Tell the Bush Administration: Birth Control Pills Are Not Abortion
- van: Care2
- ontvanger: Michael Leavitt, Secretary
Just when we think we've seen it all, the Bush Administration has drafted regulations that would undermine women's access to birth control.
Under the guise of clarifying existing federal laws that allow health professionals to refuse to provide abortion services, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has drafted regulations that redefine abortion to include commonly used, FDA-approved methods of contraception, such as birth control pills and IUDs.
This radical redefinition of abortion is at odds with science and the government's own definition -- that pregnancy begins with the implantation of a fertilized egg.
This is a shameful political ploy in the waning days of the Bush Administration, which could cause immeasurable harm to the 17 million women in need of publicly funded contraceptive services.
Please sign your letter to Secretary Michael Leavitt today, and urge him to abandon these radical, dangerous regulations.
Dear Secretary Leavitt,
I'm gravely concerned by the Department of Health and Human Services draft regulations that were leaked recently, which could severely limit a woman's access to basic health care needs.
I strongly urge you NOT to release the draft proposed regulations.
[Your Comments Will Be Added Here]
This proposal would create unnecessary obstacles for women seeking contraceptive services and most alarming the draft regulations confuse contraception with abortion by redefining abortion to include commonly used FDA-approved methods of contraception, such as oral contraceptives and IUDs.
By redefining FDA-approved methods of birth control as abortifacients, the HHS definition of abortion is at odds with widely accepted science and with the government's own definition that pregnancy begins with the implantation of a fertilized egg. If these regulations are implemented it could actually increase the need for abortion by making it more difficult for women to access the contraceptive services they need to prevent unintended pregnancy.
This draft regulation would cause immeasurable harm to the 17 million women who rely on publicly funded contraceptive services.
