Oppose LRB-0840 & LRB-1246

Pro-Life Wisconsin strongly urges you NOT to sign on as a co-sponsor to legislation (LRB-0840 & LRB-1246) currently under circulation that would permit pharmacists to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptive patches and self-administered oral hormonal contraceptives to persons who are at least 18 years of age.

Studies demonstrate that the authors’ means to achieving lower unplanned pregnancies (easy contraceptive access and use) is unworkable. A significant percentage of unintended pregnancies are in women using contraceptives, generally over 40% and in some studies up to 68%.

According to a March 2017 Guttmacher Institute study, “A substantial proportion of unintended pregnancies occur despite women's and their partners’ use of contraceptives. In 2001, some 48% of women experiencing an unintended pregnancy had been using a method in the month of conception.” In the same study Guttmacher also reported that “about half of pregnancies terminated by induced abortions in 2008 occurred during use of contraceptives.” Clearly, contraceptive use is not preventing unplanned pregnancies.

A December 2015 study out of Canada noted that “Imperfect contraceptive adherence was estimated to account for 124,024 of the 180,733 UPs [unplanned pregnancies] that occur annually in women age 18–44 years (Table 5).” That equates to over 68% of all unplanned pregnancies (18-44 years) being due to imperfect contraceptive use. So you can give them the pills, but faulty or incorrect use makes them ineffective in reducing unplanned pregnancies.

At the core of our opposition to LRB-0840/LRB-1246 is the abortifacient effect of hormonal contraceptives. It is a medical fact that the morning-after pill (a high dosage of the birth control pill) and most if not all hormonal birth control drugs and devices including the intrauterine device (IUD), Depo Provera, the Patch, and the Pill can act to terminate a pregnancy by chemically altering the lining of the uterus (endometrium) so that a newly conceived child (human embryo) is unable to implant in the womb, thus starving and dying. This mechanism of action is termed a pre-implantation chemical abortion.

LO/OVRAL-28 is a standard birth control pill manufactured by Wyeth Laboratories. The Physicians’ Desk Reference indicates that it can work to prevent a fertilized egg (a human embryo) from implanting in the uterine wall:

LO/OVRAL®-28, a standard birth control pill. Combination oral contraceptives act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus (which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which reduce the likelihood of implantation) (Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR). 56 ed. Montvale, NJ: Thompson PDR; 2002. 3533).

WebMD also describes the pharmacological action of LO/OVRAL-28:

This combination hormone medication is used to prevent pregnancy. It contains 2 hormones: a progestin and an estrogen. It works mainly by preventing the release of an egg (ovulation) during your menstrual cycle. It also makes vaginal fluid thicker to help prevent sperm from reaching an egg (fertilization) and changes the lining of the uterus (womb) to prevent attachment of a fertilized egg. If a fertilized egg does not attach to the uterus, it passes out of the body.

The United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) website describes the contraceptive patch’s mechanism of action:

The patch releases a daily dose of hormones through the skin into the bloodstream to prevent pregnancy. It contains the same hormones as the combined pill – oestrogen and progestogen – and works in the same way by preventing the release of an egg each month (ovulation). It also thickens cervical mucus, which makes it more difficult for sperm to move through the cervix, and thins the womb lining so a fertilised egg is less likely to be able to implant itself.

WebMD also describes the pharmacological action of the transdermal patch:

The patch blocks conception by delivering the hormones estrogen and progestin through the skin into your bloodstream. The hormones keep your ovaries from releasing an egg, thicken the cervical mucus to deter the swimming sperm, and make it harder for any fertilized egg to implant inside your womb.

In the January 2019 Linacre Quarterly, a peer-reviewed publication of the Catholic Medical Association, medical researchers published a study entitled “Systematic Review of Ovarian Activity and Potential for Embryo Formation and Loss during the Use of Hormonal Contraception.” The abstract of the study states, “…follicular ruptures and egg release with subsequent low progesterone output have been documented in women using hormonal contraception…(this) suboptimal luteal progesterone production may be more likely than previously acknowledged, which may contribute to embryo loss. This information should be included in informed consent for women who are considering the use of hormonal contraception.” In other words, the abnormally low progesterone production while taking hormonal contraceptives can lead to early embryo loss and women should be informed of this possibility. For a news story describing the study, please click HERE.

When the Pill was first introduced it contained high estrogen levels with severe side effects. Today’s pills contain dramatically lower hormone doses which allow for breakthrough ovulation, embryo formation in the fallopian tube, and then blockage of implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall.

While admitting that hormonal birth control can inhibit the implantation of a fertilized egg, the makers of these drugs claim that they do not cause an abortion. For example, they argue that hormonal contraceptives "prevent pregnancy" or "will not affect an existing pregnancy." However, they intentionally define the term "pregnancy" as implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of a woman's uterus, as opposed to "pregnancy" beginning at fertilization.

Whether one understands pregnancy as beginning at implantation or fertilization, the heart of the matter is when human life begins. Embryological science has clearly determined that human life begins at fertilization - the fusion of an egg and sperm immediately resulting in a new, genetically distinct human being. This is not a subjective opinion, but an irrefutable, objective scientific fact. Accordingly, any artificial action that works to destroy (block implantation of) a human embryo is abortifacient in nature.

The authors contend that hormonal contraceptives have no “potentially harmful side effects that require a physician’s oversight.” We strongly disagree. Hormonal contraceptives have been proven dangerous to women’s health. The World Health Organization has classified combined hormonal contraceptives as Group 1 carcinogens (carcinogenic to humans.) The United Nation’s International Agency on Research of Cancer (IARC) reported in their Monograph 91 that estrogen-progestin combination drugs (the Pill) were a Group 1 carcinogen for breast, cervical and liver cancers.

Users of the Pill have an increased risk of blood clotting and ectopic pregnancy, both of which can be fatal. Lawsuits have been filed blaming the Patch for several deaths due to blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. The Food and Drug Administration has cautioned that the Patch carries a higher risk of blood clots than the birth control pill.

For the above reasons, we oppose legislation in whatever form that makes hormonal contraceptives more easily accessible or widely available. We again urge you to refrain from co-sponsoring LRB-0840/LRB-1246. Thank you for your consideration.