What is wrong with the morning after pill?

Question

I am a Christian woman and am completely against abortion, however, the information I have gathered about emergency contraception (ie; the morning after pill ) shows that it only prevents the egg and sperm from joining if taken within 72 hours of sex, thus completely preventing pregnancy and the formation of an embryo or new life.( Because it takes sperm at least 72 hours to reach the egg.) Also, studies I have read show that if the person taking the EC is already pregnant, it will not cause an abortion. There is much controversy over this pill; perhaps because of myths that it causes abortion or release of a fertilized embryo.
So, I suppose my question is, why are Christians against this?

If my information is wrong, please feel free to tell me why and list sources. I am trying to figure out where I should stand on this.

To the first response: I believe also that pre-marital sex is wrong, although many of us have made that mistake. God didn't just come up with rules like that to make us suffer, you know. Most of the rules like that protect us from harm ( emotional and physical harm) that we inflict upon ourselves.
The fact that our society is now so permissive on sexual freedom doesn't mean that the consequences of sinful behavior will go away. Children will still grow up with out fathers and mothers, men and women will struggle with the emptiness created in them when they give themselves away piece by piece, never knowing what a true loving and LASTING relationship really means.

Answer 1

Differences between the morning-after pill and the abortion pill, which are different drugs:

The morning-after pill prevents pregnancy but has no effect if a woman already is pregnant. Sold under the brand name Plan B, it's a higher-than-normal dose of a hormone found in regular birth-control pills and prevents ovulation or fertilization of an egg. It also may prevent the egg from implanting into the uterus, the medical definition of pregnancy, but recent research suggests that's not likely.

The abortion pill, RU-486 or Mifeprex, can terminate pregnancy up to 49 days after the beginning of the last menstrual cycle. It's a two-pill process. First is Mifeprex, which blocks production of a hormone required to sustain pregnancy. Then a second medicine, misoprostol, to cause contractions and finish the abortion.

Answer 2

I am not stating that I am against this, but I would like to correct some misinformation. Sperm LIVE for about 72 hours. Fertilization can happen in as little as 5 minutes.

As to whether it causes abortion or not, this goes back to the age old argument of when is a baby a baby. The morning after pill can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb. An egg that would become a viable pregnancy IF it were to attach.

This is probably why (some) Christians would be against it.

Answer 3

The only thing wrong with it is that it's not readily available. You need to take it within 72 hours for it to be effective and it can be very hard to get. I've had two friends use it. One was raped and was given it in the emergency room. It saved her from a possibly traumatic pregnancy or abortion. The other one it did not work for and she has a 6 year old girl now. She took hers closer to the tail end of the 72 hours , so obviously sooner is better than later. I just wish that Christians could be more philisophical about this. I hear about Christians saying that fertility drugs are "God's will", so it stands to reason that maybe this drug is, too. He created the scientists who created the drug. I don't understand the objection. It's not like they're going to strap anyone down and force them to take the pill. Free will, folks. If it has the ability to cut down on the number of abortions (I am pro-choice, but I'm gearing this argument to the pro-lifers), where an actual fetus is being terminated, then who cares if fertilization is being prevented? It's a good thing, folks.

Answer 4

You are completely right in your stance. Millions of other Christians feel the same way. New medicines about birth control scare people. Emergency Contraception or Emergency Birth Control is just that...contraception/birth control. It will not cause an abortion (that's RU-486), nor will it hurt a woman's chances of getting pregnant later.

We all need to get on board here. If you are against abortion, or if you want to call yourself "pro-life"...you should be supporting full access to Emergency Contraception to prevent pregnancy from occuring.

Answer 5

No, your info is right...it prevents a pregnancy, it does not end one. I think people are against it because they don't take the time to learn about what it is. People are under the misconception that it's a form of abortion and it is not! There is not a pregnancy there to end. It's a good thing actually because it actually prevents an abortion or an unwanted pregnancy that could lead to an abortion I should say.

Answer 6

You are correct, it prevents the sperm from meeting the egg. There are some people out there who are against any for of birth control because it's "God's will" if a woman becomes pregnant they believe.

Answer 7

People are going to have sex regardless, the pill will prevent unwanted pregnancies that have a lifetime effect on people. And there are enough unwanted children in the world....why create more? This also creates a burden on society.

Answer 8

hey I am a christian and I believe that the morning after pill blocks the egg from attaching to you uterine... and The brain will not drop an egg so it wont be easy to get pregnant... It's the opposite of the abortion pill.


read this maybe there's a video too
http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/08/24/morning.after.pill.ap/

Answer 9

Only vengeful Christians (and Catholics, who are opposed to all forms of contraception) are against the morning after pill. In addition to believing that virginity is a gentle flower, to be protected until marriage, they also believe that anyone who dares to have sex before marriage/outside of wedlock/etc. and gets pregnant should be forced to live with the consequences of their sins for the rest of their lives.

Reliable contraception methods are a huge threat to the keep-it-in-your-pants crowd.

Answer 10

to christians it is committing murder. it is a sin. you are acting like god and choosing to take a life when you want to and we as humans should not act as god. this is why christians are against it. personally i think if god created everything then he created the pill. but i guess christians would fight this theory and blame it all on the devil.