Ok, well not really, but when you read about the American Life League’s new propaganda machine Protest the Pill Day ‘08: The Pill Kills Babies, that’s the first thing that came to mind. I remember seeing a picture similar to this many years ago, and it seems that we are coming closer to that as more fundies get their influence into people.

But what about this protest, you ask? Well, let me tell you! The people behind the Protest the Pill Day say that by taking the pill, women are preventing a fertilized egg from implanting into the uterus, thereby killing a “preborn” baby. Because life begins at conception, you see. But Jessika, you say, I thought the pill worked by suppressing ovulation. Well, gee…there you go and start using basic science against them. Let’s let PZ Myers explain the basics:

The ovary contains a supply of eggs. One egg each month begins to ripen and mature into a large structure called a follicle, regulated by a hormone from the pituitary called Follicle Stimulating Hormone, FSH. The follicle is going to produce estrogen, which is what causes the growth of the uterine lining. FSH is particularly important early in the cycle.

A second pituitary hormone, Luteinizing Hormone, assists in stimulating the mature follicle, and in particular, a rapid surge in LH is what triggers the follicle to pop, releasing the egg, in a process called ovulation. This is a key step, so remember this: a spike in LH levels triggers ovulation.

After ovulation, the egg goes on its way, and might be fertilized, leading to pregnancy. The follicle left behind isn’t done yet, though; it becomes a structure called the corpus luteum, which continues to produce estrogen (necessary to maintain the uterine lining), and also gradually produces more and more progesterone. Progesterone helps maintain the uterine lining, but also suppresses LH production by the pituitary. It’s a kind of timer. The corpus luteum is maintained by the levels of LH, but the corpus luteum also produces rising levels of progesterone, which shut off LH…and when too little LH is produced, the corpus luteum shuts down, no estrogen and progesterone are produced, the uterine lining is no longer maintained, and a woman finds a bloody mess in her panties.

The key thing to remember about this part, though, is that progesterone suppresses LH.

Put two pieces of the story together: a spike in LH levels triggers ovulation and progesterone suppresses LH. Hmmm. This suggests an idea. If you wanted to prevent ovulation, how would you do it?

Ohhh, I know!!! How about take a pill everyday with some progesterone to suppress ovulation? Wait…that’s what The Pill does! So what does The Pill Kills site really have against The Pill?

Q: How does the pill kill babies?
A: This can happen because the pill and other birth control products can prevent implantation from occurring. When the preborn baby implants in the womb, the baby establishes a connection with the mother so that he or she can receive the sustenance needed to grow. If the preborn baby cannot implant in the mother’s womb, he or she will die.

Notice the logical fallacy Appeal to Emotion there, with words like “baby”, “mother”, and my favorite “die”. RH Reality Check has a lot of information, with evidence, which shows that the medical definition of pregnancy doesn’t begin until after implantation. Which means it can’t be an abortion, with any kind of embryo, fetus, or baby, dying. At that stage, it’s at best a clump of cells that are shed when a woman gets her period.

All kidding and sarcasm aside, this tactic is just another way for the religious right to impose their beliefs on others, and in the process keep sex as nothing more than for making babies. Which, in turn, keeps women in their place…either pregnant or at home caring for the 10 kids she had because birth control isn’t an option.

It’s already an issue that many insurance companies don’t offer contraception coverage, and that the cost of The Pill has gone up over the last couple of years. In Oklahoma, we do not have a contraceptive equity law. Which means that even if you have health insurance, that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get contraception covered.

But back to the protest… After reading their stance, and explanation about why they are against it, they really should just come out and say that Menstruation is Murder and that women need to Breed Don’t Bleed! At least saying that they will get written off like the extremists they are. It looks like there will be a few protests here in Oklahoma. If anyone is available, go do a counter protest!

One funny before I finally finish. In researching this more, I Googled “pill kills”, and the first hit was a story from The Onion, New ‘Anti-Abortion Pill’ Kills Mother, Leaves Fetus Alive. Ha!

Technorati tags: anti-choice, anti-contraception, propaganda, the pill