Ibis Senior Associate Daniel Grossman featured in NPR story on anti-abortion rights groups' efforts to redefine when life begins, and restrict access

June 1, 2011 — National Public Radio’s Julie Rovner reports that anti-abortion groups such as Personhood USA are pushing to redefine life as beginning at fertilization and interviewed Dan Grossman, Ibis Senior Associate and University of California, San Francisco OBGYN, for the story. Dr. Grossman responded that the medical community defines pregnancy as beginning once implantation of a fertilized egg occurs, rather than at the time of fertilization. The main reasons for this are that only half of fertilized eggs become ongoing pregnancies and, practically, because pregnancy is only detected by hormone changes in urine after implantation occurs.

Dr. Grossman also recognized the implications of efforts to redefine life as beginning at fertilization for women’s health, noting that such efforts could impact women’s contraceptive options by reclassifying some safe and effective birth control methods as abortifacients.

To listen to or to read the full story, click here.