There has been a lot of buzz again as of late about the Plan B or “morning after pill.” This is because a federal judge recently lowered the age-limit to purchase the drug over-the-counter from 18 to 17 years of age. I am somewhat conflicted about this drug, however. A part of me would like to support the use of this drug in order to reduce the number of abortions in the country. Another part of me is opposed to it because it may prevent an embryo from implanting itself on the uterine wall. It does not terminate an already implanted embryo, so it does perform an abortion by killing an already growing and healthy embryo.

My internal conflict over this drug arises from the fact that I cannot seem to find a clear answer to the question of whether or not this drug prevents a fertilized embryo from implanting of the wall of the uterus. I have found many stories out there that address the core purpose of the drug—to prevent ovulation from occurring. If the drug is successful to this end, a fertilized embryo would never form and the sperm would simply die off naturally before ovulation could occur. If this is how the drug worked 100% of the time, I would have to problem supporting its use to prevent pregnancies. I would put it on par with condoms and birth control aimed at preventing pregnancy from occurring.

Nearly every story I read concerning Plan B, however, mentions that the drug “may prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb (implantation)” [FDA Press Release]. Therein lies my problem. If the drug prevents a viable offspring from developing that would otherwise have done so, I have some qualms about it. This is because I believe an embryo is not a blob of tissue, but an actual person (click here to read about this position).

Sarah Kliff of Newsweek wrote an article entitled “How Plan B Works: Six Things You Always Wondered About Emergency Contraception.” She also wrote the article about watching an abortion being performed, which I posted on HERE. The Seattle Times wrote an article about Plan B being available over-the-counter to those 17 years of age and older. The article contends this will do nothing to affect the pregnancy rate among teenagers. It is a very interesting article that I would recommend. Newsy also published a video clip about this story, which you can watch below.

But I would like to hear you weigh in on this topic. Do you think Plan B is a good option like condoms or other forms of birth control? Or do you think Plan B should be placed on par with other forms of abortion? Even better, do any of you know of some more concrete research that answers whether or not it prevents fertilized embryos from implanting and how often does that occur?