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New proposal could affect access to birth control WELLNESS >> More on the proposal
Government proposal might redefine 'abortion'
Date published: 8/17/2008
IN MID-JULY, a leaked On its surface, this doesn't seem like anything to get up in arms about, since most states--I believe rightly--have laws on the books allowing health care providers to refuse to perform abortions if they so choose. The controversy arises because of the draft's definition of abortion. To quote the proposal, abortion would be redefined as "any of the various procedures--including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action--that results in the termination of the life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation." Under this definition, many forms of birth control--such as IUDs, birth control pills and injectable birth control methods--could be classified as abortion, and counseling about and administration of these birth control methods could be denied to individuals seeking care in a federally funded facility. Abortion has traditionally been considered termination and expulsion of a pregnancy, whether naturally or artificially, after implantation in the uterus. If the new proposal were to be adopted, termination of a pregnancy before implantation also would be classified as abortion. The problem is that there is no way at present to detect a pregnancy before implantation in the uterus, making this new "definition" meaningless. All pregnancy tests, whether urine or blood, detect a hormone called beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta HCG), which is excreted into the bloodstream only at implantation of the pregnancy. Because of this inability to detect pregnancy before implantation, it is not fully understood how the different forms of birth control actually work. So, how much do we really know about the way the major birth control methods work? And how might their use be limited if this proposal became law? HOW THE PILL WORKS Birth control pills prevent pregnancy in several different ways. Estrogen and progesterone, the hormones found in most birth control pills, cause the mucus of the cervix (the opening to the uterus) to become thick. This makes it harder for sperm to enter the uterus and make it through the fallopian tubes to the egg.
Date published: 8/17/2008
This is ridiculous
(posted by
msdaisy
, Aug. 17, 2008 7:53 am)
Yes, providers have a right to practice by their conscience but if that practice violates a patient’s right to perfectly legal medications or procedures how can federally funded clinics stand behind that? How many providers that refuse to give birth control/abortions turn around and pass out RX’s for erectile dysfunction drugs right and left? Is it permitted for schoolteachers to “NOT” teach evolution if they don’t believe in it, even if it’s part of the curriculum?
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