DEBUNK: Santorum Lie: Plan B is an abortifacient.

Note:This DEBUNK article will hopefully be the first of many articles with the "DEBUNK" heading. The intention is to debunk the lies, the talking points, the myths, and the misleading slogans we hear daily from the so-called "Right." This has been done in many other places, but the Right continues to put out all this misinformation. Debunking it again here won't hurt and hopefully will help.

I just watched a clip (thanks to Crooks & Liars) of Sen. Rick Santorum on Meet The Press saying that the contraceptive Plan B (a.k.a. the morning after pill) is an abortifacient. Anyone who says that is either a liar or an ignoramus, and I am not sure which one Santorum is in this case.

Merriam-Webster defines abortion as "the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus." To reiterate, abortion is the termination of pregnancy, of which Plan B is not capable.

Plan B works to 1) prevent ovulation, 2) prevent fertilization, and 3) prevent implantation. In this order, it prevents unwanted pregnancy which in turn prevents abortions (which Santorum is suppossedly against). Rick Santorum is a hypocrite if he is against abortions and against something that prevents abortions.

To take this further, Santorum is against the third effect of Plan B, the prevention of implantation, in the unlikely event that the first and second effect fail. This is something which could happen even on the regular birth control pill (Plan B is merely an emergency, higher dosage of the birth control pill), but I don't hear Rick Santorum or his cohorts calling for a ban on the birth control pill (yet).

According to the definition of "abortion," Plan B is not an abortifacient (something that causes abortion) because it does not and cannot terminate a pregancy. Pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus. Pregnancy does not occur when an egg is fertilized.

Santorum believes that life begins at conception, which is his right to hold as his own personal religious belief according to the Constitution. However, likewise according to the Constitution, he does not have the right to force his religious beliefs onto other people. Just because he thinks life begins at conception, that does not give him the right to legislate that no one should take Plan B because it might rarely prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's uterus. Other people have different religious beliefs regarding this issue, and Santorum's beliefs are no more important than anyone else's.

In addition, to not having the right to force his religious beliefs upon others, Santorum does not have the right to say that Plan B is an abortifacient. If he thinks that life begins a conception, that is fine, but preventing a fertilized egg from being implanted is not abortion. Fertilized eggs are lost all the time because of circumstance, contraceptives, fertiliztion clinics, medical conditions, and any number of other environmental factors that prevent implantation, but without implantation there is NO abortion. Call it something else if you want, Rick Santorum, but calling it abortion is intellectually dishonest.

But such constant and abusive intellectual dishonesty is no surprise when it comes from the guy who still claims we found WMDs in Iraq. Don't get me started on that one.

P.s. I still can't believe Pennsylvania voters voted for this dishonest and immoral man to represent them in the Senate twice. Even more disturbing, around 40% are still going to vote for him this November. Fortunately, it seems more people in the commonwealth are going to vote for Bob Casey, the Democratic candidate. Please, Pennsylvania, have some self-respect, fire Santorum, and hire Bob Casey. Whether or not you live in Pennsylvania, you can still donate to Bob Casey's campaign.