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But the state's Catholic Church leaders recently decided that the medication can't be dispensed in their four hospitals -- if a woman has already released an egg that could have been fertilized.... this supposed compromise doesn't make sense from, like, a biological standpoint. What's the point of giving out the pill if it can't prevent an unwanted pregnancy?
The point is that in most cases Plan B prevents ovulation, not implantation of a fertilized egg. So if the woman hasn't ovulated yet, the pill will prevent her from ovulating and thus conceiving. Sperm can live in the female reproductive tract for several days, so it's possible to conceive days after the sperm are introduced.
Don't get me wrong -- it's an idiotic rule. I just think it's extremely important to be clear about how Plan B works, since there's so much confusion and misinformation about it.
