On The Birth Control Pill

I did not address the birth control pill directly yesterday for a specific purpose.  The issue is too large to address objectively in a blog post.  It is also very touchy. Therefore, as a pastor, I must be careful not to use an axe when a scalpel is needed.

I have decided to address the issue now because I received emails and comments that were directed toward the pill specifically.  When I talk about birth control, this is typically what happens.  I was not surprised.  I do want you to know that I will write this post from a more subjective perspective rather than an objective one.  In other words, my purpose at this time, is only to give reasons why my wife and I do not use the pill.

First, we do not use the pill because there is nothing broken that we need to fix by taking medication.  When people object to our perspective, they will often draw a false analogy by asking if we take a pill for a headache or some other sickness. I usually respond by saying, yes, I take medication when something is not working properly.  In our case, Katie's "reproductive cycle" is working just fine.  I am more hesitant to take medication when it causes something to work improperly.  We decided initially to ditch the pill because it made all sorts of things go wrong.

I understand that, for many, the pill makes some things work properly.  However, for reasons stated below, I would highly caution a purely pragmatic approach.  In this case, the end does not always justify the means.

Second, we do not feel that we have the "right" to tell God, who is Lord (even of the womb), "No, we will not have children."  We feel that it is our duty to be open to having children.  The pill, in our estimation, deadbolts a door that should at least remain unlocked.  Because of this, the pill also flirts with presumption in the having-children-arena.  And presumption is less than a humble posture toward our Sovereign King.

Third, we have not found any personal account in Scripture that was decisively against having children.  Stated positively, it seems that every woman represented in Scripture in this way longed to have children; and if she could not, she considered herself cursed.  This is at least something to consider.

Fourth, in researching many pharmacology reports, we have yet to find a pill that was not intended to be an abortifacient.  It is our conviction that life begins at conception.  We do not want to provide a hostile environment for this child.  Simply put, we are not willing to actively risk an abortion.

Finally, we found that natural family planning is a better method for us.  There are many reasons for this, the primary being we both are involved in our family planning.  I have also found that it keeps me from objectifying my wife for purely sexual purposes.  Not to mention it is just as effective as the pill.

In summary,this is an issue that demands more than simply a doctor's recommendation.  It certainly demands more than a passive acceptance of a cultural norm.  Christians need to know why they either take or do not take the pill.  I would argue even further that Christians need to know why they either have or do not have children.  Simply put, we must pioneer these waters rather than follow the secular trends.

For an exhaustive perspective on the pill and how it relates to abortions I highly recommend Randy Alcorn's book Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions?  This is a very cheap and helpful resource.