8/6/2019 Facts vs Myths - Contraceptives and Abortion (From www.mulatpinoy.ph)

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Myth #1: Contraceptives cause abortion. Life begins at fertilization, so contraceptives kill children.FACT: The use of contraceptives prevents 112 million abortions each year and can reduce abortion by 85% .

Modern contraception averts over 112 million abortions in the developing world each year 1, and conforms tomajority of country experiences where increased contraceptive use lowers induced abortions. ( See Figure 5 )

Figure 5: World and Country case studies: contraception and abortion inverse relationship

South Korea and Russia

Initially, rapid fertility decline in South Korea was accompanied by increases in both contraceptive use and abortion; overtime, abortion rates turned downward while contraceptive use continued to climb.

Note: Abortion rates are expressed per 1,000 women of reproductive age, contraceptive prevalence per 100 married

women of reproductive age and TFRs per 10 women. Source: Marston C and Cleland J, Relationships between

contraception and abortion: a review of the evidence, International Family Planning Perspectives, 2003, 29(1):6-13.

Source: Westoff C., 2003

1 Singh S, Juarez F, Cabigon J, Bal l H, Hussain R and Nadeau J. (2006). Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in the Philippines: Causesand Consequences. New York: Guttmacher Institute.

8/6/2019 Facts vs Myths - Contraceptives and Abortion (From www.mulatpinoy.ph)

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The use of contraceptives can reduce abortion rates by 85%. 2 o In Nigeria and the Philippines, abortion is banned, and strong conservative religious and cultural traditions

would seem to militate against women resorting to abortion. Yet, the abortion rate in both countries isestimated to be 25 per 1,000 women of reproductive age slightly higher than the U.S. rate .3

The Catholic institutional position is based on the notion that life begins when the egg and sperm unite. It is basedon the mistaken idea that this is a "moment," when in fact conception is a process. 4

In the Roman Catholic tradition, there is no uniformity regarding when ensoulment occurs, or personhood begins.o The Vaticans declaration on abortion 5 states that personhood has been equated theologically with the

moment the Creator endows the fetus with a human soul, but that moment is not and cannot be known.o There is no consistency of position within the Church regarding when the fetus is endowed with a soul.

Thomas Aquinas held that it was most likely at 40 days for males and 80 days for females. Augustine held that ensoulment was not possible prior to the presence of fully formed human body. The idea of immediate ensoulment at conception was not considered.

o

When the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was declared in 1854, care was taken to note that the ideathat Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin on her should not lead to the assumption that othersreceived a soul at conception. Referring to the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Catholic

Encyclopedia says, The term conception does not mean the active or generative conception by herparents. Her body was formed in the womb of the mother, and the father had the usual share in itsformation. The question does not concern the immaculateness of the generative activity of her parents.Neither does it concern the passive conception absolutely and simply which, according to the order of nature, precedes the infusion of the rational soul. The person is truly conceived when the soul is createdand infused into the body. 6

o Modern inquiries on ensoulment combine scientific knowledge about embryology with theology. Medicine, science, and law definitions of personhood vary; there is no scientific consensus on when it

occurs during pregnancy, and there is no medical or scientific definition that holds that personhoodexists at conception.

Contemporary Catholic theologian, Fr. Norman Ford, argues that ensoulment requires that only oneembryo proper and human individual has been formed and begins to exist. The formation of an ontologicalindividual with a truly human nature and rational ensoulment must coincide .7 It is an embryological factthat in cases of identical twins the division of embryonic tissue giving rise to twins does not occur until 13to 14 days after conception. Implantation occurs between 9 and 12 days post conception, so anycontraceptive that acts during the implantation stage cannot be consider to cause and abortion, as noindividual person yet exists.

2 http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/tgr/06/4/gr060407.html#c1 3 Ibid. 4 Interview. Archbishop Rembert Weakland. February 2011.5 Bovens, Luc. Journal of Medical Ethics, 2006;32:355-3566 http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm 7 Fr. Norman Ford. When Did I Begin? Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1988 .