BIRTH CONTROL METHODS WHICH DO NOT CAUSE ABORTION

Continuous Abstinence - The only method that is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy and disease.

Periodic Abstinence or Fertility Awareness Methods - Being abstinent on the days you may be fertile or using a "barrier" method of birth control (condoms, diaphragms, or cervical caps) on fertile days.

The Male Condom - Prevents sperm from reaching the egg.

The Female Condom - Worn by the woman, prevents sperm from reaching the egg.

Diaphragm - A shallow latex cup that prevents sperm from reaching the egg, requires a visit with your health care provider for proper fitting.

Cervical Cap - A thimble-shaped latex cup that prevents sperm from reaching the egg, requires a visit with your health care provider for proper fitting.

Surgical Sterilization (Tubal Ligation or Vasectomy) - Permanent surgical methods of birth control. Tubal ligations prevent a woman's eggs from reaching her uterus. Vasectomies to prevent sperm from entering a woman during intercourse.

BIRTH CONTROL METHODS WHICH CAN CAUSE ABORTION

Copper T IUD (Intrauterine Device) - A small, copper-containing device that is shaped in the form of a "T." and placed inside the uterus by a health care provider. The copper arms prevent fertilization by keeping sperm from entering the fallopian tubes. If fertilization does occur, the IUD would prevent the fertilized egg from implanting in the lining of the uterus.

Progestasert IUD (Intrauterine Device) - A small plastic device that is shaped in the form of a "T." and placed inside the uterus by a health care provider. It contains the hormone progesterone, which causes the cervical mucus to thicken so sperm cannot reach the egg, and so that a fertilized egg cannot successfully implant into the lining of the uterus.

The Mini-Pill - The mini-pill only has one hormone, progestin, instead of both estrogen and progestin. Taken daily, the mini-pill reduces and thickens cervical mucus to prevent sperm from reaching the egg. It also prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus (womb).

Emergency Contraception ("Morning After" Pill, Postcoital Contraception, Plan B, etc.) - According to WebMd, emergency contraception "is a form of birth control that may be used by women who have had unprotected sex or if a contraceptive method fails." The reason there is so much confusion as to whether or not emergency contraception has the potential to be abortifacient is because those marketing it seem to have subtly changed the definition of pregnancy. This is perhaps nowhere more evident than on the website for Plan B® One-Step. On the "Consumer" side of the website we read this (select "How Does it Work?" then "Learn More" to read for yourself):

Plan B® One-Step is not an abortion pill. It won't work if you're already pregnant. If you take Plan B® One-Step and are already pregnant, it will not affect your existing pregnancy.

On the "Prescribers" side, we find something very different:

Plan B® One-Step works primarily by:

Preventing ovulation.
Possibly preventing fertilization by altering tubal transport of sperm and/or egg.
Altering the endometrium, which may inhibit implantation (emphasis added).

The first two methods work to prevent an egg from being fertilized. The third method works to destroy the fertilized embryo. That's abortion. When Duramed Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Plan B® One-Step, tells consumers in no uncertain terms that emergency contraception cannot cause an abortion or interfere with an existing pregnancy, either they are lying outright or they've redefined pregnancy as something that begins at implantation instead of fertilization. Since they plainly admit on the "Prescriber" side of their site that emergency contraception can prevent an embryo from implanting in the mother's uterus, we must assume the latter. This disconnect is even more obvious on Web MD's "Emergency Contraception" page, where the following statements appear, within paragraphs of each other:

Emergency contraception is not a form of abortion; it is used to prevent a pregnancy, not end one.

Emergency contraception may prevent pregnancy by temporarily blocking eggs from being produced, by stopping fertilization, or keeping a fertilized egg from becoming implanted in the uterus.

"Keeping a fertilized egg from becoming implanted in the uterus" is not a way to prevent pregnancy; it's a way to end a pregnancy that's already begun (unless you define pregnancy as beginning at implantation). The Princeton University web page on emergency contraception states that there are "nearly two dozen brands of pills that can be used for emergency contraception in the United States today," but that only Plan B and Next Choice are "specifically approved and marketed here as emergency contraceptive pills". A quick look at the Next Choice page of consumer information reveals that just like Plan B, Next Step "may also work by preventing fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg) or by preventing attachment (implantation) to the uterus (womb)".

BIRTH CONTROL METHODS WHICH MIGHT BE ABLE TO CAUSE AN ABORTION

Within the pro-life community, there is much debate about the methods of birth control listed below. All of them function in basically the same way. Just like emergency contraception (but in lower doses), they inject into a woman, by a variety of means, two hormones: estrogen and progestin. These work to 1) prevent ovulation, 2) thicken the mucus lining so as to prevent fertilization, and 3) make the uterus unsuitable for implantation (at least in theory). It is upon this last point where the differences of opinions lie. The first two mechanisms are clearly contraceptive, the third, if it occurs, is not. If you go to the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists website, you will find two different position papers on this subject. One portion of their membership believes that birth control pills are abortifacient, and the other portion believes that, while the condition of the uterus is altered, it does not thereby prevent implantation. If you want to get to the bottom of this issue for the sake of your own conscience, it will take some focused research, beginning with the papers above. Randy Alcorn also has a very thorough and well-documented book available for purchase or download which argues that the birth control pill can cause abortions (Alcorn and his wife had used the pill before his painful discovery). Dr. William Toffler, of the Focus on the Family Physicians Resource Council, believes that there is even more evidence that normal-dose birth control pills can be abortifacient than there is for emergency contraception. He believes that the pro-life OBGYN's who deny this are overlooking the obvious in an effort to justify years of prescribing the pill. If you're not willing to put the time in to research this issue for yourself, or if you start the research and decide there's just too much information to sort through, for you, there is only one safe conclusion. If you're not absolutely convinced in your own mind that the pill is not abortifacient, then the only course of action is to not use it.

Oral Contraceptives - Also called "the pill", delivers hormones orally through a daily pill.

Implant (Norplant and Norplant 2) - This product was taken off the market in July 2002, delivers hormones via "rods" that are placed under the skin.

Depo-Provera - Hormones delivered through injections, or shots, in the buttocks or arm every three months.

The Patch (Ortho Evra) - Hormones delivered through a skin patch worn on the lower abdomen, buttocks, or upper body.

The Hormonal Vaginal Contraceptive Ring (NuvaRing) - Hormones delivered through a ring that is inserted the vagina for three weeks at a time.