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Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024

Is birth control a form of abortion?

Sue Bin Park, Oklahoma Watch
no

Under the consensus of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, birth control, including the IUD, does not induce abortion.

All major American medical associations and U.S. government agencies define pregnancy as the time from implantation of a fertilized cell into the uterus to delivery.

Abortion is defined by scientific and medical consensus as the termination of a pregnancy that must occur after implantation of the fertilized cell. Birth control prevents implantation, acting before pregnancy can begin.

Therefore, according to all major medical organizations, OB/GYNs, and government agencies, contraceptives are not a form of abortion. In addition, the majority of popular contraceptives, including hormonal IUDs, act on fertilization, not implantation.

Without birth control, only about 40% of fertilized cells successfully implant in the uterus to become a pregnancy. The failure of a fertilized cell to implant is not considered an abortion.

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