News that may be of interest re. emergency contraception appeared in today’s (5 June 2012) New York Times. The article is headlined, “Abortion Qualms on Morning-After Pill May Be Unfounded.” See:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/h...ck-implantation-science-suggests.html?_r=1&hp
re. emergency contraceptives such as Plan B and others. The article states, among many other things:
.... “It turns out that the politically charged debate over morning-after pills and abortion, a divisive issue [in the U.S.] in this [U.S.] election year, is probably rooted in outdated or incorrect scientific guesses about how the pills work. Because they block creation of fertilized eggs, they would not meet abortion opponents’ definition of abortion-inducing drugs.”
…….
“The notion that morning-after pills prevent eggs from implanting stems from the Food and Drug Administration’s decision during the drug-approval process to mention that possibility on the label — despite lack of scientific proof, scientists say, and objections by the manufacturer of Plan B, the pill on the market the longest. Leading scientists say studies since then provide strong evidence that Plan B does not prevent implantation, and no proof that a newer type of pill, Ella, does.“
…….
“Scientists say the pills work up to five days after sex, primarily stalling an egg’s release until sperm can no longer fertilize it. Although many people think sperm and egg unite immediately after sex, sperm need time to position themselves.”
.......
“Ninety-nine percent of the emergency contraception market in the United States consists of Plan B (approved in 1999 and now sold as Plan B One-Step) and its generic versions, Next Choice and levonorgestrel tablets. They are available without prescription for women ages 17 and older. The other pill, Ella, became available by prescription only in the United States in late 2010. Emergency contraceptive use has steadily increased, with about 12 million packages sold last year, according to IMS Health and SymphonyIRI Group, health information and market research companies.”
…….
“Ella was approved for sale in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy, where laws would have barred it if it could be considered to induce abortion, said Erin Gainer, chief executive of Ella’s manufacturer, Paris-based HRA Pharma.”
……. etc ……. [Sequential dots indicate omitted text.]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/h...ck-implantation-science-suggests.html?_r=1&hp
re. emergency contraceptives such as Plan B and others. The article states, among many other things:
.... “It turns out that the politically charged debate over morning-after pills and abortion, a divisive issue [in the U.S.] in this [U.S.] election year, is probably rooted in outdated or incorrect scientific guesses about how the pills work. Because they block creation of fertilized eggs, they would not meet abortion opponents’ definition of abortion-inducing drugs.”
…….
“The notion that morning-after pills prevent eggs from implanting stems from the Food and Drug Administration’s decision during the drug-approval process to mention that possibility on the label — despite lack of scientific proof, scientists say, and objections by the manufacturer of Plan B, the pill on the market the longest. Leading scientists say studies since then provide strong evidence that Plan B does not prevent implantation, and no proof that a newer type of pill, Ella, does.“
…….
“Scientists say the pills work up to five days after sex, primarily stalling an egg’s release until sperm can no longer fertilize it. Although many people think sperm and egg unite immediately after sex, sperm need time to position themselves.”
.......
“Ninety-nine percent of the emergency contraception market in the United States consists of Plan B (approved in 1999 and now sold as Plan B One-Step) and its generic versions, Next Choice and levonorgestrel tablets. They are available without prescription for women ages 17 and older. The other pill, Ella, became available by prescription only in the United States in late 2010. Emergency contraceptive use has steadily increased, with about 12 million packages sold last year, according to IMS Health and SymphonyIRI Group, health information and market research companies.”
…….
“Ella was approved for sale in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy, where laws would have barred it if it could be considered to induce abortion, said Erin Gainer, chief executive of Ella’s manufacturer, Paris-based HRA Pharma.”
……. etc ……. [Sequential dots indicate omitted text.]
