ABU DHABI // Doctors say the morning-after pill is banned in the UAE because of misconceptions that it is a form of abortion rather than an interceptive.
Abortion at any stage is haram, or prohibited, in Islam.
“The problem is that this pill has been promoted as an abortifacient, which means it causes an abortion,” said Dr Nazura Siddiqi, specialist gynecologist at LLH Hospital, Mussaffah.
“It does not cause an abortion. The pill can act in two ways depending on what stage of her menstrual cycle a woman is at.
“As a contraceptive, it prevents an ovulation or acts as an interceptive. Even if there is fertilisation, the embryo does not get implanted in the uterus.
“But at any stage, once the embryo is implanted in the uterus, the pill cannot cause an abortion or a termination of the pregnancy.”
Morning-after pills are a form of emergency contraception that need to be taken in the first three to five days after sexual activity, depending on the brand.
The World Health Organisation states that emergency contraception pills cannot interrupt an established pregnancy or harm a developing embryo.
One woman, a 25-year-old Emirati from Abu Dhabi, said she has bought morning-after pills from the UK and Kuwait to keep as an emergency back-up.
“It makes me feel safe to have them in the house,” she said. “I have had three C-sections before and it would be unsafe for me to have another – I don’t want to go through that again. So I have an emergency supply.”
A British friend told her about the method of emergency contraception and got her her first supply, she said.
“Sometimes accidents happen,” she said.
Emergency contraception can be used following unprotected intercourse, contraceptive failure, incorrect use of contraceptives or in cases of sexual assault.
“The morning-after pill can be used by any sexually active couple,” said Dr Sidddiqi. “In fact, the people who use this are the people who do not want an abortion.
“These pills protect people from an unwanted pregnancy.
“Many married couples who have just had a child do not want another child at that time. Sometimes couples use a contraceptive method but it fails them.
“Women who are married with families, sometimes absolutely don’t want a child. I get at least a few cases every week of people with unwanted pregnancies.”
Dr Yuliya Burmagina, a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at Femiclinic at Dubai Healthcare City, does not support the ban on morning-after pills.
“Sometimes they need to be used by married couples,” said Dr Burmagina.
The only other type of emergency birth control is contraceptive pills taken in a special way or insertion of the coil within 72 hour of unprotected sex, she said.
She believes the morning-after pill may be banned because it is associated with abortion.
“That may be the reason why the pills are not available,” she said. “It cannot be compared to abortion as it works primarily by delaying the ovulation. In case of loop it prevents the fertilisation process. So, no analogy with the termination of pregnancy can be found.”
More awareness on the difference between the two is needed to quell any misconceptions, she said.
“Awareness and the correct information is needed so the older restrictions may be reassessed,” Dr Burmagina said.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Emergency
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Rating: 2/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills