Protest the Pill Day '08: The Pill Kills Babies Press Conference Transcript
Dr. Marie Anderson, Tepeyak Family Center
Jodi Wagner, RPh, CACP, Pharmacists for Life International
Peggy Hamill, Pro-Life Wisconsin
Marie Hahnenberg, American Life League
Statement from Dr. Marie Anderson, OB/GYN from the Tepeyac Family Center
Currently in the United States, the pill is used by over 11 million women, many of whom are unaware of its mechanisms of action, even though they are printed on the packaging.
Our message today is that the pill kills babies with its abortifacient effects.
The pill's package insert states, "Although the primary mechanism of action is the inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus...and changes in the endometrium, which reduce the likelihood of implantation."
Inhibition of ovulation is not equal to its elimination. Escape ovulation happens. And it happens frequently in low dose pills which currently represent the majority of prescriptions written. When ovulation does occur, then the contraceptive action of the pill is provided by the other two mechanisms, one of which is an abortifacient. We can't know which mechanism is operative in any given cycle...and not knowing is deadly.
Just what are these "changes in the endometrium...which reduce the likelihood of implantation?" The short story is that the pill thins the uterine lining and depletes it of essential nutrients such as glycodelin-A, to the degree that it cannot nourish a newly conceive baby.
IVF data has repeatedly shown that the minimal endometrial thickness which is required to maintain an early pregnancy ranges from 5 - 13 mm. The average endometrial thickness of a pill user is 1.4 mm. This is simply too thin to nourish a baby. Consequently, the baby dies and this is an abortion.
It hurts mothers and babies alike. It breaks the human heart and it is the most important reason I don't prescribe the pill for contraception.
Women deserve to be told the truth about the abortifacient mechanism of the pill. To deemphasize this information is unconscionable.
The good news is that there are healthy alternatives such as Natural Family Planning. I urge all women, for you health and for the health of your babies, please consider options other than the pill to postpone pregnancy.
Thank you.
Statement from Jodi Wagner, RPh, CACP, representing Pharmacists for Life International
I represent Pharmacists for Life International, which is an organization of thousands of pharmacists, plus hundreds of other health professionals, pharmacy students, interns, pharmacy technicians and the public in the USA, Canada and worldwide. We are represented on all of the continents except Antarctica, with active regional coordinators in many states and nations. PFLI is actively involved in educating pharmacists and members of the public about the abortifacient nature of the pill and similar products. PFLI's founding statement from May 1984 states, "PFLI defends, upholds and protects the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death, regardless of age, biological stage, handicap or place of residence."
Pharmacists are aware of the fact that the birth control pill, the morning after pill and similar products kill babies by preventing the implantation of an already created human being. A postfertilization mechanism for oral contraceptives is described in the Physicians' Drug Reference, a well respected, independent pharmacy reference called Drug Facts and Comparisons. I attended pharmacy school from 1996 to 1999 and a pharmacy professor informed our class that low dose oral contraceptives do not always prevent ovulation and therefore have a secondary mechanism of preventing implantation. This knowledge influenced my decision to stop taking oral contraceptives. It also led to me decision to decrease my involvement in dispensing oral contraceptives, and eventually end it altogether.
In 1998, I declined a second externship at Student Health Service Pharmacy on campus due to its high dispensing volume of oral contraceptives. This clinic, like many campus clinics and Planned Parenthood clinics, received deep discounts from drug manufacturers, and then sold the oral contraceptives at a reduced price. A pharmacy professor publically stated in class that the profit from selling discounted oral contraceptives helped pay staff at Student Health Service Pharmacy.
After graduating in 1999, I was employed as a retail staff pharmacist and later as a manager. In order to keep my employment secure, I dispensed contraceptives against my conscience. Through PFLI, I became aware of other pharmacists who conscientiously objected to filling abortifacients. I determined that my employer would be unlikely to accommodate my conscience. In 2005, I left my position as a pharmacy manager after finding employment in a specialized area of pharmacy that did not involve dispensing abortifacients. Although I took a pay cut and had to move out of state, my new position allows me more time with my family and I am able to use my clinical skills and education to help patients.
I'm here today to emphasize the truth that birth control pills and similar products can kill babies in the womb. This information is often kept hidden from patients, and all women need to be aware of this fact.
Thank you.
Statement from Peggy Hamill representing Pro-Life Wisconsin
Pro-Life Wisconsinites will mark the anniversary of the June 7,1965 Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court decision tomorrow, gathering for prayer vigils in 10 locations, followed by celebrations of the family. From Eau Claire to Appleton and from Madison to Milwaukee, pro-lifers across the state will remember the seminal Griswold ruling that paved the way for abortion on demand in America by defining the so called "right to privacy" upon which the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was based.
There has been a long-standing tradition in the pro-life movement of commemorating January 22 in remembrance of Roe v. Wade and Roe's millions of casualties. Why not commemorate the day that truly set the stage for Roe? The deadly connection between contraception and abortion is all too real. We know that hormonal birth control has an abortion-causing effect, the pill kills, and we know that the contraceptive mentality perpetuates abortion as a backup to contraception. It may be politically naÏve and totally countercultural to say so, but it is the truth.
By judicial fiat, the Court in Griswold established a constitutional "right to privacy" in striking down a Connecticut ban on the sale and use of contraceptives. The right to marital privacy as set forth in Griswold was one of the main foundations of the court's Roe decision overriding state abortion statutes.
The right of privacy is not a constitutional right, it is a court ordered right. It is pure invention and has less to do with protecting privacy than with imposing the radical social policy of a politicized court. Those who are appalled by abortion and judicial tyranny will have both a moral and civic interest in exposing the fraud of Griswold.
Pro-Life Wisconsin affiliates will be marking the day across the state in solidarity with others around the nation, both in solemn prayer, and in celebration of marriage and family.
Griswold set the stage for the destruction of millions of innocent human beings through chemical and surgical abortion. Our affiliates are taking this opportunity to educate people about the link between abortion and contraception. Pro-Life Wisconsin is very grateful that ALL has taken our five year old statewide observance of Griswold to an ongoing effort on a national level. We pray that the pro-lifers will continue to mark this anniversary year after year in growing numbers until victory is achieved and life is respected and protected from fertilization until natural death.
Statement from Marie Hahnenberg, Researcher for American Life League and Project Manager for Protest the Pill Day '08
We are happy to announce the enormous amount of feedback we've been hearing from pro-lifers across the country.
Tomorrow, June 7th, people throughout the United States will be participating in Protest the Pill Day '08: The Pill Kills Babies.
This is the 43rd Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Griswold v. Connecticut decision. It is the day the Supreme Court decriminalized this deadly poison.
There will be protests against the pill in Connecticut, South Dakota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and many mother areas throughout the country. Protesters will be outside of Planned Parenthood clinics and other facilities that distribute the birth control pill.
It will be the largest protest against the birth control pill this country has ever seen. And it certainly will not be the last.
Women in our country have been grossly misinformed about the pill, and that is why we have scheduled this national protest - to reveal the ugly truth that the pill can kill babies and organizations such as Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women have been misinforming women about the pill for decades.
We will be participating in the local protest outside of the Planned Parenthood clinic on 16th St. in Washington, D.C., tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM.
Thank you.