How safe?

Sen. Barbara Boxer has introduced a bill requiring federal government to promote use of emergency contraception. (California Catholic Daily)

The bill, S. 2108, titled the “Emergency Contraception Education Act of 2007,” was formally introduced on Sept. 27. It was read twice on the floor of the Senate, then referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, where it remains today

Co-sponsors of the bill, in addition to Boxer, include senators Hillary Clinton, D-NY, Patty Murray, D-WA, Max Baucus, D-MT, Maria Cantwell, D-WA, Christopher Dodd, D-CT, Daniel Inouye, D-HI, John Kerry, D-MA, and Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ.

The bill requires that the material developed by the Centers for Disease Control state that emergency contraception is safe and effective --- and easy to obtain. The idea of emergency contraception—or a morning-after pill—is based on a theory. Under this theory, if a woman has sexual intercourse and fears she may be pregnant, she can take large doses of birth control pills. If in fact the woman is pregnant when she takes these birth control pills, the high dosage could act to kill her preborn child—a living human being. The only "emergency" in this case is the woman's fear of being pregnant.

The pill is widely used and makes millions of dollars for the manufacturer. It has been declared safe, but here are some of the side effects:
nausea
vomiting
infertility
breast tenderness
ectopic pregnancy (can be life threatening)
blood clot formation

Emergency contraception also offers no protection against sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.

There are no long term studies to show whether women will be permanently damaged, or risk such diseases as cancer, from these chemicals being given in such high doses.