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WASHINGTON, D.C., November 12, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the hormonal birth control pill celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, experts in the medical, ethical, and legal fields are coming together to challenge Congress and the country to face mounting evidence of the drug's devastating social and medical repercussions.

A conference hosted by Human Life International (HLI) America entitled 50 Years of 'The Pill' in America: A Comprehensive Analysis,” to be held in the Hyatt Regency Washington in the nation's capital on December 3, will host speakers talking about various aspects of contraceptive use. 

The conference is advertised as a series of “analyses of how America has changed demographically, legally, socially, politically, culturally and ethically because of 'The Pill.'”

Jenn Giroux, executive director of HLI America, told LifeSiteNews.com that the conference was a timely response to the mainstream media's one-sided representation of a drug that has deeply altered the face of American society.

At the event, molecular physiologist Dr. Theresa Deisher will speak on the ethical slippery slope created by the pill, while breast cancer surgeon Dr. Angela Lanfranchi will outline the alarming correspondence of pill use and the increasing prevalence of breast cancer in younger women. Former Kansas attorney general Phill Kline, known for his work investigating the practice of late-term abortionist George Tiller, will discuss the possible legal ramifications of administering the birth control pill to minors, a large percentage of whom statistics have shown to be victims of sexual abuse by older men.

Other speakers include Prof. Janet Smith, Chair of Life Ethics at Sacred Heart Major Seminary; Dr. John Bruchalski, founder of the Tepeyac Family Center; Jennifer Lahl, founder and president of the Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, and Patricia Bainbridge, author and Chairman of the Board of Human Life International.

Now that so much information on the drug has become available, said Giroux, she expressed a conviction that “the next 50 years of the birth control is a whole different story than the first 50 years.”

“The World Health Organization classified the pill as a class a-1 carcinogen in the same category as asbestos and cigarettes,” she said. “If that's true, why are we allowing these young 12 year olds to be put on this in the name of cramps and in the name of acne [treatment]?”

Leaders will also host a press conference calling for congressional hearings into the drug's detrimental effects. “It's time to drive hormonal birth control ads off of TV in the name of women's health,” said Giroux.

Giroux also called upon other pro-life and conservative leaders to step up to the fight against the birth control pill. “It's no longer a Catholic issue. It's a women's health issue. These health issues visit women of all faiths,” she said. “We have got to be strong in the defense of w omen's health and not be afraid to take this on.”

To register for the conference click here.