Lesson No. 3b - Birth Control
1. Abstinence – This method has 100 % efficacy in preventing the sperm from meeting the egg. If you understand this mile-marker to be the point at which life begins, this is an appropriate form of contraception. If birth control is for a non-married female, the typical response is, “That just is not possible”. I submit that it IS possible; it may not be convenient or preferred but it IS possible.
2. Barrier methods – This method has a high rate of efficacy (not 100 %) in preventing the sperm from meeting the egg. Again if sperm-meets-egg is the point at which you understand life to begin, this too is an appropriate form of birth control.
3. Hormones – there has been some misunderstanding on this topic. ALL hormone contraception medications (pills, shots, patches) function in a similar manner. The only difference with regard to how they function as contraceptives is in what proportion they exhibit these characteristics. Hormone medications function as follows:
a. Prevent ovulation – this prevents the sperm from meeting the egg
b. Prevent implantation – this happens after fertilization. If you understand life to begin when a sperm meets an egg, you must consider this mechanism of action (MOA) to be a chemical abortion.
c. Prevent travel of the egg to the uterus for implantation.
d. Prevent travel of the sperm to the egg..
4. Surgery – This method is usually very efficacious in preventing the sperm from meeting the egg.
One reason that I am posting this topic is because of a conversation I had last fall with a colleague. We discussed the beginning of life and discovered that we both had very convincing information for calling fertilization (sperm meets egg) the most appropriate marker for the beginning of life. We then turned the conversation to how we practice our professions. After discussing the various MOAs we decided that we had a difficult decision to make. Do we hold to our current understanding of biology and science, calling the beginning of life fertilization? Or do we change our understanding for the sole purpose of making our practices less controversial and more convenient. My friend decided that refusing a patient hormone birth control in clinic or elsewhere would create more problems than it is worth. She said it was just the most convenient item available with such high rates of efficacy.
I agree with this last statement. I take issue with her blatant Intellectual Dishonesty. My colleague still holds that life begins at fertilization and human life is above all other to be most treasured and protected. She is, however, transparently hypocritical when she continues to champion hormone contraception as an appropriate method of birth control.
I hope this posting will spark conversation on this topic and that as we all become more enlightened on any issue we will not hide behind the statement, “my religion prevents me from doing this” but instead focus on obtaining the best possible information and then standing for your own position regardless of convenience.
If you have a difference of opinion on the marker for the beginning of life and are able to successfully use your argument in defending the use of hormonal contraception I urge you to speak up!
I propose that if one says they have a stance on an issue, maintain that stance and function against that stance they are Intellectually Dishonest.
2. Barrier methods – This method has a high rate of efficacy (not 100 %) in preventing the sperm from meeting the egg. Again if sperm-meets-egg is the point at which you understand life to begin, this too is an appropriate form of birth control.
3. Hormones – there has been some misunderstanding on this topic. ALL hormone contraception medications (pills, shots, patches) function in a similar manner. The only difference with regard to how they function as contraceptives is in what proportion they exhibit these characteristics. Hormone medications function as follows:
a. Prevent ovulation – this prevents the sperm from meeting the egg
b. Prevent implantation – this happens after fertilization. If you understand life to begin when a sperm meets an egg, you must consider this mechanism of action (MOA) to be a chemical abortion.
c. Prevent travel of the egg to the uterus for implantation.
d. Prevent travel of the sperm to the egg..
4. Surgery – This method is usually very efficacious in preventing the sperm from meeting the egg.
One reason that I am posting this topic is because of a conversation I had last fall with a colleague. We discussed the beginning of life and discovered that we both had very convincing information for calling fertilization (sperm meets egg) the most appropriate marker for the beginning of life. We then turned the conversation to how we practice our professions. After discussing the various MOAs we decided that we had a difficult decision to make. Do we hold to our current understanding of biology and science, calling the beginning of life fertilization? Or do we change our understanding for the sole purpose of making our practices less controversial and more convenient. My friend decided that refusing a patient hormone birth control in clinic or elsewhere would create more problems than it is worth. She said it was just the most convenient item available with such high rates of efficacy.
I agree with this last statement. I take issue with her blatant Intellectual Dishonesty. My colleague still holds that life begins at fertilization and human life is above all other to be most treasured and protected. She is, however, transparently hypocritical when she continues to champion hormone contraception as an appropriate method of birth control.
I hope this posting will spark conversation on this topic and that as we all become more enlightened on any issue we will not hide behind the statement, “my religion prevents me from doing this” but instead focus on obtaining the best possible information and then standing for your own position regardless of convenience.
If you have a difference of opinion on the marker for the beginning of life and are able to successfully use your argument in defending the use of hormonal contraception I urge you to speak up!
I propose that if one says they have a stance on an issue, maintain that stance and function against that stance they are Intellectually Dishonest.
posted by OS Hopper at Saturday, January 14, 2006
5 Comments:
I was trying to follow your train of thought on the hormone method, but I need some clarification. If it is agreed that life begins when sperm meets egg (fertilization), then I take it that any contraception that blocks or prevents sperm from meeting the egg is acceptable. This was listed as one of the actions of hormone therapy. So I guess my question is, are there certain hormone therapies that act only to block the sperm or do all of them also prevent implantation, which would explain why they are inappropriate?
All hormone contraceptives act by preventing fertilization and preventing implantation. There is a kind of a step process; if the first mechanism does not work there is also a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The final result is high contraceptive efficacy.
This includes the 'long acting' depo-provera injection. Exact persentages on how often each mechanism is used are difficult to calculate but even the most 'safe' drugs still prevent implantation 20-30 % of the time.
This means that use of hormone contraception by one that understands fertilization to be the begining of life will produce a chemical abortion on average 2-3 times per calendar year (implantation prevention). The other 8-10 months per year will yield contraception by preventing fertilization.
Thanks for clarifying it for me. It makes a lot more sense now.
We are assuming the oral/injected contraceptives are being used as BIRTH CONTROL, right??
Anonymous: Yes. Many medications have multiple uses (aka: indications) or even side effects that broaden their scope of use. Hormone birth control medications are no exception. Several of them are used for purposes other than contraception; I am not aware of any ethical questions associated with these other indications.
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