Birth control doesn’t cause abortions – but that misconception is blocking access

Anti-contraceptive push is led by groups that say birth control methods such as IUDs and “the morning-after pill,” which includes popular brands such as Plan B and ella, cause abortions and should not be funded by taxpayer money.

White House proposed new rules under the Affordable Care Act that would require private insurers to cover the cost of over-the-counter birth control including emergency contraception pills, non-prescription birth control pills, spermicides and condoms without additional cost to patients.

Doctors and reproductive health experts say opposition to birth control is based on a misunderstanding of biology.

Doctors say opposition to birth control is based on a misunderstanding of how it works.

Contraception by definition is prevention of pregnancy, not the interruption of pregnancy.

Misinformation is keeping women from using birth control, experts say.

In almost every instance egg and sperm never meet, so fertilization cannot happen.

Using IUDs as emergency contraception is still relatively rare but highly effective, with a failure rate of only 1 in 1,000 .

Emergency contraception has been used by about one-quarter of American women of reproductive age, or more than 15 million U.S. women.

It is not the same thing as the abortion pill.