The Catholic Church and Birth Control Essay

Today, the availability of birth control is taken for granted. There was a time, not long passed, during which the subject was illegal (“Margaret Sanger,” 2013, p.1). That did not stop the resilient leader of the birth control movement. Margaret Sanger was a nurse and women’s activist. While working as a nurse, Sanger treated many women who had suffered from unsafe abortions or tried to self-induce abortion (p.1). Seeing this devastation and noting that it was mainly low income women suffering from these problems, she was inspired to dedicate her life to educating women on family planning—even though the discussion of which was highly illegal at the time (p.1). She was often in trouble with

Contraception is the deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation by various drugs, techniques, or devices – also more famously known as birth control. This research paper will examine the views of both the Catholic Church and the view that opposes the Catholic Church on this practice. Each view will be examined thoroughly with the reasoning behind each unique view.

This article brings up the debate of weather a healthcare professional has the right to object contraceptives and should not involve themselves in medical practices they have moral qualms with, or give patients the access to all legal treatment no matter what that health professional’s moral qualms should be. This debate questions the balance of doctor-patient

Relevance Statement: According to the CDC, 62% of women of reproductive age are currently using a contraceptive. This number has drastically risen over the years as a result of advanced medicine and availability to all women. This would not have been possible without the work and dedication of Margaret Sanger.

Following the release of The Woman Rebel, Anthony Comstock spearheaded an anti-birth control campaign with the aid of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, “vice” as Comstock described it “intemperance, gambling, and evil reading”(6,1,122). Document 2 is an interview with Comstock by Mary Alden Hopkins of Harper’s Weekly on the issue of birth control and the laws against its distribution and publication. Comstock approaches the birth control issue as a religious zealot, arguing that it is the moral and spiritual obligation of the people to stray from “vice” and practice abstinence as the only means of family planning. Comstock’s conservative rhetoric appealed to the “Victorian” era principles of “self-control” and moral fortitude. Moreover, Comstock employs the ideology of “rule by fear,” by

Over the centuries, women have tried a number of methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Some of the pregnancy control measures that existed before the invention of the pill included abstinence and withdrawal. Unfortunately, such methods often failed to prevent unintended pregnancies. As such, birth control advocates continued researching for effective birth control methods. Americans did not meet the idea of birth control methods with enthusiasm. In fact, those who advocated the use of birth control devices experienced challenges, including being jailed.

Financial issues can be a significant problem in regards to Catholic hospitals, however, it is still being determined whether the Catholic practice is the best practice. In many instances Catholic Hospitals do not prescribe contraceptive and prohibit

The idea of birth control has been around since before the eighteenth century. However, those in control of it have changed over time leading to several positive and negative effects including seeking underground abortions and disguised labeling of products for contraception.

The issue of birth control remains one of the most controversial issues within the Catholic Church dividing members at all levels including the clergy. The Roman Catholic Church for the past 2000 years has been a major opponent of artificial birth control (BBC). Pope Paul VI made a clear declaration on the use of birth control when he wrote ‘the Encyclical Letter ‘Human Vitae’ on July 25, 1968 which banned Catholics from using contraceptives (Pope VI). These important declarations demonstrate the power of the Papacy to shape public policy on matters relating to human health and reproduction on a global level. The belief within the Catholic Church is that God have the sole power over the creation of life and humans have no role in this

The arrival of the pill in the spring of 1960 represented both an important step towards bodily autonomy for women, and a ‘new era in the long history of birth control’. For the very first time, there would exist a method of contraception that separated brith control from the act of sexual intercourse, and allowed women total control over their fertility. This caused many commentators to fear that the pill would ‘wreck moral havoc’ on the sexual behaviour of the nation, with some even going as far as to claim that it would lead to adultery and the destruction of the ‘nuclear family’. It was, after all, overwhelmingly mothers who rushed to fill their prescriptions when the pill hit the market at the peak of the baby boom. However, other parties claimed that the pill would cure the ‘social, sexual and political ills of the day… The pill was, bearing in mind the military metaphors that permeated the Cold War, the ‘magic bullet’ that would avert the explosion of the ‘population bomb’.’ By reducing the population, they argued, the pill would alleviate the conditions of poverty that so often seemed to lead to an embrace of communism among ‘third world’ nations. The pill would also booster the nuclear family with the promise of marital bliss, and would foster happy families along the way. ‘As one euphoric husband gushed; ‘with my wife on the pill, any moment is the right moment for love!’. In the eyes of its champions, the pill would be a powerful asset in the fight to maintain

Even though many people practice pro-life because of their religion, it may be surprising to learn that catholic women are 29% more likely to get an abortion than Protestant women, though they are as likely as all women to do so2. In Christianity abortion has been considered homicide since Pope Sixtus V declared it so, but the debate didn’t become heated until the 19th century1. So even these pro-life supporters sometimes find the circumstances where abortion is necessary. An example of a situation where you may see this is in a given situation where bearing a child and giving birth would kill the mother because of health issues or womb complications the fetus would have. It’s said that the risks of death associated with childbirth is 10 times higher than

This week marks the forty-sixth anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, a document which clarified the Church’s moral teaching on contraception. What is contraception? Contraception is, “any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation whether as an end or as a means” (Humanae Vitae 14). There are various methods of contraception that temporarily or permanently sterilize a couple, thus making it impossible to have children. Contraception destroys the union and love between couples. In this we find that contraception violates God’s plan of procreation. Contraceptives go against the gift of fertility by treating pregnancy as a disease. The issue of contraception has drawn worldwide attention with people divided on whether it is morally permissible to use any form of contraception. Society views contraception as a development in the modern world that helps in the regulation of birth. We find that many Catholics don’t understand this issue and the Church’s teaching on contraception has been misunderstood. The Church makes it clear through Humane Vitae that any use of contraception is morally wrong, for it violates the dignity of marriage and God’s plan of procreation. It is our understanding that marriage is a sacrament of love between two people, instituted by God, for the whole purpose of continuing his plan of creation. Marriage is the foundation of

Those who disagree think providing birth control promotes promiscuity and premarital sexual activity. In the article “At Issue: Birth Control Availability,” the author argues that access to birth control and other contraceptives for

Birth control which is also formally known as contraception or fertility control are methods or devices used to prevent pregnancy. Birth control methods have been used for many years dating back all the way to ancient times. In fact Egypt has some of the earliest documented birth controls. For example the women there would use honey, acacia leafs and also lent to stuff up their vaginas to block the male sperm from entering. This has mainly to do with the religious view of the women. The Roman Catholic Church only agrees with natural family planning however there are a number of Catholics whom accept and agree with modern birth control methods. Also according to allaboutbirthcontrol.com Muhammad, who the Muslims believe to be the last and

"Contraception could, simultaneously, unleash female sexuality from repression, uplift sexual experience into mystical communion, and rid humanity of poverty and deformity." (Woloch 363)