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Birth control pills - Mikey - 10-23-2016

Hello, is there a halachic, authoritative answer regarding Noahides and pills such as Plan B? Thank you in advance!


RE: Birth control pills - Director Michael - 10-26-2016

There are always new pills and new methods being developed, so with any particular post-conception birth control drug, it is the reliable expert Orthodox Rabbis who can rule on whether or not it is permissible for Gentiles. A birth-control method in which the fertilized egg is not directly killed, but instead just passes out on its own WITHOUT being able to implant on the uterus lining, is allowed for Gentiles. That is the way the IUD works, which is an allowed method. But a method that prevents conception from the outset is preferred.

It is possible that it can be as many as 7 to 14 days between the time of sexual intercourse and the time that the fertilized egg (already an embryo) implants in the uterus. When the embryo becomes attached to the wall of the uterus, it starts to produce the hormone hCG. This is the hormone that pregnancy tests look for. Obviously, the longer a woman waits after having unprotected intercourse, the higher the probability that a fertilized egg has already implanted in the uterus. If the "birth control" pill causes an implanted embryo to unattach from the uterus wall, that is an abortion and it is forbidden unless it is medically necessary to save the mother's life, or within the first 40 days from conception in a few other dire circumstances on a case-by-case basis. See "The Divine Code," pp. 384-385, which is included in this on-line excerpt:
https://asknoah.org/wp-content/uploads/prohibition-murder-abortion-euthanasia.pdf