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Catholic Church and Birth Control

History of Birth Control Ban

The Catholic church has said since its beginning that birth control was "wrong". Birthcontrol was known at least since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Duringthese days birth control came in the form of animal skin condoms and various poisons to be used as spermicides.The first mention of the ban on birth control was in Genesis 38:8-10. In this story, Onanis ordered to sleep with his brother's widow. He "pulled out" to not get her pregnant andwas slain as a result.The next mention of birth control being wrong is in Deuteronomy 23:1. It says "Hewhose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assemblyof the Lord." Pretty nasty ways of sterilization, those!This message is reiterated many times in subsequent years by church leaders. Clement of Alexandria (AD195) says, "Because of its divine institution for the propagation of man,the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted".Reminds you of the "Every Sperm is Sacred" song from Monty Python, yes? You canfind the messages over and over again through history. People are told, abstain if youdon't want kids.Over the centuries, all groups that broke off of the church agreed with the birth control ban as a "normal" part of life. It was never even thought of to change this mandateagainst birth control.It was only in 1930 that the Anglicans began to weaken, and they are very careful to sayit can that birth control could only be used for *family planning* (i.e. perhaps stoppingafter 3 kids if you were already starving). But with this minor change, the floodgates had been opened. Soon all 'reform' religions said birth control in general was acceptable.Keep in mind that this change in message came VERY quickly after over 1,000 years of solid belief.Pope Pius XI was quite upset by this growing acceptance of birth control. He put out aCasti Connubii that said:"Since, therefore, openly departing from the uninterrupted Christian tradition somerecently have judged it possible solemnly to declare another doctrine regarding thisquestion, the Catholic Church, ... in order that she may preserve the chastity of the nuptialunion from being defiled by this foul stain, ... proclaims anew: any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those whoindulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin. "

So Pope Pius XI explicitly said that married people should have sex with the fullexpectation that children could result each time. To do anything else is a

grave sin

Modern Times

In 1966, there was a Papal Commission on Birth Control. This Commission voted 30-5 torelax the concerns on birth control. But in 1968, Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitaereiterated the anti-birth-control stance. He said this was necessary because thecommission was not unanimous, that governments could force sterilization if sterilizationwas "ok", and that men who used women for sex would lose respect for them. His final point is that God created sex to create children - and that man should not interfere withthis system.The ban includes all impediments with the sexual act - sterilization, withdrawl, the pill,condoms, etc. Note that the rhythm method (not having sex on certain days with theintent to avoid child-making) which once WAS banned is now considered to be OK. Thechurch called this "Natural Family Planning". However there are priests who still arguethat the rhythm method - since it involves sex for pleasure while trying to avoid kids - istherefore wrong. Even abstinence in a marriage is apparently wrong, since married peopleshould follow God's will to try to have children.When Pope Paul VI died in 1978, Pope John Paul I was elected. He only lasted 33 days before dying in mysterious conditions - after he said he was going to allow birth controland do a sweeping reform of the Vatican. The next pope was Pope John Paul II, fromPoland. He was born in 1920, and was extremely powerful during his years of being Popefrom 1978 to 2005. In 1995 he published the Evangelium Vitae - speaking againstabortion and contraception as both being evil slayers of potential children God intendedto create. He even says that developed nations who try to bring contraceptives to thirdworld nations are doing it out of "selfishness" - that they want there to be fewer thirdworlders around so there is "more" for the wealthy people. He says children are the"supreme gift of marriage" that any couple should be waiting for gladly. He was veryfond of the Virgin Mary and felt that all women should have children as often as Godsends them.John Paul II made sure he brought in believers to surround him who held these same beliefs. When his successor was chosen in 2005, and Benedict XVI took power, there waslittle hope that *anything* John Paul II had set into motion would change at all. In fact, in2007 Pope Benedict XVI came out railing against the Italian people who he feels arehaving too FEW children and therefore causing the downfall of the Catholic religion (i.e.fewer kids = fewer paying Catholics growing up). He said this was "dangerousindividualism" causing women to choose to do things other than kick out a new babyevery year. Those women should dutifully be producing millions of new Catholics for thePope.

Other Large Faiths

The Jewish faith believes fully in the ban on contraception. Genesis said "be fruitful and

multiply" - to try to stop children from forming would be to try to stop God's will. Thereis an exception in the Talmud for women who would be medically harmed by pregnancy.Islam allows birth control but only when used to "pace out" pregnancies - i.e. to delay pregnancy until you are settled in an appropriate place to raise the children, or to spaceout children so you can properly care for each one. Islam explicitly speaks out against NOT having any children at all, especially if your claim is "we don't have enoughmoney". One relevant quote is: "Don’t kill your children for fear of poverty; it is We who provide sustenance for them and you; verily killing them is a most heinous crime!" (Al-Isra’: 31). While this quote talks about killing children, Islamic scholars feel it speaksdirectly to parents proving their faith in Allah by having children and then accepting thatAllah will provide for their care.The LDS church used to be very against contraception but said in 1998 "The decision asto how many children to have and when to have them is extremely intimate and privateand should be left between the couple and the Lord. Church members should not judgeone another in this matter. Married couples also should understand that sexual relationswithin marriage are divinely approved not only for the purpose of procreation, but also asa means of expressing love and strengthening emotional and spiritual bonds betweenhusband and wife." So they now feel that sex without the intention of having children isacceptable.

Reason Behind the Ban

Religions promote strongly that sex should be primarily about a committed, marriedcouple having children. The pleasure is a "nice side benefit" to encourage people to havekids. If people start having sex for the *pleasure*, they will treat each other as "pleasureobjects" and not as "potential parent to my child". Also, people who have sex not to havekids might therefore have sex out of wedlock, or have affairs, or so on. It causes a breakdown of the entire moral fabric of society :)The church has publicly claimed that condoms are full of tiny invisible holes that let theHIV virus through and therefore should not be used. They say this to help "prove" thatonly married, loyal couples should have sex - that any other sexual activity is risky evenwith condoms.Interestingly, in March 2004 a Catholic Church organization in California was ordered tooffer birth control coverage to its employees as part of its normal health plan, since itemployed workers of all faiths.In the US, up to 80% of all women are now on birth control. Even though the Catholic ban still stands in 2007, studies show that up to 96% of all sexually active Catholicwomen HAVE used some form of birth control other than the rhythm method at some point in their life. One Poll shows that 88% of Catholics (male & female) feel the officialdoctrine should allow use of pill and condom. Another poll had a result of 90%. A third poll showed 82% of Catholics felt that even in the current state of affairs, you COULDuse birth control and still be a "Good Catholic".