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Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Fact-checking the false claim that Plan B causes abortions - PolitiFact

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  • Plan B, also known as the morning-after pill, and other emergency contraceptives do not cause abortions, medical experts say. The medication is known to be effective only before a pregnancy is established.

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a slew of claims about reproductive health and what constitutes as an abortion have flooded the internet.

Even topics that seemed like settled science — such as emergency birth control — have been thrown into the mix.

Take this Instagram video, for example, shared by the anti-abortion college group Students for Life.

In it, a woman holds up a box of Plan B pills, a type of emergency birth control, and claims that while the box states the medication will not harm an existing pregnancy, the fine print says otherwise. She reads from the box, which says that the product works mainly by preventing ovulation, the fertilization of a released egg or the attachment of a fertilized egg to the uterus.

"Fertilized egg — Google that word because it’s an embryo," the woman says. "Plan B is an abortifacient. Pass it on."\

Students for Life captioned the video: "Plan B can cause an abortion. It’s right there on the box."

Plan B and other emergency contraceptives do not cause abortions, medical experts say.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Plan B, which is also known as the...



Read Full Story: https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/jun/30/instagram-posts/plan-b-emer...