Question from a reader:
I read Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? It is well researched and argued. Thank you. In your book if refers to other forms of birth control such as the IUDs as abortive. The book assumes that the reader knows this, but in my experience, many people do not—specifically about the copper IUDs. I know many people in my church who are using them.
I've researched them, and they are advertised as preventing fertilization, but how they work has been (I think intentionally) muddied. In Intended for Pleasure by Ed Wheat, he talks about the abortive nature of copper IUDs. I did find an article that shows that the copper IUDs are successfully used as an emergency contraceptive up to five days after ovulation. Other than that, I have not found a lot of information on how they work.
What I have found out in conversations is that the abortive nature of the pill is more common knowledge now. Those left with a conscience don’t use them but now they turn to IUDs. If you could point me in the right direction of good research on this topic, that would be helpful. Also, in a newer addition to the book, it would be helpful if Appendix I was expanded on this subject.
Answer from Eternal Perspective Ministries:
This is what Randy writes in the book:
Prolifers have long opposed using the IUD, because it does not prevent conception, but keeps the already-conceived child from implanting in his mother’s womb.
A paper by Irving Sivin challenges this understanding. Since other evidence has suggested it is an abortifacient, the jury appears to still be out on the IUD. However, because the stakes are so high, the uncertainty argues against using the IUD.
Cleveland Health describes the function of the copper IUD this way: “Heighten the inflammatory response, causing your uterine lining (endometrium) to become inflamed. Even if sperm were to fertilize an egg, your uterine lining would make it difficult for a fertilized egg (embryo) to implant there and develop.”
Life Site News has written about IUDs. I also read the following from a journal article:
Guidelines for the use of IUDs for emergency contraception typically recommend inserting the IUD within 5 days of unprotected intercourse (ACOG Practice Bulletin, 2010), although the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the UK Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare specify that an IUD can be used beyond 5 days, as long as the time of ovulation can be reasonably determined and the insertion occurs no more than 5 days after ovulation (World Health Organization, 2009; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010; Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, Clinical Effectiveness Unit, 2011). It should be noted that the guidelines around the time of insertion are not related to efficacy or safety but to ensure that the IUD is inserted before the implantation of an embryo (thus ensuring its function as a contraceptive, rather than an early abortifacient).
It's interesting that they readily admit that the IUD acts to prevent implantation. As prolifers, we believe life begins at fertilization, not at implantation, and therefore, the IUD is acting as an abortifacient if it keeps an unborn child from implanting. However, if a medical source is defining the beginning of pregnancy as implantation, then they would deny that the IUD causes an early abortion. Hence, WebMD says:
Some people mistakenly believe that an IUD is an abortifacient, a method that terminates a pregnancy. Instead, an IUD is a contraceptive, meaning that it prevents conception in the first place.
You could use a copper IUD as an emergency contraceptive right after you’ve had sex. But it’s still not an abortifacient because it works by preventing the sperm from fertilizing the egg.
Planned Parenthood says yes, both kinds of IUDs can be used as emergency contraception, and that the other option is the morning-after pill.
Randy does not have plans to revise the book at this time, but we will keep this in mind for any future updates.
