by Renee Pasciak ¦ Racine Journal Times ¦ 8 June 2008

While the pro-life movement is usually associated with its opposition to a woman’s right to choose safe, legal abortion, it has come to my attention that Pro-Life Wisconsin is now targeting birth control.

On June 7th, PLW is joining other pro-life national groups to protest outside family planning clinics, including the clinic here in Milwaukee. The title of their campaign? “Protest the Pill Day ‘08: The Pill Kills Babies”. Specifically, they are inaccurately claiming that prescription birth control methods cause abortion. There is absolutely no medical evidence to back up this claim, and as someone who has been using the pill for years, I am outraged at this blatant lie.

Contraception is basic health care for women. Ninety-eight percent of American women use contraception at some point during their lifetime. Contrary to PLW’s lies, birth control pills act to prevent pregnancy, reducing the need for abortion.

According to the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, birth control pills only work before a pregnancy occurs and have no effect on an established pregnancy.

Pro-Life Wisconsin is acting incredibly irresponsibly by lying to women about their basic health care options. Their calls to outlaw abortion and their refusal to support methods to prevent unintended pregnancy and the need for abortion are hypocritical. PLW’s participation in “Protest the Pill Day” exposes their anti-birth control, anti-women’s health care agenda.

Renee Pasciak

Milwaukee