Information Alert: Ella – Label It Anything But Abortion

Posted by Guest Writer on September 1, 2010 under Why | Be the First to Comment

by Victoria Cobb

Earlier this month, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the controversial drug Ella as “emergency contraception” (EC) to be used up to five days after sex to “prevent pregnancy.” What the FDA did not disclose is that Ella is much more expansive than contraception and actually acts as an abortifacient, resulting in the destruction of the smallest of human life.

Those marketing Ella have tried to closely associate Ella with Plan B (also known as the Morning After Pill) in an effort to quell some of the controversy and break into the EC market, not the abortion market. While ethically there is no difference between EC and abortion as both cause the destruction of life, legally and legislatively, there is a difference.

Classification as an abortifacient creates significant hurdles for the producers, marketers, and distributors of Ella. If Ella were to be labeled an abortifacient, it may not be eligible for federal tax subsidies and its chance of becoming over-the-counter (as Plan B is) is unlikely. It’s also possible that, if President Obama’s federal health care program stands in court, Ella, as EC, may be covered by health insurance plans. Additionally, the future distributors of Ella (such as Planned Parenthood) have financial incentive to refer to Ella as EC, not an abortion pill, as there are typically less objections to the term “contraception” as compared with “abortion” thus increasing the distributors’ client base and profitability.

Ella marketers would like you to believe that Ella is merely an improved version of Plan B. Plan B can also prevent an embryo from implanting in the uterine wall and causes the destruction of the embryo. If taken after the embryo has implanted, Plan B is not able to destroy the embryo. Conversely, Ella can. It is crucial that the public understand Ella’s destructive nature.

The drug that has a similar chemical makeup to Ella is not Plan B, but rather RU-486, the pill used for chemical abortions. Ella’s misclassification as EC is a clandestine method to provide funding for abortion. In its research trials, Ella was not tested for its abortive potential and therefore the unknown consequences and dangers are potentially expansive. At least six deaths as a result of RU-486 have been reported to the FDA over the past six years. Since Ella’s chemical makeup is similar to RU-486, it’s likely its complication rate will be just as tragic.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, the US company marketing Ella, says that Ella will likely be available with a prescription by the end of this year. Disguised as emergency contraception, Ella is a drug with greater destructive value than previously available. Help us spread the truth about Ella by sharing this with your friends and family.

* Victoria Cobb is President of The Family Foundation located in Richmond Va.

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