_WORLD WATCH______________________________
____________________ Ireland ________________

Morning-after pill approved
Deemed not to constitute abortion
The Irish Medicines Board has given its approval for the “morning-after” pill, declaring it to be a contraceptive rather than an abortifacient. The Irish Times reported that the board’s decision contrasts with its position of just a year and a half ago, when it refused an application to license the sale of the morning-after pill questioning the drug’s “abortive nature.”

The board said it, “in consultation with legal and expert medical advisers, has deemed Levonelle [a particular brand of the morning-after pill] to be classed as a contraceptive.” The morning-after pill stops implantation of the embryo in the uterus. Various medical groups have chosen to alter the definition of “pregnancy” and “conception” to stipulate that a human life begins at implantation rather than fertilization, and thus to circumvent pro-life legislation.

Back to Catholic World Report January 2002 Table of Contents