LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined the state health department in educating residents and health care professionals on distinctions between medication abortion and emergency contraception.
The effort is being done to prevent the spread of misinformation regarding various medications and their intended purposes.
“Women deserve to have control over decisions about their bodies and lives, and the fall of Roe v Wade is leaving many with questions about their access to health care,” says Governor Whitmer. “To make matters worse, some may take advantage of this moment to create confusion about the important differences between emergency contraception and medication abortion, which are completely different medications used for entirely different purposes. That’s why we’re launching a new public effort, giving women and families the best, most accurate information about these medications.”
The state of Michigan clarifies emergency contraception, nicknamed the “morning-after pill,” prevents pregnancies when taken within five days after sex. Officials iterate it is not the same as an “abortion pill” and the act of taking emergency contraception is not an abortion.
Hormonal contraception uses hormones to halt pregnancies, the state explains. We’re told this can be obtained with a prescription and is not an abortion.
Abortion pills, currently legal in Michigan as a result of a temporary injunction, are taken to terminate pregnancies and can be obtained with a prescription, the governor’s office says.
Those wishing to gain access to emergency contraception can call 211 or find help online.
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