Planned Parenthood's Amy Jacobson accuses pro-life groups of falsely claiming that emergency contraception is an abortifacient (letter, Aug. 29).

Maybe we could quibble about the definition of "abortifacient," but the fact remains that both the FDA and the pill's manufacturer admit that emergency contraception may prevent implantation of a newly formed embryo. Call it what you will, but in those cases where fertilization has occurred, emergency "contraception" works only because it prevents the embryo from attaching to the uterine wall.

Jacobson also claims that greater access to contraception and emergency contraception will reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions. A report from Planned Parenthood's own research arm, however, shows that states that most aggressively promote contraceptives have some of the highest abortion rates in the country. States that do not, such as Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota have the lowest abortion rates. Studies from other countries also show that contraceptive programs do not reduce abortion rates. In fact, says one recent overview: "Most studies that have been conducted during the past 20 years have indicated that improving access to contraception did not significantly increase contraceptive use or decrease teen pregnancy."

The same is true with emergency contraceptives. When leading experts who favor emergency contraception programs recently summarized 23 studies gauging the effect of such programs, they had to admit that not one of the 23 found a reduction in unintended pregnancies or abortions.

(Dodson is executive director and general counsel of the North Dakota Catholic Conference. - Editor)