Is it wrong to use birth control? So many of the questions that we get, the definitive answers to those questions can’t be found in Scripture. Like today’s question.
Because birth control in the form that we know and understand it today in our modern society and culture, it didn’t exist back in Bible days. We have to search for principles and truths that we can apply to these modern situations.
Christians are divided on this issue. Some Christians believe that it’s wrong to use any kind of birth control, because you’re preventing what could be a person who God wants to create. Who are we to be standing in the way of God creating a person?
I’ll say right off the bat, that if you are persuaded that it’s wrong to use birth control, I would never ask you to violate your conscience. If it’s wrong to you, it’s wrong to you, and so you have to follow your own convictions as best you can.
However, that being said, maybe we ought to think about some of the factors that revolve around this ethical question.
When Birth Control Is Morally Unacceptable
I think I’ll say first of all, that there are different forms of birth control. And this is where maybe we can begin to answer this question.
There’s one form of birth control that actually causes an abortion of a baby. I don’t like to use the word, “Fetus,” I like to use the word, “Baby,” that has been conceived.
If you leave it alone, whether you think it’s a baby or not, it’s going to become a baby. So you’re killing a living thing that if left alone, would become a living, viable baby and human being.
If it’s not murder, it certainly is as close as you could possibly get to murder. Personally, my conviction is that that form of birth control would be morally unacceptable.
But there are other forms of birth control that prevent conception from even happening, and there is one form of birth control that has been around since the beginning of time that works like that. It’s called abstinence, right? Right.
When Birth Control Is Not Wrong
Although we know that the idea of conception, and the development and growth of a baby is a divine, miraculous thing. But just like the millions of other things that are happening in all of our bodies every second that we take for granted, there is a human side to all of this. If it’s wrong to use birth control, then maybe we should conclude it’s wrong to abstain from sex between married partners. But then where would you draw the line there, you know?
If you don’t have a sexual relationship with your spouse on a certain day of the week, then that’s possibly preventing a child from being created, and who could say that that’s wrong?
Are you going to say that, “Well, God wants married couples to have sex every day, or twice a day, to make sure they don’t miss any of those people-creating opportunities?” Well, I know some husbands who would sure love to be able to say that. Never met any wives.
I just think that’s unreasonable. And so to say that more modern forms of birth control that allow sexual relationship, but yet prevent conception, would be morally wrong, whereas abstinence is not morally wrong, I think that would be somewhat contradictory, okay?
Using Birth Control to Time Children
Maybe one other thing I could say before I wind this down a little bit, most married couples who use some form of birth control are not thinking of preventing children, so much as they’re thinking of timing the children. And the degree that timing effects their ability to be good parents for those children.
I mean, let’s face it. Having children is a big, big, big job. The more you have, it’s a bigger job, and the closer they are in frequency after another, oh my goodness. Mothers and fathers who have lots of kids close together, these are very special and wonderful people!
I think we all believe that children are wonderful, but does that mean that 30 children, just being pregnant for 20 or 30 years non-stop, is somehow more admirable than having five children? I’m not ready to say that.
Having Less Children to Be a Better Parent
My wife and I, we decided that we wanted to be able to invest ourselves in the children that we had, and not neglect any of our children for any reason. We recognize that that is a possibility when there’s more and more children.
Again, this is not to say anything to discourage anyone from having more children. Everybody has to decide this for themselves, and if you feel that you could have lots, and lots, and lots of children, and give them all the attention that they need and deserve, I admire you greatly, and I pray that you’ll succeed at what your ideal is.
In my case, we’ve got three wonderful children, and they’ve given us so far, seven wonderful grandchildren. Do we regret not having more children? Well, yes and no. Do I regret not having 20 children? Well, that would have effected the quality of all of our lives, including those children that we did have.
In my humble opinion, it was better for us to try to space our kids apart a little bit, and not have 20, okay?
All right, well, this is a Little Lesson. You might disagree with me. I love you anyways, okay? There’s much more that could be said, but I just thought I’d throw out at least a preliminary answer to provoke a little bit of thought on a subject that sometimes is debated amongst sincere Christians.
Thank you so much for joining me! God bless you.
