Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? [Unabridged] [Paperback]

Randy Alcorn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2007

Letters to the Author

Thank you for your information on birth control. Being strongly prolife and a biology major, it has always been in the back of my mind that birth control pills caused abortions. Thank you for sending the message to others that are prolife. Right now you can pray for my husband and I as we are trying to conceive another child and are having difficulties and am searching for answers, hence I came upon your sight. -- M. B.

I just felt like I should share with you that almost two weeks ago, I stopped taking the birth control pill. It was not an easy decision to make; by God's grace I was able to take this huge step of faith. But it would have been much harder had I not had the support of my godly husband. It was he who read your book first. I thank God that he did not give up trying to get me to read it. Honestly, I did not want to. To me, the birth control pill represented such freedom and such independence. I always had the perspective that w/o the pill, there was such a high percentage that I would be the loser in it all. I would be the one to have to carry the child at such a young age, (I'm only 21). I would be the one to have to pretty much lose my youthful figure. I would be the one to be cheated out of an education. Do you notice how many " I " statements were just mentioned? The Lord used your book in my life to help me see that being blessed by him with a child with the man that I love would not make me the "loser", b/c children are a blessing, and not a curse. He also showed me that I was losing a whole lot more by taking the pill....my health, and quite possibly, our baby...

Thank you so much for being bold, Randy. I know many Christians have probably given you a hard time for what you take a stand for, but please let my story encourage you today and tomorrow too. -- K. W.

My husband and I have been trying to get info on this for YEARS. We have never gotten a straight answer and I see now why. I don't go to church every Sunday...Actually, I don't go at all. However, I have the most sincere faith that there is a God ... a good God and the thought of terminating a life seems to go against him and all that is right. I have been on the pill for years and did not know. I heard it mentioned once, but when I looked into it I was given the run around, but I was basically led to believe that "No, it does not cause abortions". I am ashamed of myself for not pursuing it as you did. I think deep down I did not want to think that for years I had already been doing something so awful.

Thank you so much for writing your pamphlet! I haven't read it yet, but since it is shorter, I did read the response to the pro-life Dr's. It seems like the pamphlet will be very well done, and PRECISELY what I was looking for. My husband and I quit using BC pills after only one month because I didn't like the side effect (I was/am nursing & they lowered my milk supply, also had mid-cycle spotting), and because I was convicted of the abortion properties which I learned about while researching Natural Family Planning (not well documented data--as a BioChem major from college what they said made sense to me so I believed it). I am blessed to have a husband who listened to my thoughts on the subject and read what little materials I found at that time and accepted the truth about the pills. We used Natural Family Planning after that--which worked great for preventing pregnancy, then conceiving our second child (due in June!). -- J.R.

It is great that you have gathered all this information re: the pill's abortive mechanism and you have all the references to back it up. Finally I have something in black and white to share with people and to show them the truth about the pill. I was on a low dose pill when I learned in my embryology undergraduate class about the "3rd mechanism of action" of the pill, by an objective atheist professor, and we have been practicing Natural Family Planning ever since. We all need to share this information with young engaged couples, teenagers who are given written excused absences from the school nurse to be "put on the pill" without parental consent (my niece), and our priests and pastors.

Thanks for all the research and write up, the leg work. -- T. M., MPT

Editorial Reviews

Review

"By carefully detailing the available medical information concerning the abortifacient effects of oral contraceptives, Randy Alcorn has developed a logical and thoughtful challenge to every prolife person. The conclusions of this study are scientifically accurate. Birth control pills usually prevent pregnancy, but sometimes they cause an abortion. Questions? Objections? Randy has addressed them in a gentle but firm way. This is the manner in which the often fiery debate over prolife subjects should be carried out- unemotionally, intelligently and quietly. The evidence is before us . . . 'How should we then live?'" -- Patrick D. Walker, M.D., Professor of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

"From medical textbooks and pharmacy references, to statements from the Pill-manufacturers themselves, this book proves, beyond any doubt, the abortion-causing action of birth control pills. This book should be read by everyone interested in knowing the truth." -- Paul L. Hayes, M.D., Board Certified Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians/Gynecologists

"I endorse Randy Alcorn's book with gusto. He has answered the title question with the care and compassion of a pastor, having searched out the facts with the diligence of an experienced researcher. He has provided all women in their reproductive years with an invaluable resource which will allow them to be fully informed about the birth control pill." -- William F. Colliton, Jr., M.D., Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, George Washington University Medical Center

From the Author

After coming to grips with the importance of this issue, and hearing conflicting opinions for the last few years, I determined to research this question thoroughly and communicate my findings, whether or not I liked what I found. I wanted, and still want, the answer to this question to be "No." I came to this issue as a skeptic. Though I heard people here and there make an occasional claim that the Pill caused abortions, I learned long ago not to trust everything said by sincere Christians, who are sometimes long on zeal but short on careful research.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: Eternal Perspective Ministries; 8th Revised & enlarged edition (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970001606
• ISBN-13: 978-0970001603
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,827 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Randy Alcorn is an author and the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit ministry dedicated to teaching principles of God's Word and assisting the church in ministering to the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled, and unsupported people around the world. His ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity. He accomplishes this by analyzing, teaching, and applying the biblical truth.

Before starting EPM in 1990, Randy served as a pastor for fourteen years. He holds degrees in theology and biblical studies and has taught on the adjunct faculties of Multnomah University and Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon.

Randy has written more than forty books, including the bestsellers Heaven, The Treasure Principle, and the Gold Medallion winner Safely Home. His books in print exceed five million and have been translated into over thirty languages. Randy has written for many magazines including EPM's quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives. He is active daily on Facebook and Twitter, has been a guest on more than 700 radio, television and online programs including Focus on the Family, FamilyLife Today, Revive Our Hearts, The Bible Answer Man, and The Resurgence.

Randy resides in Gresham, Oregon, with his wife, Nanci. They have two married daughters and are the proud grandparents of five grandchildren. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research, and reading.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Justified, July 21, 2001

By 

Joshua Wagner "poimen" (Norman, OK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? (Paperback)

I must admit that I read this book with vested interests. My wife and I had been using the pill for a while so that I could finish graduate school before we had children (I am getting a Master's in theology as a Southern Baptist preacher). However, the strong empirical and logical arguments from this book changed my mind concerning the effects of all BCPs (birth control pills). I promise you that if you read this book and evaluate the research and examine the cogency of Alcorn's arguments with an objective mindset, you will be convinced of the abortifacent effects of BCPs. As a Christian and strong pro-life advocate, I cannot ignore the valid research which strongly suggests that BCPs are not only contraceptive in nature, but also abortifacent. I encourage to read this book very carefully.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good start but no real conclusions, March 8, 2008

By 

Christina Greene "mommytoshan" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? (Paperback)

Having read this book by Randy Alcorn (whom I actually find to be a great person and a writer) and I must say I find most of the conclusions it has drawn false. I will say that Mr. Alcorn does make an honest attempt at researching a subject that there is very little evidence on. Yet the data he cites is either antiquated or unexplained. The research is sketchy and I find that many of the numbers are drawn up by doctors that do not agree with the pill in the first place.

I will say that it is a start in the right direction for investigating what it is that is causing the pills effectiveness. I found a few errors in the research though:

1)Breakthrough ovulation rates are not researched adequately. The most accurate figure (2%) comes from 1984. The samplings appear to be rather small in some studies, making it statistically unreliable. Also, the distinction between faithful pill takers (take the pill everyday on time) and lazy pill takers is never studied. It has been hypothesized that breakthrough ovulation is most likely to occur in inconsistent pill takers. We are never shown the different breakthrough ovulation rates for consistent and inconsistent pill takers, this makes "breakthrough ovulation" hard to believe for true pill takers.

2) The secondary effect of the birth control pill is to make cervical mucus inhospitable. Yet Alcorn's book never fully investigates how effective of a contraceptive the COC (combined-oral-contraceptive) pill is in this respect. He cites a study done on rabbits (which is hardly reliable). More should be done to find out how inhospitable cervical mucus on the pill actually is to sperm. And the distinction should be made once again between consistent users and inconsistent users.

3) Alcorn jumps to conclusions using theoretical data drawn up from Doctors who are opposed to the pill to begin with. At least Alcorn realizes that these figures are not reliable and just drawn up. He also says that the pill can cause chromosomal abnormalities years after it has been taken. I have a hard time believing that the pill can sometime alter your eggs chromosomes and make you more likely to have a down syndrome child (or a child with any chromosomal abnormality). This is not logical.

4) I don't think it has been researched enough to really make a conclusion one way or the other regarding the pill. I believe that COC DOES suppress ovulation if taken consistently. I speak from personal experience. A woman can usually spot signs of ovulation and I used the pill consistently for 3 years. I never had any signs of ovulation, but since I took the pill every day at the same time I suppressed ovulation because of it. After I got off the pill I started tracking my cycle and I noted the signs that I was ovulating. I never experienced any of these symptoms while taking the pill so I know that with me it suppressed ovulation.

I think breakthrough ovulation is probably something you would see more often in an inconsistent pill taker. If a pill taker is inconsistent then there is a more significant possibility that the pill acts as an abortifacient. However you'd be hard pressed to find a consistent pill taker that breakthrough ovulates on a regular basis. I think more research should be done on this, it needs to.

12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening evidence; irrefutable logic, January 22, 2003

By 

K. Olgren (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions? (Paperback)

Randy Alcorn spells out exactly how the pill works with this booklet. He explains not just "his opinion," but research, including what the manufacturers of the pill themselves will tell you about the pill if you ask the right questions.

I found out this information probably a year or two before I ever read this pamphlet. In that time, I shared it with others, either on or contemplating the use of the pill. The reactions I got to it were often negative. Arguments and justifications for the use of the pill were offered to me, but none really held up.

That's where the value of this pamphlet comes in. Alcorn has heard those justifications, too. He brings them up himself and refutes them. But his style is not an in your face, confrontational approach. Rather, he uses gentle persuasion on a very sensitive subject, coming across not as a judge (he reveals that the pill was once his uninformed method of choice), but as another person who understands the desire for birth control, and the responsibility to go about it correctly.

This is a great booklet to use, both for those unsure of what they think of the pill, and even to persuade someone who is pretty sure it is okay. He doesn't call the birth control user a heartless murderer. He gently persuades them that sometimes the results of hormonal birth control are something other than the user intended.

I highly recommend this booklet to anyone willing to consider the possibilities about birth control, and to anyone considering the use of hormones to avoid pregnancy. If you are going to make that choice, be sure it is an informed one. This is a great way of getting that information.

Another good book by Alcorn as well, with similar methods of persuasion, is Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments. Both are well worth reading. In fact, it was while researching that book that Alcorn opened the pandora's box of hormonal birth control.