Emergency contraception bill introduced in Congress

An "emergency contraception" initiative proposed to Congress is drawing the attention and opposition of pro-life advocates who assert that the drug dose can sometimes result in a form of chemical abortion.

The proposed bill, called the Emergency Contraception Education Act, would designate $10 million a year for five years towards the creation of a program aimed at education doctors and women about the drugs available for emergency contraception.

"We are here today for one reason, education," said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) who introduced the bill to Congress. "Our bill authorizes a public education and outreach effort to provide women with information on the availability of safe and effective emergency contraceptives."

Emergency contraception is simply a large dose of regular oral contraception taken all at once. The large overdose of medication destroys the egg before it has a chance to implant into the womb.

Dr. Paul Blumenthal, associate professor of gynecology/obstetrics at Johns Hopkins University supports this bill, saying that it will effectively solve many of the issues associated with the public's general lack of knowledge about these drugs.

Blumenthal asserts that, "This is a public health problem. Unintended pregnancy is a public health problem and one of the best ways to prevent it is through a public health initiative, such as this emergency contraceptive media information campaign."

The ultimate goal of the creators of this bill, the "Pro-Choice Caucus," is to see these types of medication available over-the-counter. Murray further claims that the relative un-availability of these drugs is not well appreciated in the medical community.

"Providing emergency contraceptives is still not standard protocol in many instances," said Murray. "By educating women, they will no longer be at the mercy of overworked health care providers."

Emergency contraception drugs draw fire from pro-life advocates because, if the sperm and egg are already fused, they can cause the destruction of a fertilized egg. U.S. representative Louise Slaughter of New York disputes this belief.

"This is not an abortion bill. This is not RU-486. It is contraception," she said. Regardless of one's position on abortion, we should all be able to support emergency contraception."

Many pro-lifers such as Ed Szymkowiak, national director of Stop Planned Parenthood, International, an affiliate of the pro-life American Life League, tend to disagree with Slaughter's characterization of the destruction of a fertilized egg as a form of contraception.

"Emergency contraception sometimes acts to prevent the already conceived human being, about five to seven days old, from implanting in his or her mother's womb. That's one of the actions that this 'emergency contraception' is designed to do," Szymkowiak explained.

"Therefore calling it just 'contraception' is misleading. Sometimes it might act as contraception, sometimes it acts as an abortifacient," he added.

Blumenthal sees the matter differently: "Emergency contraception is exactly that. It prevents an unintended pregnancy. Mifepristone, trade name Mifeprex, previously known as RU-486 terminates an established pregnancy. Big difference. Is that clear?"

Szymkowiak maintains that doctors such as Blumenthal are trying to prove their case simply by changing the definition of pregnancy to only include a fertilized egg that has been implanted in the womb, thus making the destruction of a fertilized but un-implanted egg a form of contraception, not abortion.

"The facts are that a human being is created at fertilization, when the sperm meets the egg," Szymkowiak said. "The fact is this drug, which is just a heavy dose of regular oral contraceptive drugs, kills a human being in between fertilization and implantation. In fact, it prevents implantation."

Szymkowiak also points to the side effects as a reason not to support these drugs.

"I think [doctors] they're a little bit touchy about giving out these types of drugs without scrutiny, because there are some side effects from these things," Szymkowiak said. "Don't forget that these are powerful drugs."

Pertaining to the initiative to make emergency contraception drugs available over-the-counter, Szymkowiak has expressed concern for the possibility of over-dose.

"This is not like the typical oral contraceptives, which have a well-known dosage that will occur during the month. If a girl is unsupervised by a doctor, what's to prevent her from getting this thing quite a few times during the month," Szymkowiak asked. "I don't think that any of those questions have been adequately answered.