Does the Pill Cause Abortions?
by Joshua Krohse Many people are opposed to abortion, because they believe that life begins at conception. Generally, conception is understood as the moment when the sperm and ovum (egg) merge into a genetically complete individual. Fertilization and conception are the same thing. These same people often encourage and support the use of artificial birth control. Some suspect Norplant and the IUD of causing abortions, but they rarely consider that oral contraceptives or the injectable Depo-Provera , the new patch, or the ring might cause abortions. The public has been told for nearly fifty years that the pill is perfectly acceptable, because it acts by suppressing ovulation. Depo-Provera, the patch, and the ring presumably use the same mechanism. What the public has not been told is that all forms of the pill, injectables, the patch, and the ring, at least some of the time, do cause abortions. These chemical birth control methods use three methods to prevent pregnancy. First, they do in
