The Bible and Birth Control
By Carla Kilgore
Did God intend for every potential baby to be born?
Many Christians in this country are against birth
control. In fact, some Christian pharmacists are
arguing that they should not be required to sell
prescription birth control pills to women whose
doctors have prescribed them. Our current
administration has cut family planning funds to
clinics both in the United States and abroad in the
name of being against abortion; but that money
didn’t go to fund abortions, but birth control.
Is birth control un-Christian? How would we know?
We often look to the Bible for guidance, but there
doesn’t seem to be a clear statement there. It
talks about being fruitful and multiplying, and we
sure have been there and done that. The world is
full of billions of people! It talks about Onan not
spilling his seed, but that seems to be more in
reference to him not doing his duty as his
brother’s wife’s new husband. It seems that at that
time, most people weren’t trying to prevent
children because they needed them for survival.
Sometimes people argue against abortion by asking
questions like, “What if Beethoven’s mother had had
an abortion?” The same question could be asked
about birth control. What if his mother had used
birth control? So, maybe birth control is wrong,
but, hey, what if his mom had just said ‘no’ during
that ovulation? He wouldn’t have existed in that
case either. Is it the duty of every married person
to try their best to procreate every night, so the
child that might be conceived can exist? What about
single people? A great person can also come from a
single person, as Mary proved, so maybe no egg
should go unwasted. I know that every child is a
gift, but what if we just decided to honor and
nurture every child that is actually born? Would
that be enough?
We do exercise choices over all kinds of important
matters every day and I have to believe God works
through those choices. I work at a homeless shelter
where we’ve hosted women with 1-8 children, often
raising those children all by themselves on TANF
(welfare) benefits that pay them approximately $120
a month/child to live on if they follow every rule,
or minimum wage jobs that pay $865/month if they
are lucky enough to get full time. Some of the
women treasure their children and are raising them
well despite the struggle.
From what I have observed, though, not all the
children are wanted or loved. We at our shelter
will continue to work on caring for these families
and helping to support them in growing into a life
that is more whole, but I also wish for these women
that they would have safe, free, easily available
contraception to use and the education about all
their choices, so that they wouldn’t feel so
trapped by their circumstances.
I sometimes think that the push against birth
control has to do with our society’s lingering
sense that sex is a bad and dirty thing, only to be
done in the interest of procreating. I know the
Bible doesn’t say that. If someone would like to
have 16 children, that is fine, but I don’t think
that has to be the only Christian option for every
woman who decides to marry or be sexually active. I
feel blessed that just as humans have invented new
ways to keep warm, fed, clothed, etc., we have also
found ways to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Share your reflections on and/or experiences with reproductive issues here.
Official Church Documents
1984 Statement on Abortion for the Church of the Brethren