[Pflienews] PharmFacts E-News Update: A Challenging Truth, Part One: How Birth Control Works

Mon Feb 11 07:02:11 MST 2008

*PharmFacts E-News Update -- 11 Feb 2008 AD

*

http://www.catholicexchange.com/node/69551

A Challenging Truth, Part One: How Birth Control Works

/Patti Maguire Armstrong/

------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 9, 2008

How can something be both immense and minute at the same time, something 
upon which all of human history depends, yet fragile and almost 
non-existent to the eye?  It is the union of an egg and sperm --- an 
embryo.  Such is God's way.  He takes something smaller than a mustard 
seed and brings forth all of civilization.  After creating everything in 
the universe single-handedly, He created us in his own image and 
bestowed upon us the power to become co-creators with Him.  Working in 
union with us, when the sperm unites with the egg, not only has a new 
human life been set in motion, but so too has a spiritual life.  God 
places an everlasting soul into the being of every son and daughter.

Most of us rarely think that deeply about it all.  In our worldly way, 
we forget eternity and begin to affix costs --- physical, emotional and 
monetary.  The costs can seem exorbitant when we focus only through the 
eyes of the world.  And looking through those same worldly eyes, the way 
to prevent the miracle we clearly do not recognize as such is so easy, 
inexpensive, and ironically, also so small --- the birth control pill.  
But the pill does not just prevent the miracle, it also destroys it, a 
fact that is often surprising to committed pro-lifers.  This fact is 
true for all contraception that works through manipulation of hormone 
levels.

*History*

The pill has become a symbol of freedom to those who have been told they 
can "have it all".  And it has become a symbol of destruction to those 
who support a "Theology of the Body," philosophy, the essence of 
Catholic teaching that artificial means must not disrupt God's natural 
order of things.

The first birth control pill received approval from the Food and Drug 
Administration in 1960.  Using a synthetic estrogen hormone, the pill 
tricked a women's body into thinking it was pregnant.  No egg would be 
released thereby preventing the opportunity for conception. 

Although the pill was initially introduced with the idea of affording 
women a reliable way of limiting their family size, it soon became the 
ticket to the Sexual Revolution that began in the Sixties and never 
really ended.  The pill promised something it's never been able to 
deliver: sex with "no strings attached".  There are always emotional and 
moral consequences to thwarting God's purpose, but women discovered 
physical problems too.  Blood clots, heart attacks and strokes were some 
of the side effects caused by the Pill's high estrogen levels.  Drug 
manufacturers lowered these levels in order to reduce the side effects 
but that also increased the incidence of breakthrough ovulation.  With 
the lower levels of estrogen, eggs would sometimes still get released 
and pregnancies resulted. 

The drug companies tackled this situation by adding the synthetic 
hormone progesterone, which makes the uterine wall (the endometrium) 
inhospitable to implantation by an embryo.  So if an egg was released 
and became fertilized by a sperm, thus creating life, the pill would 
have actually failed to prevent a conception, meaning it failed as a 
contraceptive.  But, through preventing implantation of the embryo, the 
pill acts as an abortifacient and stops life from continuing to the next 
stage.  (A clear and simple demonstration of this can be seen here 
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiCU46_lWeE>.)

Since some women actually do become pregnant while on the pill, there 
are some embryos that manage to implant into the uterus.  Whether it's 
Mifepristone [RU-486], Norplant, Depo-Provera, the morning after pill, 
the Mini-pill, or the Pill, there is no chemical "contraceptive" 
that /always /causes an abortion.  There is also none that /never/ 
causes an abortion/./

*Ignorance*

There is no way of knowing what percentage of pregnancies result in 
abortion through the pill.  The woman using the pill with this scenario 
never even knows that she conceived a child.  Her cycle will continue on 
schedule with no realization that an embryo is being flushed from her 
body.  The Catholic Church has never wavered on the teaching that life 
begins at conception.  Although Catholics are contracepting at rates 
parallel to non-Catholics, using artificial means to change our body's 
natural functions in order to block the potential for life has been 
recognized as rebellion against God's plan for humanity.  However, using 
natural means to understand the rhythms of life and then to work in 
union with God is encouraged through Natural Family Planning.

The issue of birth control is a big one where misunderstanding and 
ignorance often misguide people.  But when it comes to the pill, the 
ignorance that many women fall prey to is lack of understanding of its 
abortifacient properties.  Most women don't consider that while taking 
their birth control, they may also be aborting a life within them.  As 
Pope Paul VI predicted when he issued his encyclical /Humanae Vitae/ 
(/Of Human Life/) in 1968, the use of artificial contraception would 
lead to abortions.

Although it seemed to many to be an overdramatic prediction, it proved 
to be prophetic.  In hindsight, its logic in saying that widespread use 
of contraception would lead to "conjugal infidelity and the general 
lowering of morality" was prophetic.  Since the Pill began to be sold in 
1960, divorces have tripled, out-of-wedlock births jumped from 224,000 
to 1.2 million, abortions doubled, and cohabitation soared 10-fold from 
430,000 to 4.2 million.

Sex both inside and outside marriage ceased to be about a bond of 
marital love in which a couple became one in union with God.  It became 
merely an activity for personal satisfaction devoid of anything more.  
The Pope predicted man would lose respect for woman, considering her "as 
a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer as his respected 
and beloved companion."

Society as a whole moved from recognizing sex as something reserved for 
married couples to something for everyone, since the possibility for 
pregnancy was greatly reduced (although never completely removed).  
Thus, people completely opposed to having children could have sex with 
others whom they had chosen as bed partners but would never chose to 
co-parent their children.  The most intimate experience intended to be 
shared in love and self-giving with the potential for creating life 
became merely a form of recreation.  And if life sprang forth, such a 
life was easily regarded as nothing more than an unintended problem that 
could legally be disposed of through abortion.

But women choosing abortion and the men who either make that choice with 
them or plead for them to do otherwise, are very aware of the decision 
that is being made, whereas women who choose to take birth control pills 
are not so aware of the potential ramifications of their choice.  There 
is not a baby with a heartbeat who must forcefully be removed, but 
unbeknownst to many, there /is/ a baby.  Since life begins at 
conception, a life, even though undetectable to us, is still a life.  It 
is the way God chooses to begin things, small and yet mighty in its 
eternal existence. 

In addition to the pill, IUDs, Depo-Provera and Norplant also cause 
early, undetectable abortions.  Doctor usually fail to warn women of the 
abortifacient properties of the pill.  I've heard some doctors admit 
they were not actually even aware of these properties.  Women often 
choose contraception as a means to avoid pregnancy without realizing 
they are not actually stopping pregnancy, but quickly ending it.

*Denial*

In his booklet, titled /Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions?/, 
Randy Alcorn states: "The question of whether it causes abortions has 
direct bearing on untold millions of Christians, many of them pro-life, 
who use and recommend it.  For those who believe God is the Creator of 
each person and the giver and taker of human life, this is a question 
with profound moral implications."

Alcorn was a Protestant pastor who not only used the pill in his married 
life, but also counseled other married couples to do so.  He had a 
vested interest in /not/ recognizing the pill as an abortifactient.  But 
when confronted with the facts through his own research, it demanded 
changes in his own behavior and philosophy.  His booklet 
<http://www.epm.org/articles/bcp5400.html#_edn31> was written in 1998 to 
inform others of the truth.

Alcorn's booklet has met some opposition.  According to him: "Despite 
evidence, some pro-life physicians state that the likelihood of the Pill 
having an abortifacient effect is infinitesimally low, or nonexistent.   
<http://www.epm.org/articles/bcp5400.html#_edn31>Though I would very 
much like to believe this, the scientific evidence does not permit me to 
do so."

Alcorn, surprisingly, found that the greatest resistance to recognizing 
the abortifacient quality of the pill comes from the Christian 
community.  "Dr. Walt Larimore has told me that whenever he has 
presented this evidence to audiences of secular physicians, there has 
been little or no resistance to it.  But when he has presented it to 
Christian physicians there has been substantial resistance.  Since 
secular physicians do not care whether the Pill prevents implantation, 
they tend to be objective in interpreting the evidence.  After all, they 
have little or nothing at stake either way.  Christian physicians, 
however, very much do not want to believe the Pill causes early 
abortions.  Therefore, I believe, they tend to resist the evidence. 
 This is certainly understandable.  Nonetheless, we should not permit 
what we/ want /to believe to distract us from what the evidence 
indicates we /should/ believe."  

It's easier to be pro-life when we limit the discussion to the abortion 
industry.  The inclusion of artificial birth control complicates and 
confuses people.  With so many opinions even among Catholics, how is a 
person to know what to believe?  I understand the confusion.  While 
living in Montana, I had a doctor who was also a priest, who told me it 
was not realistic to expect a couple to follow the Catholic teaching on 
birth control.  He prescribed birth control pills to many of his female 
patients.  So, is it any surprise there are many Catholics, ones like 
me, ignorant of the true teaching?

Yet, we must cut through the false teachings and erroneous opinions to 
reach the truth.  Our lives, our bodies and our souls are all we have.  
They are gifts that must be safeguarded. Christopher West 
<http://www.christopherwest.com/>, author and speaker, has written books 
and articles explaining the beauty and truth of God's plan for men and 
women.  In his book, /Good News about Sex and Marriage/, he asserts that 
the Church's teaching on sex and marriage is good news because it's the 
truth about love and true love is the fulfillment of the human person. 
 He also admits that the news is challenging.  "This is so because the 
truth about love is always challenging."

/
Patti Maguire Armstrong is the mother of ten children including two 
Kenyan AIDS orphans. She is a speaker and the author of /Catholic Truths 
for Our Children: A Parent's Guide/ (Scepter). She is also the managing 
editor and co-author of/ /Ascension Press's/ Amazing Grace/ book series. 
Her website is RaisingCatholicKids.com <http://raisingcatholickids.com/>./

------------------------------------------------------------------------

PFLI PharmAid Center
pfli at pfli.org <mailto:pfli at pfli.org>
PO Box 1281
Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA
800-227-8359
www.pfli.org

PFLI supports pharmacist rights of conscience NOT to be forced to 
dispense or counsel for chemicals which violate their sincerely held 
religious, moral or ethical beliefs.  For more info see:
http://www.pfli.org/main.php?pfli=conscienceclausefaq

*** PFLI is the only pharmacy association which is exclusively pro-life.
It represents thousands of pharmacists and many lay supporters
in the USA, Canada and all around the globe. For membership info, key
PFLI texts, PFLI archives, late-breaking news, abridged newsletter excerpts
or general information, visit the PFLI web site at http://www.pfli.org.
Or e-mail us at mailto:pfli at pfli.org.

*** We do NOT send out SPAM. To subscribe to PharmFacts E-News, just 
send an e-mail with the word
"subscribe" in the subject area;  to cease your subscription (although 
we can't
imagine anyone would!) just send an e-mail with "unsubscribe" in the 
subject area, or
manage your account at: http://pfli.org/mailman/listinfo/pflienews_pfli.org

*** You may contact PFLI at any/all of the following: Pharmacists For 
Life International,
PO Box 1281, Powell, OH 43065-1281 USA,  1-800-227-8359 [US & Canada only],
 +1-740-881-5520 [voice] or +1-707-667-2447 [fax]; e-mail us at 
mailto:pfli at pfli.org.

*** You can order our publications as well as begin/renew your 
membership right on our
website at http://www.pfli.org. Click on the "PFLI Store" link on the 
toolbar and
follow the prompts! There you can also donate to PFLI as well as 
purchase a wide range of publications. 

*

*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20080211/65d9721b/attachment-0001.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 14952 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20080211/65d9721b/attachment-0001.jpe 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: IHTC_kuhar.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 9554 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20080211/65d9721b/attachment-0001.jpg 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/gif
Size: 2923 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://pfli.org/pipermail/pflienews_pfli.org/attachments/20080211/65d9721b/attachment-0001.gif 