God in His infallible Word outlines the value of human life. In Psalm 139:15, David under the influence of the Holy Spirit writes, “My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret.” (ESV) Christ took on human form, thus ennobling the human race with His divine dignity, then died to redeem us, to make us holy before a just God. Accordingly, many if not most Bible-believing Christians view abortion and euthanasia as unjustified killing, a grievous offense against a Holy God.
The abortion industry, however, has added a new drug approved by the FDA which has muddied the water again. It’s called Ella, a new morning-after pill.
In a normal pregnancy, fertilization of the egg occurs in the fallopian tube, not the uterus (womb) as most people think. The little human made up of just a few cells travels down the tube becoming an embryo on the way which then plants and grows in the uterus.
Emergency contraception or the “morning-after-pill” is a human pesticide available to women without a prescription. It works like this: A woman has sex and thinks she may conceive. She goes to her drug store and buys Plan B – Next Choice (two doses 12 hours apart) or Plan B – One Step (just one dose). Both Plan B choices contain the same synthetic progesterone agent (Progesterone is one female hormone. Estrogen is the other.) which, when taken in such a high dose, creates a hostile uterine lining. This hostile lining causes the small embryo, if the woman has conceived, to pass through the uterus causing a very early abortion.
“Contraception” in the term “emergency contraception” is a lie in this case. If a pregnancy occurs, Plan B probably causes a very early abortion in my judgment.
Medical experts differ on the exact way the morning-after pill prevents pregnancy. Pro-abortion people insist the drug prevents conception in a majority of cases which makes the drug much more palatable to women, but the most likely explanation in my mind is the one I’ve described—early abortion.
“Contra-gestation,” literally meaning “against pregnancy,” is the newer term sometimes used for the morning-after pill and regularly used for drugs which cause abortion. Mefiprex, the RU-486 brand name, is available by prescription and can cause abortion up to seven weeks. It is called a contra-gestation.
Enter Ella, the brand name for mifepristone, the newer, more effective morning-after pill. A normal early pregnancy depends on a woman’s natural progesterone for support. Without progesterone, the pregnancy is lost. Ella blocks progesterone in a woman’s body which causes the embryo to pass through and not attach to the uterine wall. RU-486 which can end a pregnancy up to seven weeks does the same thing but is more powerful than Ella.
Since a great majority of doctors are pro-choice, as they like to be called, their words at a doctor visit can shape and confuse a patient’s understanding of these drugs. As you probably realize, a doctor can easily mold a patients understanding of any problem and its treatment. Doctors do it every day. In most instances, the doctor is trustworthy and uses his or her best judgment to help the patient battle illness or disease. However, in matters of abortion, the information given the patient may be suspect.
As an example, consider prenatal genetic testing. Pregnant women often hear that such testing is routine. The doctor, however, may fail to explain that genetic testing in nearly every case leads to abortion, the new, acceptable eugenics. If a genetic handicap is found by genetic testing, the doctors who give the couple the results claim to provide non-directive counseling regarding abortion or continuing the pregnancy. But there is no such thing as “non-directive counseling.” I’ve had many patients tell me they were strongly pushed to abort as a cure for the abnormal testing results. Patients easily sense the doctor’s preference for abortion and the physician’s attitude that those who don’t abort a less-than-perfect child are stupid.
Anne Drapking Lyerly, MD, faculty associate in the Trent Center of the Study of Medical Ethics and Humanities at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina who is a prominent medial ethicist (These days, the term “medical ethicist” is more often than not, an oxymoron.) was quoted in the AMA News August 30, 2010 saying doctors who consider contraception immoral should not have to prescribe the morning-after pill, but states, “Instead, they can refer patients to physicians who will prescribe such drugs,” insisting the drug prevents pregnancy but does not cause early abortion. Those who oppose abortion but prescribe the birth control pill apparently should not be allowed to opt out at all. Either way, doctors must refer the patient to someone who gives the drug.
Mary Harned, staff counsel for the nonprofit Americans United for Life, an anti-abortion law and policy organization in Washington, D.C. was quoted in the same issue saying, “Many states also have conscience laws that protect the rights of health professionals who object on moral grounds to performing abortions, among other procedures. But these laws are typically broad and do not usually cover emergency contraception.”
This issue also quoted Internist Beth Jordan, MD, medical director of the Assn. of Reproductive Health Professionals who opined, “Ella is an approved drug. … If a woman comes [to a doctor] wanting that medication, then it is important to treat her.”
The AMA gives weak support to a doctor’s rights of conscience, but then states that once a doctor-patient relationship is established, physicians “… must coordinate care with other health professionals.” In other words, arrange referral.
The pro-abortion cabal, I expect, will continue chipping away at my rights of conscience, but regardless, I have no intention of ever referring a patient for abortion or the morning-after pill. Persecution is a promise from God. I trust Him to uphold me and keep me in the palm of His hand. I will seek joy in whatever God may have in store for me.
But my biggest worry is for the unsuspecting pro-life patients who are given a song-and-dance about this pill being a contraceptive, not an abortifacient. Teens and young women are the most likely to seek the morning-after pill. A pro-life teen or young woman may jump at the chance to take this drug if her doctors states it is a contraceptive, not an abortion-causing drug.
As Christians, we need to be aware of Ella and Plan B, arm ourselves with information and protect life.
MDWrites 