Posted on 08/20/2011 1:53:21 PM PDT by wagglebee
I can’t count the amount of times I’ve been asked what my stance is on contraception. It’s not breaking news that many oral contraceptives and some invasive barrier methods (IUD) have been proven to cause abortion, including the highly controversial ella and Plan B drugs, and I stand firmly against the use of anything that destroys a life created at conception. But what about contraception that prevents conception from taking place?
I’m not the only one who has gotten this question; people want to know how the pro-life movement as a whole feels about this.
In fact, the medical students we reach out to face this question on a daily basis.
This question is a hard one to answer, which is why many avoid it: What is the pro-life movement’s stance on contraception, including methods that prevent conception?
As a physician, what is the right decision to make when a woman asks for birth control? What if she is living below the poverty line, has 3 or 4 children, hasn’t obtained a high-school diploma, and is co-habiting with a man who needs to support her financially? Presumably, she’s aware of the possibility of pregnancy and could be afraid of how she will feed and clothe another child.
What do you say? What’s the pragmatic response here?
Here’s how I think that conversation should be started:
1) Birth Control, no matter what form, doesn’t prevent abortions. In fact, it provides a false sense of security.
The Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood’s own research arm, released study showing that condoms fail 14% of the time. That’s enough to provide some concern, especially when coupled with the Guttmacher’s own numbers showing that over half of all abortions are on women who were using some method of birth control. This is a cry in the face of pro-abortion propaganda claiming that if women had better access to birth control, abortions would become unnecessary.
Well, clearly not.
Contraception gives women a false sense of security, and condoms and birth control clearly can’t be relied on as a fail-proof method of stopping a pregnancy from occurring.
2) Birth control comes with it’s own complications and risks. It some cases, it’s deadly for both the child and mother.
Aside from condoms, oral and invasive methods of birth control come with their own complications. In addition to blood clots and strokes, chemical contraceptives have been proven to end the life of a preborn human mere hours or days after conception by thinning the uterine lining and making implantation more difficult for the developing person. Invasive methods that are implanted into your upper arm or uterus come with the same set of risks to both the mother and child. The most common form of hormonal contraception, the pill, has been categorized by the World Health Organization as a Group I carcinogen. That’s the highest possible ranking; cigarettes are also Group I.
One only has to read the inserts that come with chemical contraception, listen to commercials for hormonal birth control that spew out a long list of side effects, or glance at Facebook ads calling for women who took Yaz birth control pills to contact a law firm to join the lawsuit (google Yaz and lawsuit!) to grasp the unbelievable amount of life-altering consequences of imbibing hormonal birth control.
3) Condoms and birth control are everywhere. You can obtain them for free, yet the abortion and STD rate hasn’t fallen.
Planned Parenthood and county health departments have been giving out free condoms and birth control for years. Yet, the unplanned pregnancy, abortion, and STD rate in America has failed to fall and, in the case of STDs, has significantly increased. Despite this evidence, the Obama Administration just issued a new ruling forcing all health insurance plans to cover birth control with no deductible.
What’s even more scary is that Planned Parenthood knows this. They actually rely on the failure of the contraception they provide to increase their abortion profits.
4) Finally, and most importantly, birth control – in any form – is a Band-Aid.
It seems like the best way to answer the question regarding the pro-life stance on contraception is to emphasize helping women as a whole instead of handing out a temporary “fix”.
Dolling out free condoms isn’t social justice. Handing over a pack of pills to an uneducated mother living in poverty with a man who doesn’t respect her enough to marry her isn’t restoring proper relationships in her life. At the end of the day, what have you accomplished? You’ve just acknowledged her tragic situation by implying, “I don’t know how to help you”, or, “I don’t have time to help you, but here, use these and hope for the best.”
Protecting women from the scarring trauma of abortion and repairing broken relationships in her life seem to be the best way the pro-life movement can restore true social justice – Christian justice – to this woman’s life.
These are my thoughts on how we can make a real impact, but the pro-life movement needs to come together and agree on one answer to this question. Unity will only help us protect more women and the pre-born from the injustice of abortion.
First, I think the evidence is quite the opposite, that kaila made a long term decision and has been pretty successfully disciplined in sticking to it. My guess is that she falls into the "consistent and proper" use category, which apparently requires more self-control than you think you are capable of.
Second, she did address the shortcomings of contraceptives by pointing out a case, hers, where the outcome has been satisfactory. Now, one data point does not lead to a valid statistical inference, but it sure beats an esception excluding absolute, and more especially an absolute that apparently has not statistical foundation whatsoever.
I am sorry about your classmate. The sex abuse scandal was evil & truly awful. But the abuse of children is not part of church doctrine & is a mortal sin. Don’t let the mistakes & faults of human beings separate you from
God.
The Catholic “indoctrination” you refer to is an insult. I’m a 34 year old female who bought into the bullcrap of society about contraception, materialism, and promiscuity. Believe me, I was quite the party girl. Alcohol, trips, club scene, shoes, bags, BMW, you name it. It’s empty & meaningless. There is a tremendous amount of wisdom in the Church teachings about those things. I’d encourage you to take another look.
Nope. Go read the posted article.
Then why are half of all abortions performed on women using contraception while they were pregnant?
Actually, if there were no BCPs, there would probably be a major increase in abortions.
That's because the left has convinced women that abortion is a form of contraception.
I am quite willing to have a reasonsed debate when someone will properly state a thesis and an argument to support it. Then we can examine the facts and the logic in support of the thesis. Almost no one on "your side" has been willing to do so. And so I have to do what I can to get someone to try to state a reasoned argument rather than just declare that such and such is the case.
So, despite your typo, you are right, it is a "ruse."
And there has, by the way, been plenty of high dudgeon, arrogance, and name-calling on your side of the table, so we are not talking moral superiority here.
Report Shows Contraception Failure, 54% Used Before Abortion
The Guttmacher report shows “54 percent of women who have abortions had used a contraceptive method *usually condom or the pill) during the month they became pregnant.” These figures are similar to those of a report in Spain showing abortions doubling despite increased family planning promotion.
Typical Contraceptive Failure Rates
* Implants and injectables 2-4%
* Oral contraceptives 9%
* Diaphragm and cervical cap 13%
* Male condom 15%
* Periodic abstinence 22%
* Withdrawal 26%
* Spermicides 28%
Who is Most at Risk for Contraceptive Failure?
* Cohabiting women.
* Unmarried women.
* Women who live below 200% of the poverty level.
* Black women.
* Hispanic women.
* Adolescents.
* Women in their 20's.
Who's having abortions (marital status)?
64.4% of all abortions are performed on never-married women; Married women account for 18.4% of all abortions and divorced women obtain 9.4%.
Who's having abortions (age)?
52% of women obtaining abortions in the U.S. are younger than 25: Women aged 20-24 obtain 32% of all abortions; Teenagers obtain 20% and girls under 15 account for 1.2%.
Why women have abortions
1% of all abortions occur because of rape or incest; 6% of abortions occur because of potential health problems regarding either the mother or child, and 93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient).
well there are alot of things going on at the same time here.
Kaila is concerned that “zealots” are going to be damaging to the political situation.
She has also stated on another post that 50% of the population probably shouldn’t have children.
I’m left wondering....who are these 50%?
One reason the christians on this thread believe the things they do is that they have a deep respect for the sexual act - for marriage - for children - and for human life.
Might these same “zealots” also belong in the same 50% category who “should” be having kids?
My cousin decided not to have children. She was divorced, had breast cancer, and then re-married. The man she married the 2nd time around had grown children. They’ve been married over 20 years, and she’s had a great relationship with his children and then their children.
She’s also had a fabulous career.
She’s a wonderful person and is great with my kids. If she would have had children, she would have been a great mom.
I’m sure you would be a great mom too.
I respect your decision not to have children. It’s not for everyone.
Free Republic is a PRO-LIFE forum, you are now endorsing eugenics-based population control.
I would say 50% of people in this country are not up to the task.
I suppose you think some sort of "czar" or "super committee" should be appointed to decide who is and isn't allowed to have children.
Why are you slamming someone who has been a member of FR since 2009
That has nothing to do with this thread. One of the Religion Moderator’s is NOT to thread-hop/carry arguments from one thread to another.
You cannot read the mind (deviations) of another FReeper. That’s also against the rules.
And Catholics are still opposed to contraception!
What's wrong with this picture? No wonder so many people are becoming Catholic.
However, if a Freeper applies RF guidelines to News/Activism debates he will avoid provoking flame wars.
I find that people who espouse these views (eugenics) are often superficial & simple-minded. I think many of the or opus posts support this.
Whoops. Typo. It should read “of the previous posts”
“This is exactly the kind of facile language reading to incorrect conclusions that has become so rife among the conervative Taliban.”
So I’m a Taliban? What, am I on DU or FR?
“The problem is “fail and are used improperly.” First, the scientifically correct inference is that by a very large statistical margin of error they fail because they are not used properly,”
Which is my point in the real world you have to take actual failure rates into account. The number 1 to 2 percent failure rate in the ideal is useless. The ideal doesn’t exist, except maybe in clinical trials. Ask any design engineer, if a 1 or 2 percent building failure is acceptable.
“we have to fall back on summary results”
Balderdash. It’s all there for you in the link which I posted for your convenience.
“If these animals as you call them”
Do not put words in my mouth. People are people. People make mistakes and these have to be taken into account.
“how are you going to get them to abstain from sex all together.”
Abstaining is easy. You don’t actually have to do anything. Just say no when it comes up until you are ready. No fiddling with a condom. No praying that it’s not old or doesn’t break. No counting pills and making sure you take them everyday.
“Moreover, several folks here would deny married couples the use of contraceptives, even if they are responsible parents, on the grounds that they might fail.”
Actually, that’s not the grounds. I’m opposed to it because I believe it impairs the union between husband and wife with a couple inches of latex.
“A 98% or 99.7% probability that one can finish schooling and get a job before having to support a family is pretty good odds, much better odds than the probability of successfully finishing an advanced degree, or deferred undergraduate degree for that matter.”
Unfortunately, the real world intervenes.
I am slow. I though Warren referred to Warren Buffett.
If your bird bath has anything to do with your sexual behavior I think you might need to find your own fetish site.
*
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.