Does use of emergency contraception cause an abortion?
No, use of emergency contraception does not cause an abortion. In fact, emergency contraception prevents pregnancy and thereby reduces the need for abortion. Medical authorities such as the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists define the beginning of pregnancy as the implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of a woman’s uterus. Implantation begins five to seven days after fertilization (and is completed several days later). Emergency contraceptives work before implantation and not after a woman is already pregnant. If a woman is already pregnant and takes emergency contraception, the medicine will not work and it will not harm the fetus.
