A portion of the pro-life crowd has a big problem with oral contraceptives: if they don’t stop ovulation, block the sperm, or prevent conception, they may prevent implantation. Research neither confirms nor denies this claim, but it’s certainly possible since they do cause changes in the uterine lining.

And so these pro-lifers go on the war path, decrying artificial contraception and chanting slogans about babies and murder. Those who become pharmacists may refuse to fill some prescriptions (particularily emergency contraception, which works much like the pill). Sexually active women and even rape victims are turned away (40% of them in Connecticut). And while these women are left without any options, the anti-birth control crowd happily pats its own back.

Here’s the kicker: oral contraceptives almost always work by preventing ovulation, which will obviously prevent an egg from being fertilized. When an egg does become fertilized and an embryo does form, there’s about a 50% chance that it will never implant - and this is without any form of contraception whatsoever.

So which is more likely to result in an embryonic death? A person using oral contraceptives carefully, or a person having unprotected sex because they view birth control as immoral?

Of course, you might say, that’s why many of them stick to natural family planning (NFP).

Most of them probably don’t know that NFP may very well also prevent implantation (or create weak embryos), and that there are “numerous indications” that this is the case:

Natural family planning is the more widely used, contemporary term for the broad range of techniques aimed at helping women to predict fertile days so they can avoid having sex then. These techniques may rely on cues like the presence of cervical mucus or small changes in body temperature, which occur around the time of ovulation. Dr. Bovens notes that some couples choose this approach because they worry that other forms of contraception, like birth control pills, may act in part by preventing an early embryo from implanting in the womb.

However, if a fertilized egg produced on the fringe of the fertile window is less likely to develop and implant, he writes, “the same logic that turned pro-lifers away from morning after pills, I.U.D.’s and pill usage should make them nervous about the rhythm method.”

All in all, the reality is that we birth control-using heathens are probably killing just about the same - if not fewer - embryos than the people who claim to love them oh-so much. And while pro-lifers rant on that contraception companies “lie” about their products, you’ll find that each of them acknowledges that they may have an effect on implantation right on their websites. Try finding an NFP site that does that.

Now, you may genuinely care about embryos and want to dedicate your life to never having one die inside you. That’s your decision. The only way you can ever be sure to accomplish that is to practice abstinence - not until marriage, but forever. Good luck with that.

I, on the other hand, will continue to not give a shit about embryos.