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By Samantha Putterman -
Politifact
Since the Supreme Court reversed the landmark Roe v.
Wade and ended the constitutional right to abortion, endless claims about reproductive health have flooded the internet.
Even scientifically proven topics —such as emergency pills— are seeing their veracity debated.
Take for example this video, shared by the anti-abortion group
Students for Life
.
on the social network Instagram.
In the recording, a woman holds up a box of Plan B pills — an emergency contraceptive to use after sex — and explains that while the packaging says the drug won't harm an existing pregnancy, more information is in the fine print. in another part of the carton.
The woman reads that the product works by preventing ovulation, fertilization of a released egg, or adhesion of a fertilized egg to the uterus.
“Fertilized egg.
Google that word because it's an embryo,” she assures, “plan B is an abortifacient.”
[We debunk 5 myths about abortion in the United States]
Students for Life
captioned the video: “Plan B can cause an abortion.
She says so on the box.”
But that is not correct.
Neither Plan B nor other emergency contraceptives can cause abortions
, say medical experts.
Democratic Lawmakers Pressure Biden to Ensure Access to Abortion Pills After Supreme Court Ruling
June 26, 202202:13
The post was flagged as part of Facebook's efforts to combat fake news and misinformation.
Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, is an emergency contraceptive that contains levonorgestrel, a form of the hormone progestin.
It can prevent pregnancy if taken within five days of sexual intercourse.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), abortion is used to end an existing pregnancy, while emergency contraception is effective before a pregnancy exists.
[What would the end of Roe v. Wade for access to the abortion pill?]
“Emergency contraceptives prevent pregnancy after sex and are not effective after implantation,” the doctors explain, “studies of high-dose oral contraceptives indicate that hormonal emergency contraception
No
threatens an existing pregnancy or harms the developing embryo.
A pregnancy can take up to a week after sex.
The process includes these steps:
The release of an egg from the ovaries (ovulation).
The penetration of an egg by a sperm (fertilization).
The embedding of a fertilized egg, or zygote, in the uterus (implantation).
Reproductive health experts told PolitiFact that the Plan B pill does not terminate an existing pregnancy.
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She had to travel to Indiana
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“That is absolutely the fine print, because emergency contraception can prevent implantation of a fertilized egg,” Kate Connors, a spokeswoman for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, says of the video on Instagram.
"It also doesn't interfere with a pregnancy because, medically speaking,
pregnancy begins with the implantation of a fertilized egg ,
"
he explained.
[The Supreme Court removes constitutional protection of the right to abortion by overturning the landmark Roe v. wade]
Although it is possible that emergency contraception prevents implantation, doctors explain that it is unlikely.
Foundation Consumer Healthcare, the company that makes the Plan B pill, explained that it contains 1.5 milligrams of levonorgestrel, "the same active ingredient in many oral contraceptives over the last 30 years, just a single higher dose" that temporarily delays ovulation. .
Demand for the Plan B pill surged in the United States following the Supreme Court ruling on abortion. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Scientific data shows that Plan B does not prevent or interfere with the implantation of a fertilized egg, does not affect a woman's fertility, or induce an abortion, the company said.
“There is often confusion between emergency contraception like Plan B and abortion medication regimens that include mifepristone, known as the abortion pill,” Foundation Consumer Healthcare explained in an emailed statement.
"Abortion drugs work in a different way than levonorgestrel (Plan B),
they are used after a pregnancy is established and are only available by prescription while under the care of a doctor," he added.
Once the pregnancy is established after implantation it becomes clear that Plan B is not effective."
Daniel Grossman Physician and professor
According to doctors, pregnancy "is a physiological state in women after the implantation of a blastocyst."
An abortion procedure is "intended to cause the termination of a pregnancy so that it does not result in childbirth."
"Even if Plan B worked by preventing the implantation of a fertilized egg (which the evidence indicates is not the case),
this is not considered an abortion because the pregnancy has not yet been established
," said Dr. Daniel Grossman, a science professor. Reproductive at the University of California.
"Once the pregnancy is established after implantation it becomes clear that Plan B is not effective," he concluded.
our verdict
A video on Instagram claims that Plan B can cause an abortion.
It isn't true.
Plan B is a type of emergency contraception that can help prevent a pregnancy before it is established.
Does not cause abortions.
We rate the video as
fake
.
