Washington D.C., Apr 18, 2004 / 22:00 pm
As debate continues about the inclusion of the morning after pill in family planning programs throughout Latin America, an expert in the field has confirmed that science does not hide the abortifacient nature of the drug, even though promoters insist on calling it just another “contraceptive.”
In an article, Dr. German Alvardo, Post-Doctoral Fellow at John Hopkins University, said that “emergency oral contraception (AOE, also called the morning after pill), when taken after fertilization, is abortifacient and does not just simply prevent ovulation, as some would have us believe.”
“The famous pill prevents implantation of the human embryo in the walls of the mother’s uterus, which if it weren’t for the AOE would take place between the sixth and eighth day of life,” underscored Alvarado, who has a Master’s in public health from the University of Brussels.
Alvarado said that “since 1946 science recognizes that human life begins at the moment of fertilization (Declaration of the World Medical Association). Fertilization can take place as soon as 2 hours after sexual relations or it can take as long as 72 hours.”