Get Religion (a really important and excellent blog) recently posted about an article dealing with a Protestant couple that has chosen to use Natutal Family Planning instead of the pill.  From the original article:

Phaedra Taylor abstained from sex until marriage. But she began researching birth control methods before she was even engaged, and by the time she married David Taylor, she was already charting her fertility.

Taylor, a fresh-faced 28-year-old who would blend in easily with South Austin bohemians, ruled out taking birth control pills after reading a book that claimed the pill could, in some cases, make the uterus uninhabitable after conception occurred. She viewed that as abortion, which she opposes.

“I just wasn’t willing to risk it,” she said.

Taylor wanted her faith to guide her sexual and reproductive decisions after marriage. Natural family planning felt like the best way to honor God, she said.

The Taylors are one of several couples at Hope Chapel — a nondenominational church where David Taylor, 36, was the arts minister for 12 years — who practice natural family planning. Christian scholars say they may reflect a growing trend among non-Catholic Christians who are increasingly seeking out natural alternatives to artificial contraception.

You should really read both the Get Religion post, as well as the entire article it comments on.

Coming from a conservative Catholic background, to be honest I was shocked at how common and accepted birth control is among Protestants. Even our pastor gave arguments for why it seemed legitimate to me, and while part of me wanted to accept what he was saying because of the convenience of the pill, my conscience just would not let me.

There are several reasons why I have decided that I do not see the pill as an acceptable choice.  But before I go through them, I do want to say that my goal is not to condemn anyone that is currently on the pill (particularly any friends who may read this...though that last part is probably wishful thinking :P).  However, I do think we all need to stop and really evaluate contraception, particularly the pill (a term which I will use to include all birth control pills as well as other hormonal forms of BC such as IUDs).

The major reason that I have grave concern about the pill is the potential for abortion. One of the effects of the pill is that it makes the lining of the uterus less hospitable to a fertilized egg.  And, though rare, occaisionally women on the pill do ovulate, a likelihood which is greatly increased if the woman misses a dose.  If that happens, then it is certainly possible that an egg could be fertilized, but be unable to implant in the uterus.  In my mind, that is the equivalent of an abortion.  Both my previous gynocologist (and my pastor) assured my that such a possibility is so remote as to not be a risk worth taking into consideration. While I think they are both being honest and sincere, I wonder if they really know how remote a possibility it is?  Because things that are rare do in fact sometimes happen. And I would grieve deeply, so deeply, if I knew that I had aborted one of my babies by taking the pill. Statistically unlikely or not, it is not a chance I am willing to take.

Secondly, there may be health concerns with taking the pill, though this argument is admittedly not as strong.  Some forms of cancer are made less likely by taking the pill (ovarian and endometrial). However, the risk of breast cancer seems to be increased by taking the pill (some argue that you are only more likely to be diagnosed, not more like to get breast cancer - but that seems like an odd argument to me). Risk of heart attack, blood clots and strokes are increased, and while this is more for women who smoke and older women, the risk does exist for young healthy women too.

My personal experience while on the pill (which I took for a while to treat PCOS) was that it made me feel weird and LOTS LOTS more moody - and moody is a huge understatement.  Basically I would weep and sob and yell and sulk through my week long PMS every month.  It was miserable. While on the pill, I just never felt like myself.  My current doctor, who is not a Christian as far as I know, agreed with my decision to stop taking the pill.  His view is simply that a healthy woman ought to be ovulating and having a real menstural cycle, and the pill disrupts that, it causes a women to be infertile and have a false period.

Another serious concern I have with the pill is the fact that the hormones are entering our water system via the toilet (along with other common drugs like anti-depressants and ritalin).  Water treatment plants cannot remove these chemicals from the water, and so they enter the ecosystem intact.  These drugs are being found in high levels in tissues of aquatic species like frogs, fish and mussels.  And some aquatic species, like frogs and even alligators in the south, are showing signs that their fertility is being negatively effected by the hormones in the water.  See this article from the Sierra Club for a non-scientific summary, though if you Google you can find actual scientific studies demonstrating this problem.

Finally, there are moral, philosophical, social and religious issues with regard to contraception in general, not just the pill, that I am not sure we have all fully explored. What does contraception say about our attitude towards sex?  What is the meaning and purpose of sex?  What does contraception say about our views of children? What is the purpose or value of procreation in society? How does contraception affect our relationships with our spouses, our lovers, or with our children?  Has the introduction of easily access to contraception improved society or degraded it?  What is the meaning or value of the relationship between a woman and her fertility?  And if you believe in a personal God - what about God's plan for your family? Is contraception compatible with trust in God's providence? (The Catholic Church is probably one of the few groups that have explored this issue in depth, particularly John Paul II, he has extensive writing, even from before he became pope, on the subject. And we all know the conclusions that the Catholics have came to.) All these unanswered questions only add to my serious reservations regarding birth control.

Something that had never occured to me before is the impact contraception may have on the meaning of marriage.  As the above mentioned Get Religion article points out, the Archbishop of Canterbury recently used contraception in the argument for considering homosexual relationships to be equivalent to heterosexual marriages:

In his 1989 essay The Body’s Grace, Dr Williams argued that the Church’s acceptance of contraception meant that it acknowledged the validity of nonprocreative sex. This could be taken as a green light for gay sex.

No matter how you feel about gay marriage, it is clear that the moral and social implications of contraception reach beyond just controlling birth.

In the end, I agree with Phaedra Taylor, I prefer to deal with my fertility naturally, because at least then I know I am not doing anything that would dishonor God or His Creation.

Permalink | Comment? |

____________________________________________________