29H35NO2.
Plan B can be taken up to three days after conception. The Plan B product information indicates that the main purpose of the drug is to prevent ovulation or fertilization, but the statement that fully reveals the danger of Plan B reads, “In addition, it may inhibit implantation (by altering the endometrium).” This means that Plan B can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to a woman’s womb by causing the lining to thin. Plan B is thus denying the fertilized egg to obtain the nutrients it needs to survive. Dr. Donna Harrison, a board member of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told OneNewsNow.com in an interview, “In a woman who is already pregnant, [Plan B] will cause an abortion, just like RU-486 does, because it’s the same kind of drug.”
Although awareness and opposition to Plan B and other emergency contraception drugs is growing, there is much work to be done. Pro-abortion groups and the mainstream media continue to push Plan B as nothing more than simple birth control and many medical groups are buying into this myth.
In central Texas, the Seton Healthcare Network has created a policy to offer Plan B to any woman claiming to be a sexual assault victim. For those women who can not afford the drug, it will be provided for free. There are few crimes more heinous than sexual assault and victims should be treated with the upmost compassion, but Seton is opening this policy to fraud because women are not required to undergo any exam or file a police report to obtain the drug. It is also important to remember that the baby of a rape victim should be protected just as a baby conceived in any other circumstance would be.
There are a few other issues that add to the controversy of the Seton decision. Seton is a non-profit, Catholic health-care system. Sister Helen Brewer, a member of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, is the current Chair of Seton’s Board of Trustees. Catholic teaching stresses the sanctity of Life, yet Seton is associating its nearly 50 hospitals, clinics, and facilities with Plan B.
The other driving force behind the Seton decision was the effective lobbying of pro-abortion group NARAL. The Texas affiliate of NARAL sent an email alert to its members applauding Seton’s decision and explaining their involvement. NARAL Pro-Choice Texas confirmed, “As the result of an enormous amount of research, advocacy, communication, and perseverance by NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, the entire Seton network has officially implemented a policy to ensure that sexual assault survivors will be offered emergency contraception (EC) as a standard course of treatment.” This sets a dangerous precedent and shows that NARAL has set its sights on spreading their anti-Life agenda throughout the medical community.
Pro-Life activists must continue to spread the truth about emergency contraception. The public must be made aware that these drugs are not birth control, but the abortion pill in disguise.