Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site ihu1e.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!ihu1e!mjv From: mjv@ihu1e.UUCP (Vlach) Newsgroups: net.abortion Subject: Re: Who's Life Anyway? Message-ID: <481@ihu1e.UUCP> Date: Mon, 8-Jul-85 15:06:44 EDT Article-I.D.: ihu1e.481 Posted: Mon Jul 8 15:06:44 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 9-Jul-85 06:41:09 EDT References: <556@bgsuvax.UUCP> <283@vaxwaller.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 22 >> As I understand it (and what I was working from) the pill runs about >> 99.9% success. Anyone want to look it up/correct me? >> Jean Marie Diaz > A 99.9% reliability for the pill means that if a woman is > using the pill and is sexually active, she has a .1% chance of getting > pregnant in a given year, NOT each time she has sex. I hate to see this 99.9% rate flying around in so many messages. The pill is ~95-97% effective when used EXACTLY as directed. IUD's are slightly less effective, about 94-97%. So this means women using the best contraceptives available still have a small but reasonable chance of getting pregnant. Of course, this says nothing about people who forget to take their pills (or one of my friends whose jerk husband threw hers away once, and whose house burned down once with the pills inside, and got pregnant both times immediately afterward.) Just want you all to realize that pregnancy prevention is not as effective as one might think. Also, I would suspect most abortions go to young women who have never used birth control and don't know where to get it without their parents finding out.