Are Contraceptives Bad?
October 4, 2006 by Vixen
Recently almost 250 people attended a two-day conference titled “Contraception Is Not The Answer” in Rosemont, Ill., hosted by the Pro-Life Action League, the Chicago Tribune reports. My first thought as I skimmed this article was…Whaaaatttt???
Some attendees at the conference planned to say that contraception promotes “sexual promiscuity,” leads to a decrease in birth rates, damages relationships between men and women and “devalues children,” according to the Tribune. Some experts say that opponents of contraception likely will attempt to restrict access to its use by calling for cuts to federal family planning programs and allowing pharmacists to refuse to fill prescriptions to which they have a “conscience” objection, the Tribune reports. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, at the conference called for funding to be “tak[en] away” from Planned Parenthood Federation of America for contraception and sex education services, adding that he believes contraception “doesn’t prevent abortions, it causes abortion.
I used to be a total Pro-Lifer, was raised and brought up that way. However, the more I found out about my sexual health, the more I realised that contraception and birth control is essential to EVERY single sexually active woman that isn’t considering having children right now.
Contraception being equated to Abortion is such a polar jump that it boggles my mind. Being that most contraceptives like condoms and gels prevent the sperm from implantation—where is the abortion here? And most hormonal contraceptives, like the Pill, and Patch just change the natural environment of the uterus so that implantation is not possible. When you factor in that contraceptives have been shown to significantly decrease the precedence of teen pregnancies and that having a child in a loving, supportive environment to a mature and secure parent is the only way to have well-adjusted kids in this day and age…what’s not to love about contraceptives?
Contraceptives Devalue Children: I don’t think this is true, in fact, I think waiting until you are mature and capable enough to raise a child is the best way to go. It shows that you value child bearing & child rearing by choosing to wait until the right time when you can truly enjoy the experience.
Harms Relationships Between Men & Women: C’mon! This is a total fallacy. I think encouraging discussion of contraceptives in a relationship actually strengthens the bond between couples. You both realise through communication what you both really want from the relationship and have the ability to make a mature and sound decision about the pace of your relationship without anything sudden as getting prematurely pregnant to rock the boat or create waves. If it doesn’t work out, you can both go your seperate ways without a poor child caught in between two differing parental views and lives. If your relationship does work out, it becomes stronger with each passing day until the time when BOTH OF YOU are ready to take that step into parenthood. Why have kids when you aren’t ready for them—in the long run, it’s the children that suffer the most.
Promotes Sexual Promiscuity: Hahahaha, well I can’t argue with this one. However our society has gotten more sexually aware and more sexually active. We are responsible for the decisions and choices that we make, especially who we accept into our bedrooms. Promiscuity is here—deal with it, it’s not going anywhere, in fact it’s only going to get worse. With rampant ’sexy’ shows like Desperate Housewives, Sex & the City etc being the forefront of our media experience, our generation has chosen to be more sexually active, and love every single minute of it. So what’s it to you anyway?
To round it all up, I have to say that even though the Pro Lifers might have some truth to their conference, there are bigger issues to be concerned with than contraceptives. Contraceptives are good, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
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OK. you managed to hit a few hot issues for me.
1) From my reading of the Bible, and the way the Bible influences Western societies since before Greece, the law is: Make Babies. This issue is not about spirituality, or about kharma. This is based on ancient society — you had to have sons to fight in wars, to prevent the next generation of enemies from destroying you. This is the basis for the Biblical insistance on men having wives (note the plural) and refrain from masturbating (the only effective contraceptive at the time). Biblically speaking, an act of birth is an act of war. Jesus reminds us of that with his ’suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not’. Believers are to be ‘fruitful and multiply’.
2) I can’t see a social or spiritual difference between a Morning After pill or other pharmaceuticals to prevent pregnancy, and abstinence, masturbation, or condoms/ jells / diaphragms. These all violate the spirit of the law — raise sons for the next generation’s army.
3) While contraceptives may devalue children in some instances (I can’t think of any), there are fewer things sadder than an unwanted child. I firmly believe that contraceptives reduce the number of unwanted children. And thereby reduce the number of mothers stranded after the start of a pregnancy — which devalues families, children, and women.
4) I have in my life met women that were thrown from their father’s house when they turned up pregnant. It still happens. We still have ‘homes’ for unwed mothers, our junior high and senior high schools have programs for unwed mothers. This is *not* the time to deride contraceptives.
Fanatics such as these must find the Sunni/Shiite and Palestinian/Israeli conflicts distressing — they have been taught to avoid violence, but know intimately what deeply instilled hatreds feel like. Remember that it took little more rhetoric than we have today to set our the rash of bombings at Planned Parenthood and other family planning clinics. Blowing up people for reasons of conscience. Wouldn’t it be ironic if the bombings in Iraq were directly inspired by the bomb scares and bombings of clinics right here in the US?
Brad, your comments are really insightful. There is alot of senseless acts in the world that don’t make sense, and just the fact that alot of them are backed by fierce loyalists to warped ideologies boggles the mind. It would be nice if more of the world was open-minded to other ideas/theories that are not their own.
Your interpretation of the staunch belief in birthing sons & daughters for the next generation is a good reason, and I’m all for that. Just as soon as you are capable for caring for said child. Because if you aren’t, you are just causing another generation of broken souls and spirits.
I always enjoy your comments, keep ‘em coming and no—they aren’t too long!
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