The emergency contraceptive pill sold as Plan B One-Step does not prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb and does not cause an abortion, the US Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The agency said it is updating the information included on the leaflet provided with the drug.
Previously, the product label had said the pill might prevent a fertilized egg from implanting. Anti-abortion advocates had used the statement to claim emergency contraception could cause an abortion.
Scientific evidence doesn’t support that, however. Instead, the pill, which is a strong dose of the birth control hormone levonorgestrel, prevents or delays the release of an egg from a woman’s ovary – a step that occurs well before pregnancy.
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