As a teenager I was placed on birth control pills because I had cysts on my ovaries and when I got married I continued to take them until we felt "ready" to start our family. It took 2 1/2 years to conceive our first child and while I know that it was in God's perfect timing, I have also been told by more than one of my doctors that the pill contributed to my infertility as well as some of my other health problems. The pill is made of synthetic hormones and effects much more than conception.
After Shelby was born, we had to sit down with our doctor, who we adored, to discuss birth control options. You see, he is Catholic and refuses to prescribe birth control. He is the first person, doctor or educator who ever took the time to teach us just exactly what the birth control pill really does...how it works. We were shocked and horrified by what we learned and made the decision right then and there to use Natural Family Planning and never again take birth control pills. Because I was 29 years old when I finally learned how the pill works, I assume I am not alone and I wanted to share with my younger, or misinformed friends and family the truth about this medication. I found the below article that is based off of a birth control education book by Randy Alcorn. You can research it yourself, but don't bother asking your doctor or pharmacist because unless they are Christian or have taken the time to really study these drugs, they may not even really know or care how they work. Look up "How birth control pills work" and you will come across a plethora of info that supports this article...unless you go to planned parenthood's site because their mission is to make as much money on birth control and abortions as they can, so their info tends to be slanted.
How Does Hormonal Contraception Work?
"Birth Control" Pills cause early Abortions
By J.T. Finn (updated April 23, 2005)
Physicians across America -- and around the world -- are now confirming that the Pill, IUDs, Depo-Provera and Norplant cause early abortions.
First, a look at the Pill. Research shows that in many cases the Pill causes early abortions -- abortions the mother may not even know she's having. You may find this shocking, but the facts are clear after reading Randy Alcorn's book, titled;
"Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions?"
Here's what 11 physicians and medical professionals are saying about the book Randy Alcorn published in 1998:
1. "From medical textbooks and pharmacy references, to statements from the Pill-manufacturers themselves, this book proves, beyond any doubt, the abortion-causing action of birth control pills. This book should be read by everyone interested in knowing the truth."~ Paul L. Hayes, M.D., Board Certified Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians/Gynecologists
2. "Does the birth control pill cause abortions? Using research results from medical literature, Randy Alcorn has convincingly shown that the answer is `yes.' He has, with care and compassion, given us the truth. The question for us as Christians is how we will respond now that we know."~ Linda Martin, M.D., Pediatrician
3. "By carefully detailing the available medical information concerning the abortifacient effects of oral contraceptives, Randy Alcorn has developed a logical and thoughtful challenge to every prolife person. The conclusions of this study are scientifically accurate. Birth control pills usually prevent pregnancy, but sometimes they cause an abortion. Questions? Objections? Randy has addressed them in a gentle but firm way. This is the manner in which the often fiery debate over prolife subjects should be carried out- unemotionally, intelligently and quietly. The evidence is before us . . . `How should we then live?'"~ Patrick D. Walker, M.D., Professor of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
4. "In this challenging book Randy Alcorn has the honesty to face a tough and uncomfortable question. This compelling evidence will make you rethink the question of birth control pills."
~ John Brose, M.D., Surgeon
5. "In this impeccably researched book, Randy Alcorn takes an unblinking look at what medical experts know about how birth control pills work. I painfully agree that birth control pills do in fact cause abortions. Our individual and collective Christian response to this heretofore varnished-over information will have profound consequences for time and eternity. This is a disturbing must-read for all who profess to be prolife."~ Beverly A. McMillan, M.D., Ob/Gyn
6. "Randy Alcorn has done exceptional work. The facts in this book parallel much of my own research. I am delighted he would undertake such a work when others seek to avoid the subject. This book is a must for Christians, particularly those in medicine and Christian ministries."~ Karen D. Garnett, R.N.
7. "No prolife physician can rightly prescribe BCPs [birth control pills] after reviewing this data. I have started circulating this information."~ Randall Martin, M.D., Chairman, Department of Anesthesiology, Columbia Willamette Valley Medical Center
8. "Scientific papers suggest that escape ovulation occurs 4-15% of all cycles in patients taking birth control pills. Thus, as this booklet points out, early chemical abortions are a real and significant concern."~ Paddy Jim Baggot, M.D., Ob/Gyn, Fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics
9. "Randy Alcorn has thoroughly studied and written on an area where little published scientific information exists. His responses to this issue, and his outstanding appendices, are must reading."
~ William M. Petty, M.D., Surgeon, Gynecologic Oncology
10. "Randy Alcorn has once again demonstrated his tenacity and integrity in pursuing the truth. He has exposed theabortifacient properties of so-called birth control agents. This booklet should be required reading for all discerning Christians who wish to fully live out their faith." ~ William L. Toffler, M.D., Professor of Family Medicine,
Oregon Health Sciences University
11. "I endorse Randy Alcorn's book with gusto. He has answered the title question with the care and compassion of a pastor, having searched out the facts with the diligence of an experienced researcher. He has provided all women in their reproductive years with an invaluable resource which will allow them to be fully informed about the birth control pill." ~ William F. Colliton, Jr., M.D., Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
George Washington University Medical Center
You may go to Randy Alcorn's web site and read a summary of this 88-page book by clicking here. You may also order the inexpensive book from his site.
More facts about the Pill, IUDs, Depo-Provera and Norplant:
Again, if you're reading about CHEMICAL ABORTIONS for the first time, this may surprise, or even shock you. Most Americans are not aware that the Pill and other chemical "contraceptives" cause millions of "non-surgical" abortions each year in the early weeks of pregnancy. If you are using the Pill, Depo-Provera or Norplant, you need to know the truth about how these products work.
Most women take these "contraceptives" because they don't want to have a baby. But how many women know they can have BREAKTHROUGH OVULATIONS and become pregnant while using these "contraceptives?" Very few! And how many of these women know that if they become pregnant after a BREAKTHROUGH OVULATION, these "contraceptives" will almost always kill any son or daughter they've conceived?
Most people don't know the real facts about how "contraceptives" work. And because of this lack of knowledge, most women are not aware that they may be having BREAKTHROUGH OVULATIONS, and conceiving children that are killed very early in the pregnancy. Women using these "contraceptives" almost never perceive that they have become pregnant, or that chemicals have killed their tiny baby.
What is Breakthrough Ovulation?
While using the Pill and other chemical "birth control" products, many women's ovaries continue to release eggs. This is called "Breakthrough Ovulation" and it occurs in millions of women each year. Once an egg has been released via ovulation, a woman can become pregnant.
You can still conceive a child . . .
If you're using "birth control" products and you have a breakthrough ovulation that releases an egg, sperm can then reach and fertilize your egg. At that moment -- you would be pregnant! Fertilization means conception has taken place and you now have a brand new son or daughter who is as complete genetically as he or she will ever be throughout life.
When Does Human Life Begin?
Internationally-known geneticists and biologists have testified that human life begins at conception. In 1981 (April 23-24) a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held hearings on the question: When does human life begin? The following doctors testified:
Dr. Hymie Gordon, Chairman of the Department of Genetics at the Mayo Clinic, said: "By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception."
Dr. McCarthy de Mere, a medical doctor and law professor at the University of Tennessee, testified: "The exact moment of the beginning of personhood and of the human body is at the moment of conception."
Dr. Jerome Lejeune, The Father of Modern Genetics, testified that, "Each of us has a very precise starting moment which is the time at which the whole necessary and sufficient genetic information is gathered inside one cell, the fertilized egg, and this is the moment of fertilization. There is not the slightest doubt about that and we know that this information is written on a kind of ribbon we call the DNA."
How does the Pill work?
The Pill has three mechanisms of action which can easily be looked up in the Physician's Desk Reference.
1) Sometimes, the Pill suppresses ovulation. When this happens, an egg is not released and conception cannot occur. (It's important to read on and find out about the high rates of breakthrough ovulation. When ovulation is not suppressed, pregnancy can occur.)
2) The Pill also works to thicken the woman's cervical mucus which can "restrict" sperm from moving up the reproductive tract toward the egg.
3) One way the Pill causes early abortions is that it interferes with the flexing motions and the cilia movement of the fallopian tubes. These changes slow the transportation of newly conceived child from the fallopian tubes to the womb. Unfortunately, many small babies starve to death in the fallopian tubes because chemicals caused changes that prevented them from reaching the womb in time to be nourished.
4) Another way the Pill causes early abortions: If your tiny baby survives the ride down the fallopian tube to your womb, the Pill will almost always cause the endometrium (the lining of your uterus) to reject your child. Chemical reactions often cause the lining of your womb to become thin, shriveled and unable to support implantation of your newly conceived child.
This means that in almost every case, your new child will not be able to attach to the wall of your womb where he or she would normally live, grow and receive nourishment for 9 months. This means your tiny baby will starve to death and his or her remains will be passed along in your next bleeding cycle. (The "Study of Abortion Deaths Commission" estimates that this happens in women in America who use the Pill approximately 1 to 4 million times each year.)
The chemicals that cause these early abortions are called abortifacients which is the medical term for any chemical agent that causes an abortion.
Depo-Provera, Norplant and IUDs
Depo-Provera and Norplant both use chemicals that work in very similar ways on a woman's body and womb. Depo-Provera and Norplant are also considered chemical abortifacients.
IUDs or Intra-Uterine Devices, are small plastic devices that are inserted into the womb. Some IUDs contain copper or a time released hormone. It is believed that the IUD causes a low grade inflammation in the lining of the womb. As a result, the lining of the womb is imperfect and the fertilized egg will not implant. (Source: This paragraph on IUDs is quoted directly from the Calgary Regional Health Authority's web site.)
Because of the chemical effect an IUD has on a woman's womb, tiny babies are aborted. Therefore, IUDs are also considered abortifacients.
Breakthrough ovulation proved long ago . . .
Birth control advocates and manufacturers of the Pill have known these facts for years. Have they done a very good job of informing women about how the Pill really works? (Please email us and let us know if you were aware of how the Pill worked before you read this.)
When chemists devised the Pill that debuted in 1960, they gave it a huge dose of a chemical that caused most women's ovaries to stop secreting eggs (i.e., to stop ovulation). The theory was "no egg, no pregnancy."
However, some women continued to release eggs and get pregnant while on the original Pill. (Studies have shown that an even higher percentage of women release eggs while using today's newer, re-formulated Pills. More about today's Pills in a moment.)
In her award winning study of women taking the earlier high dose Pills, Dutch gynecologist Dr. Nine Van der Vange showed "proof of ovulation based on ultrasound exams and hormonal indicators occurred in about 4.7% of the cycles studied." (Source: Sterns, Dr. David, "How the Pill and the IUD Work: Gambling with Life," American Life League, PO Box 1350, Stafford, VA 22555)
And the "Textbook of Contraceptive Practice" states that, "Among women who have been followed over a considerable number of cycles, breakthrough ovulations occur in 2 to 10 percent of cycles." (Source: Dr. J. Peel & Dr. Malcolm Potts, Textbook of Contraceptive Practice, 1969, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press)
Please note that these references are to the lower breakthrough ovulation rates of the Pills of the 1960's. The new Pills of the 1990's work differently and have much higher breakthrough ovulation rates. This will be explained as you read on.
Why the big secret?
Why aren't most women aware that the Pill causes early abortions? Let's look at the large pharmaceutical companies who advertise, market and sell the Pill. They make huge profits from the Pill -- and they'll continue to make mega-profits -- if women are convinced they're not getting pregnant and they keep buying and taking the Pill everyday. But are they being honest with you? Have they clearly explained that their products cause millions of early chemical abortions each year?
The New Pills: Much Higher Rates of Breakthrough Ovulation . . .
The original Pill of the 1960's had to be modified due to harmful side effects that women were experiencing because of the powerful chemicals. All versions of today's "Combination Pill" have a reduced hormonal content. When compared to the Pills of the 1960's and 1970's, this reduces the chance of harmful side effects for women, but it also increases their chances of ovulating and conceiving a son or daughter.
Dr. Ronald Chez, a scientist at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), publicly stated that the new Pills of today, with their lower estrogen dose, allow ovulation up to 50% of the time! (Source: Sterns, David, M.D., Sterns, Gina, R.N., B.S.N., Yaksich, Pamela, "Gambling with Life, How the I.U.D. and 'The Pill' Work" (www.top.net/vitalsigns).
With these newer Pills, simply missing one tablet, or failing to take the Pill at the same time each day increases the chances of breakthrough ovulation. Reactions with other drugs increases the chances of breakthrough ovulation, especially with caffeine and nicotine, or some prescription medicine (Source: "Abortifacient Contraception: The Pharmaceutical Holocaust" by Dr. Rudolf Ehmann, Human Life Intl., 1993, p.15).
Makers of the new "mini-pill" claim it does not have the side effects of the combination pill. However, they don't tell you that scientific research shows the mini-pill does not stop ovulation at all in 67-81% of the women who use it, so the probability of conception is much higher. (Source: Tonti-Fillippini, Nicholas, Linacre Quarterly, 1995)
Breakthrough Ovulation Estimates for other "Birth Control" Methods:
1) Norplant has breakthrough ovulation 50-65% of the time.
2) Depo-Provera has breakthrough ovulation 40-60% of the time.
3) The IUD has breakthrough ovulation 100% of the time.
4) With over 17 million American women using the Pill and other chemical abortifacients, it is estimated that breakthrough ovulation and pregnancy occurs so often . . . that between 7 to 12 million newly conceived children are killed by chemical abortions in the womb each year. And most of these women never even knew they were pregnant.
(Sources for the four points listed under Breakthrough Ovulation Estimates above are as follows: 1) Hilgers, Dr. Thomas, "Norplant" Linacre Quarterly, 1993, p.64-69. 2) "Infant Homicides Through Contraceptives," 1994 by the Study of Abortion Deaths Ad Hoc Commission - Bardstown, KY. Ph: 502-348-3963. 3) ibid. 4) ibid.)
From Birth Control Advocates
Lawyers from organizations that promote abortion have admitted in print and in legal briefs that these products cause abortions. A Tulane Law School Professor wrote:
...nearly all birth control devices, except the diaphragm and the condom, operate between the time of conception and implantation... (Emphasis added)
The Big Lie
Propaganda from many pharmaceutical companies promotes a new definition of CONCEPTION. Their new definition is absolutely untruthful and totally unscientific. They created this new definition of when a child is conceived to help them sell their products with the label "contraceptives." Their new definition says that conception occurs only when your baby successfully attaches to the lining of your uterus. THAT'S JUST NOT TRUE!
The real medical truth.
It's very important to understand that when a sperm penetrates one of your eggs, you have conceived a child. Again, this is called fertilization or conception and from that point on, you have a brand new, genetically complete son or daughter.
Every conception is a very unique moment. For example, at your own conception, 46 chromosomes with 30,000 genes combined to determine all your physical characteristics; sex, facial features, body type, color of hair, eyes and skin. Even more amazing, intelligence and personality -- the way you think and feel -- were already in place within your genetic code. At the moment of conception, you were essentially and uniquely "you." This is the same for every human being at the moment of conception.
Remember, the pharmaceutical industry has a multi-billion dollar business selling these abortifacients. Unfortunately, many of the people who prescribe these products are not aware of their homicidal properties. They may have a sincere desire to help women, but their lack of knowledge makes them uninformed accomplices to these early abortions.
As recent as 25 years ago, most doctors took the Hippocratic Oath. They pledged never to perform an abortion. Tragically, many working in the medical profession today betray your trust by renouncing this ethic. Many know the truth but do not inform you that "birth control" devices are abortifacients which cause abortions.
Did you know abortion was defined in a Public Health Service document published by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare as follows:
"All the measures which impair the viability of the zygote anytime between the instant of fertilization and the completion of labor constitute, in the strict sense, procedures for inducing abortion" (source: Public Health Service Leaflet no. 1066, US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1963, 27). This includes chemical abortions like those caused by the Pill, Depo-Provera and Norplant.
Now That You Know The Truth . . .
If you have used these products, this is very sobering news. Pharmaceutical companies and medical providers have made many parents unwitting accomplices to their own children's death by birth control abortion.The Pill and its "cousins" kill children earlier in their life than surgical abortion. In America, chemical abortions are estimated to kill more than 7 million babies each year -- while surgical abortions kill about 1.5 million babies each year.
What will you do?
Scientists agree that a new human life begins at the moment of conception. If you believe this, then you know that abortion is wrong no matter how early in the pregnancy.
Healing & Forgiveness!
If you have used these products -- there is a very real possibility that you unknowingly aborted one or more of your tiny sons or daughters. Please do not despair! Know that you may receive comfort in your sorrow. If you did not know these "birth control" products cause early abortions, then you are not "culpable." This means you're not morally responsible in God's eyes. And because you did not know the true consequences of chemical "birth control" products, you will not be held morally responsible for any harm they may have caused.
Remember, for anyone to commit a sinful act, all three of the following circumstances must be present:
1) The act must break one of God's Laws,
2) The person must know they are breaking God's Law, and
3) The person must freely choose to break God's Law with their own free will.
Again, if you've used "birth control" pills and you were unaware of the consequences, God will not hold you morally accountable. Our God is a merciful, loving Father. He will only judge us based on our knowledge of right and wrong. And when we do wrong, He's always ready to forgive us -- no matter how serious the sin.
At the same time, He has given us guidelines to protect us and to help us be happy. And now that you know the truth about "birth control" pills -- if you're using them -- isn't it time to stop?
All of the information above is not my own opinion.
It was taken from an article by JT Finn..
I did not include the entire article.
I did not include the entire article.
You May want to Research Natural Family Planning . . .
Reports show NFP to be about 99% effective in determining when a woman is at the stage where she will conceive. This can help with trying to get pregnant as well as trying to avoid pregnancy.
Many of your Christian friends and family will not agree with you...maybe even your pastor. Most people DO NOT know what the birth control pill actually does, so they are operating and giving advice based on misinformation. You and your husband ultimately have to sit down and study this out together and make the decision for yourself. We are held responsible for what we know. So it really doesn't matter what anyone else's opinion is. It is a private and very spiritual decision for a husband and wife who have asked God for His direction.
I do not share any of this information with any judgement or condemnation in my heart. I truly believe our God is bigger than birth control. I and my brother and sister were all "birth control babies." My mom was on birth control and we were still conceived and born {obviously.} But, now that James and I know that birth control could abort a baby we conceive before it actually has a fighting chance, we refuse to use it. We do not condemn you if you do. Just know that ultimately, the Creator of the Universe is bigger than any little old pill and the Holy Spirit will bring about conviction in your heart once you know the truth. That is His job, not ours. I hope this post will reach at least one person who needed to know the truth. If so, it is worth all the flack I am sure I will receive for writing it. : )
p.s. I have no idea how to get the highlighting off this text. Sorry if it is distracting.
