http://www.go2planb.com/ForCon…..Works.aspx

Plan B works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). It is important to know that Plan B will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy.

From its Pharmacalogy Datasheet:
Plan B works like a regular birth control pill. It prevents pregnancy mainly by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, and may also prevent the fertilization of an egg (the uniting of sperm with the egg). Plan B may also work by preventing it from attaching to the uterus (womb). It is important to know that Plan B will not affect a fertilized egg already attached to the uterus; it will not affect an existing pregnancy.

So you guys saying that ‘it does not prevent implant’ might need to take a step back, and the people saying ‘it does prevent implant’ need to take a step back also. It’s not totally understood how the product works, like many drugs on the market these days.

Briefly, looking at ECPs’ effect on:

*Ovulation (release of mature egg from the ovary)

- inhibit or delay [established, main mechanism of action]

*Fertilization (union of egg and sperm)

- no direct evidence for prevention [effect cannot be ruled out]

*Gamete Transport

- no evidence of impaired transport in humans

*Effects on the Function of the Corpus Luteum

- all pills disrupt this phase, however it is not known whether such changes are incompatible with pregnancy. [Better evidence for mifepristone vs. the other types of ECPs.]

*Implantation (burrowing of a fertilized egg into uterus)

- …although the postovulatory administration of estrogen or levonorgestrel inhibits implantation in some animals, evidence of similar effects in women has been difficult to obtain. Minor changes in the histologic and biochemical features of the endometrium occur when high-dose estrogen, the estrogen/progestin combination, or danazol is administered after ovulation, but the effects may not be sufficient to inhibit implantation. In a recent morphometric study, postovulatory administration of estrogen plus progestin had only minor effects on the endometrium, and danazol had no effect.

- Mifepristone administered immediately after ovulation delays endometrial maturation

Bottom line:

…the proven mechanisms of action [of the hormones found in ECPs] consist of inhibiting or delaying ovulation.

2) Performing a D&C is NOT the standard of care in cases of rape.

3) Surely, a willingness to accommodate the religious scruples of Catholic hospitals is not something that outrages ordinary people, even ordinary abortion rights supporters.

In medicine, the standard of care is not based on the willingness to accommodate the religious scruples. So, when a hospital (any hospital) does not provide proper care to its patients, ordinary people should indeed be outraged.

[Moderator: look at that comment now]

I always hear that “intercept a bullet with a bullet” comparison when people want to argue that Star Wars can never work. It seems to me, though, that we already build particle accelerators to make atoms hit atoms — why are bullets such an insurmountable challenge?

The ghost of Joe McCarthy is well and alive in the American right!

Who cares what they believe? How dare they disagree!