Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions

Dr. Struthers further states; “Until the blastocyst implants…there would be no loss of an embryo and,
therefore, no abortion. Thus, the theoretical mechanism of reduced likelihood of implantation by
whatever means would not be considered an abortion by any biological definition.”
It is here that her presuppositions become clear. Having said implantation won’t be prevented, she
then says even if it is, the result isn’t really an abortion. This statement is profound both in its
breadth and its inaccuracy. It’s a classic logic-class-illustration of faulty reasoning. It’s like saying
“Sudden Infant Death Syndrome does not affect toddlers; therefore, it does not involve the deaths of
human beings.” Such a statement assumes facts not in evidence: that infants are not people because
they are pre-toddlers. In exactly the same way Dr. Struthers assumes—without offering any
evidence—that pre-embryo human beings are not really human beings.
But if human life does begin at conception, which is the overwhelming biological consensus, then
causing the death of a “blastocyst” is just as much an abortion as causing the death (or as
she puts it, “loss”) of an “embryo.” The days-old individual is a smaller and younger person than
the embryo, but he or she is no less a person in the sight of God who created him. People do not get
more human as they get older and bigger—if they did, toddlers would be more human than infants,
adolescents more human than toddlers, adults more human than adolescents and professional
basketball players more human than anyone.
Dr. Struthers says the “reduced likelihood of implantation by whatever means would not be
considered an abortion by any biological definition.” This statement is unscientific in the extreme. The
biological definition she ignores is not just some obscure definition of life, but the precise definition,
which the vast majority of scientists, including biologists, actually hold to—that life begins at
conception. (See Appendix B: When Does Human Life Begin The Answer of Science.) An
early abortion is still an abortion, and no semantics change this reality, even if they manage to
obscure it.
The letter from Dr. Struthers certainly contains some valid information along with the invalid. But
how seriously can we take its bottom-line conclusions that the Pill is not an abortifacient I showed
her letter to one physician who told me a “healthcare information services director” is a public
relations position with the primary job of minimizing controversy, denying blame, putting out fires,
and avoiding any bad publicity for products, both with physicians and the general public. Perhaps this
assessment was unfair—I don’t know. But after reading her letter I determined to personally call the
research or medical information departments of all the major birth control manufacturers and hear
for myself what each of them had to say.
When I called Syntex, they informed me that Searle had recently purchased all their “feminine
products,” including the Pill. So I called Searle’s customer service line, identified myself by name,
and was asked to explain my question. When I said that it related to the Pill’s mechanism of
preventing implantation, the person helping me (who didn’t identify herself) became discernibly
uneasy. She asked me who I was, so I gave her my name again. Then she asked me to wait while
she conferred with her colleagues. After several minutes she got back on the line and said “Dr.
Struthers will have to talk to you about this, and she’s not in.”
Since Dr. Struthers was unavailable, I asked the woman if she could offer me any guidance. She
said, uneasiness evident, “By any chance are you asking about this for religious reasons” I said,
“Yes, that’s part of it.” She said, “Well, I can tell you that our pills are not abortifacients.” I asked,
“Then why does your professional labeling talk about the Pill reducing the likelihood of implantation”
She said, “I can’t answer that question. You’ll have to talk to Dr. Struthers.” I left my number, but
Dr. Struthers never called me back.