Page 36 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 19

Leadership

There are two distinct kinds of
abortifacients. The first includes
drugs and devices that continually
maintain a certain level of hor-
mones in the woman’s body, mim-
icking pregnancy. While these can
also have a genuine contraceptive
effect, each also has the potential to
alter the lining of the uterus (endo-
metrium) to prevent the implanta-
tion of a tiny human being.

Methods that prevent implantation
include:

a political decision to appease preventing the easy travel of • Oral contraceptives such as the
birth control activists. sperm. birth control pill
Dr. J. Richard Sosnowski, head of 3. It inhibits ovulation, preventing • Intrauterine devices
the Southern Association of Obste- the release of a mature ovum. • Injectables such as Depo-Pro-
tricians and Gynecologists, a mem- 4. It blocks the Fallopian tube or vera
ber group of ACOG, acknowledged vas deferens through sexual • Implants such as Norplant,
this nonscientific change almost two sterilization. Jadelle, Implanon, and Nexpla-
decades later: non
When effective, each of these meth-
ods prevents a new human being
I do not deem it excellent to play semantic The second type of abortifacient
gymnastics in a profession…. It is equally trou- from being created. directly kills an existing preborn
blesome to me that, with no scientific evidence child. Also referred to as “medical
to validate the change, the definition of con- What Is an Abortifacient? abortion,” these include:
ception as the successful spermatic penetration Recall that an abortifacient is “an
of an ovum was redefined as the implantation agent that induces an abortion.” RU-486 (the “abortion pill”)
of a fertilized ovum. It appears to me that the Depending on the type of abor- The methotrexate/misoprostol
only reason for this was the dilemma produced tifacient, the abortion happens by
by the possibility that the intrauterine contra- preventing the implantation of the combination
ceptive device might cause abortion. “Emergency contraception”: These
early human being (blastocyst) in abortifacients have many forms and
the uterus or by killing the preborn are sometimes called “morning-after
In other words, manufacturers of child shortly after implantation. pills.” They consist of high doses
abortifacients call their products of the artificial steroids used in oral
“contraceptives” not because they
prevent conception but because they
prevent implantation. As we shall
see, this game of words is unscien-
tific.

What Is True Contraception?
A true contraceptive method pre-
vents conception in one or more of
these ways:
1. It places an actual mechanical
barrier (such as a condom or
cervical cap) between the sperm
and ovum to prevent them from
uniting.
2. It thickens the cervical mucus,

36 | we tell the true afrikan story