In 1965, the medical definition for when pregnancy begins was changed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Why? Ideology.
At the 1959 Planned Parenthood/Population Council symposium, Dr. Bent Boving argued for changing the definition by moving the date of conception from when fertilization occurs to when implantation occurs. He said that “the social advantage of [birth control] being considered to prevent conception rather than to destroy an established pregnancy could depend upon something so simple as a prudent habit of speech.”[i]
In 1964, Dr. Christopher Tietze pushed this propaganda further. After noting that many religious and legal experts accept medical consensus as fact, he said that “if a medical consensus develops and is maintained that pregnancy, and therefore life, begins at implantation, eventually our brethren from the other faculties will listen.”[ii] Tietze would later win the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Margaret Sanger Award for outstanding contributions to the pro-abortion movement.
Because while birth control pills work primarily by preventing conception, they also have a secondary effect of preventing an already conceived human life from implanting in the uterus. Abortion industry leader Planned Parenthood’s own website states about the pill:
“The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.”
While the statement is somewhat dismissive of the potential effect, what Planned Parenthood is acknowledging is clear. Early destruction of human life post-fertilization is possible with the pill.
So, as to not have the pill labeled as a potential abortion drug, a “new” definition of conception was needed to overcome these obstacles. And the ACOG obliged. Without a shred of scientific evidence to justify the change, the ACOG redefined conception as “the implantation of a fertilized ovum [egg].”[iii] Mission accomplished.
(read full article)
At the 1959 Planned Parenthood/Population Council symposium, Dr. Bent Boving argued for changing the definition by moving the date of conception from when fertilization occurs to when implantation occurs. He said that “the social advantage of [birth control] being considered to prevent conception rather than to destroy an established pregnancy could depend upon something so simple as a prudent habit of speech.”[i]
In 1964, Dr. Christopher Tietze pushed this propaganda further. After noting that many religious and legal experts accept medical consensus as fact, he said that “if a medical consensus develops and is maintained that pregnancy, and therefore life, begins at implantation, eventually our brethren from the other faculties will listen.”[ii] Tietze would later win the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Margaret Sanger Award for outstanding contributions to the pro-abortion movement.
Because while birth control pills work primarily by preventing conception, they also have a secondary effect of preventing an already conceived human life from implanting in the uterus. Abortion industry leader Planned Parenthood’s own website states about the pill:
“The hormones also thin the lining of the uterus. In theory, this could prevent pregnancy by keeping a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.”
While the statement is somewhat dismissive of the potential effect, what Planned Parenthood is acknowledging is clear. Early destruction of human life post-fertilization is possible with the pill.
So, as to not have the pill labeled as a potential abortion drug, a “new” definition of conception was needed to overcome these obstacles. And the ACOG obliged. Without a shred of scientific evidence to justify the change, the ACOG redefined conception as “the implantation of a fertilized ovum [egg].”[iii] Mission accomplished.
(read full article)
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