Starting below is my half of a conversation about the morality of the Morning After Pill. I am reprinting this here for the benefit of casual web-surfers who may want to see progressive Catholic Thought in action. There will be several entries following this one dealing with this issue. The original conversation can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/prolifedemocrats
Being a staunch Catholic, I do believe that life begins at fertilization,thus making use of the Morning After Pill as an abortifacient a mortal sin (other mortal sins? - masturbation, premarital sex, etc)
The morning after pill operates in two ways, if there was fertilization,it strips the walls of the uterus making implantation impossible, if no fertilization has occured, it will prevent ovulation.
The church allows for the second use if there has been rape, incest, orother sexual abuse. If there is no ovulation, there can be no fertlization, hence it is morally sound when used in this manner.
There are tests available that any OB/GYN can possess and administer that would show wether a woman has ovulated, or is near ovulation. It doesn't take much time. Many times a woman would subject herself to these powerful hormones for no reason. If she knew of her cycle (like those who use Natural Family Planning do) then she would know when she may be in danger of pregnancy.
I agree that not everybody sees contraception the way that I do. The use of the tests to see if fertilization has occured or is imminent, would allow a woman to make a truly informed choice as to wether she is aborting a fertilized embyro, or merely preventing her body from releasing an egg. Who would have a problem with this thinking? The morning after pill does have the potential to make some people reckless, but NFP gives people that option as well, while also letting them not shorten their life or gain weight by taking oral contraceptives.
I believe this issue requires compromise all the way around. Women should know their cycles, then the morning after pill would be of little use. But for those who choose not to pay attention to their bodies, or who are by some unfortunate circumstance taken advantage of or raped in the 3-4 days that they are fertile each month, then the morning after pill may present a tool to prevent pregnancy before it even begins. Using the tests to determine wether a woman has ovulated, or if ovulation is imminent, will go a long way to making this debate more palatable to all of those concerned.
Being a staunch Catholic, I do believe that life begins at fertilization,thus making use of the Morning After Pill as an abortifacient a mortal sin (other mortal sins? - masturbation, premarital sex, etc)
The morning after pill operates in two ways, if there was fertilization,it strips the walls of the uterus making implantation impossible, if no fertilization has occured, it will prevent ovulation.
The church allows for the second use if there has been rape, incest, orother sexual abuse. If there is no ovulation, there can be no fertlization, hence it is morally sound when used in this manner.
There are tests available that any OB/GYN can possess and administer that would show wether a woman has ovulated, or is near ovulation. It doesn't take much time. Many times a woman would subject herself to these powerful hormones for no reason. If she knew of her cycle (like those who use Natural Family Planning do) then she would know when she may be in danger of pregnancy.
I agree that not everybody sees contraception the way that I do. The use of the tests to see if fertilization has occured or is imminent, would allow a woman to make a truly informed choice as to wether she is aborting a fertilized embyro, or merely preventing her body from releasing an egg. Who would have a problem with this thinking? The morning after pill does have the potential to make some people reckless, but NFP gives people that option as well, while also letting them not shorten their life or gain weight by taking oral contraceptives.
I believe this issue requires compromise all the way around. Women should know their cycles, then the morning after pill would be of little use. But for those who choose not to pay attention to their bodies, or who are by some unfortunate circumstance taken advantage of or raped in the 3-4 days that they are fertile each month, then the morning after pill may present a tool to prevent pregnancy before it even begins. Using the tests to determine wether a woman has ovulated, or if ovulation is imminent, will go a long way to making this debate more palatable to all of those concerned.
posted by Mark at 4:11 PM
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