Jun 17, 2010 / 23:49 pm
In response to the FDA's safety approval of a new drug being described as a “morning-after” pill, a pro-life leader denounced the drug as an abortifacient, and argued that it needs to be labeled accurately.
The FDA is slated to meet on Thursday to discuss whether or not “Ella” – which is currently being marketed abroad as a “morning-after” pill – should be approved for U.S. distribution. The drug has received criticism from numerous sources who have claimed the pill's chemical make-up closely resembles the abortion drug RU-486.
One such critic, Steve Mosher, director of Population Research Institute, told CNA on Thursday that “greed” on the part of the pharmaceutical company is one of the major factors in the situation, given that distribution of the drug would be limited were it labeled an abortifacient. Mosher also claims that word “pregnancy” is being redefined by the company in order to suit their corporate interests.
“There is little doubt that the 'Ella' pill acts as an abortifacient in nearly all cases,” wrote Mosher in an email to CNA on Thursday. “The only reason that the company claims otherwise – aside from greed, that is – is that they redefine the meaning of the word 'pregnant.'”
“In their view, pregnancy does not begin at conception, but rather only at the implantation of the developing embryo into the uterine wall five to seven days later,” he noted. “This is a misleading and inaccurate definition of pregnancy.”
“Planned Parenthood – an organization that would profit off the new drug – claims that there is no evidence that the drug interrupts pregnancy after implantation.”
“But it almost surely does,” he explained, “since it blocks the progesterone receptors necessary for the early development of the embryo to continue.”
“Indeed, the test which women are given to determine whether they are suffering a miscarriage is one which measures the amount of progesterone,” the pro-life leader clarified. “A progesterone-killing drug will also necessarily be an embryo-killing drug.”
“This is another kind of abortion pill and should be clearly labeled as such if it is approved at all,” Mosher asserted.