IUDs work by affecting the ovum and sperm to prevent fertilization and are more than 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. They do not protect against HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). IUDs do not affect an established pregnancy and do not act as an abortifacient.
Re: If abortion is understood to be ending a human life, THEN we can talk alternatives
It's always a harm but the harm is on a continuum from almost none - the IUD - to murder.
Maybe you missed it the first time I corrected you, so I'll say it again - an IUD prevents fertilization, it does not prevent a fertilized egg from implanting, it does not cause abortions.
I find it somewhat amusing watching several men discuss women's reproductive decisions. Keep on.
Re: If abortion is understood to be ending a human life, THEN we can talk alternatives
Not splitting hairs, I just think you should be using the correct information regarding IUDs. If you could show me medical literature describing this "irritating the womb lining and preventing implantation of a ferilised (sic) egg" scenario I'd be enlightened.
Re: If abortion is understood to be ending a human life, THEN we can talk alternatives
Thanks so much for the link, but I did ask for medical literature, not a for-profit website. In any case, it really proves more my point: an IUD isn't an abortifacient since later in the page it is explained that an IUD can be successfully removed if the patient becomes pregnant while using an IUD.
Next, I'll just put this out there:
To understand why scientists believe that the IUD, Plan B and Ella are not abortifacients, it is important first to understand the biology of conception. In order for a woman to become pregnant after sexual intercourse, her ovaries must release an egg (ovulation). Sperm can remain viable inside her reproductive tract for five days. Therefore, if intercourse takes place up to five days before ovulation or within two days after, both sperm and egg are viable and the egg cell can be fertilized.
Now, just because an egg is fertilized doesn't necessarily mean that it will develop into an embryo. For that to happen, the fertilized egg must be implanted into the endometrium that lines the uterus. Implantation happens seven days after fertilization, if it happens at all. Scientists estimate that, at a minimum, two-thirds of fertilized eggs fail to implant.
Now, back to contraception. When church officials argue that the IUD could be an abortifacient, they are relying on research from the 1970s that indicated that the IUD could affect an embryo's ability to implant. Decades of research since has demonstrated that the IUD actually works much earlier in the reproductive process than once thought. It does not destroy an implanted embryo. Approximately one in 100 women using the IUD get pregnant.