Center for Biblical Theology and Eschatology
Understanding Birth Control:
What Every Christian Should Know
by John V. Cordaro
Did You Know . . .
that many commonly used forms of "birth control"
or "contraception" can actually cause an abortion early in a
pregnancy? IT'S TRUE! Some methods of "family planning" should give
Christians cause to reconsider. Facts concerning the mechanisms
through which most methods of "contraception" prevent the birth of a
baby are enough to establish that there are grave moral problems
which arise. Do not be fooled into dismissing concerns over
"birth control" as simply a "Roman Catholic issue." It is worth noting that
remarkable Church leaders like Martin Luther and John Calvin
criticized practices aimed at preventing or terminating a
pregnancy. How They Work The average person has little knowledge of the way
various birth control methods such as the Pill, Depo Provera,
Norplant, and the intrauterine device (IUD) work. Take a moment to
read some of the facts concerning the most popular methods used to
avoid having a baby. The IUD The Intrauterine Device, or IUD is not a
contraceptive. That is, it does not prevent fertilization, the
joining of an egg and sperm, from occurring (conception). It does
nothing to disrupt ovulation, the menstrual cycle, or to thicken the
cervical mucous. The IUD is a device which is inserted into the womb
and which creates a hostile environment by irritating and thinning
the endometrium, the lining of the uterus. Such a state of irritation
leaves the uterine wall unprepared for the process of implantation
when a newly conceived baby attempts to cleave to the wall of the
uterus. Though literature on the IUD suggests that perhaps
fertilization may be prevented; that perhaps copper in the IUD kills
sperm, there is no evidence to support the hypothesis that sperm are
killed or that fertilization is prevented at all. In fact, G.D.
Searle, one company which produces the IUD, conceded early on that
the device does nothing more than prevent the unborn child from
attaching to the wall of the uterus: "The action of the IUDs would seem to be a
simple local phenomenon. That these devices prevent nidatation
[implantation] of an already fertilized ovum has been accepted as the
most likely mechanism of action." [1]
So, when the conceived child, driven by nature,
seeks out the warmth, nutrition, and comfort of the mother's womb,
the IUD has essentially put out an "Unwelcome" mat. Understanding that human life begins at
conception, this intentional disruption of the uterine environment
produces an early abortion. The unborn child, unable to implant,
starves for lack of nutrition, dies,and is sloughed off during the
next menstrual cycle. Depo-Provera Some birth control falls into the category of
anti-progesterones which can be delivered orally, vaginally or by
injection. RU-486 is an anti-progesterone, but a more common one is
Depo-Provera (DMPA). This drug is generally administered by injection
intramuscularly (IM) every three months. It is thought that by
inhibiting the secretion of pituitary gonadotropin DMPA acts to
suppress ovulation. It also irritates and thins the lining of the
uterus, making implantation of the newly conceived person
unlikely. DMPA is not recommended for use as a contraceptive
by its manufacturer, Upjohn.[2] Norplant Norplant too is an anti-progesterone drug which is
increasingly popular despite significant risks which are associated
with it.[3] The drug is encased in five or six flexible closed
capsules, or rods, which are surgically implanted beneath the
skin. Again, pregnancy is either avoided through the
suppression of ovulation, or, should ovulation occur, an irritation
to the uterine wall prevents placental implantation of the
child. The Pill The Pill is called an oral contraceptive, implying
that conception is prevented. However, actual prevention of pregnancy
is only true for two of its three mechanisms. The three mechanisms
are briefly indicated in this quote from the Physician's Desk
Reference (PDR): "Although the primary mechanism of this action
is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations in the genital tract,
including changes in the cervical mucous (which increase the
difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus) and the endometrium (which
may reduce the likelihood of implantation) may also contribute to
contraceptive [sic] effectiveness." [4] So, to summarize, the mechanisms by which the Pill
can prevent the birth of a baby are: 1.) Inhibiting ovulation, and thus preventing
fertilization from ever occurring. 2.) Thickening the cervical mucous, thereby making
it more difficult for sperm cells to travel into the uterus, and
reducing the chance that fertilization might occur. But should there be what the medical literature
refers to as a "breakthrough ovulation" (a failure to prevent
ovulation) and a resulting pregnancy (fertilization), the Pill also
performs a function similar to the IUD. The Pill too provides a
chemical mechanism which makes the uterus a hostile environment
by: 3.) Changing the endometrium, thinning it, so that
implantation does not occur. The unborn child is aborted. In the end, it does exactly the same work as the
much publicized abortion pill, RU-486. This information is not new. And the disruption
which causes early chemical abortion is not limited to a few types of
the Pills. With all of the oral contraceptives, it is estimated that
the abortion-causing mechanism comes into play between 2% and 10% of
the time. In fact, the "mini-pills" which have no estrogen allow
ovulation to take place 40-60% of the time.[5] Still, drug companies elect to call their products
"contraceptive." What Does This Mean? Calling these methods "contraceptive" is
deceptive. Such deception has meant that many Christians who would
not ever consider terminating a pregnancy through one of the methods
of surgical abortion are unknowingly using methods of birth control
which, at least 2% to 10% of the time, may be taking the life of a
newly conceived child. Dr. Bogomir Kuhar, a pharmacist concerned about
chemical abortion, has calculated that combining all forms of induced
abortion-IUD, injectibles like Depo-Provera, implants such as
Norplant, the Pill, and surgical - between 9.6 and 13.4 million
pregnancies - young lives - are terminated in the United States each
year.[6] How Should We Then Live? Many people have wondered why the church has
seemed to have so little effect when it comes to stopping legal
abortion in America. Is it possible that, knowingly or unknowingly,
"contraceptive" practices used by Christ bed the Church of her moral
speak against abortion? When we as Christians declare the biblical
truth that human life begins at conception, and that we oppose
abortion, we must be consistent. We must not compromise by refusing
to address methods of birth control which result in an
abortion. Not only are we accountable for applying truth in
our own lives, as Christian counselors and leaders, we need to share
what we know. We need to stop promoting the world's view of
"family planning." Our pre-marital counseling should address the
abortion risk inherent in these popular methods of birth
control. Christian couples are entitled to know that some
methods of birth control can be deadly for their unborn
children.
Footnotes
[1] Searle Laboratories, "For the patient: CU-7 brand of Intrauterine Copper Contraceptive:" Chicago: G.D. Searle Co., August 1, 1977, Pgs. 7-9
[2] Physicians Desk Reference, 1996, Depo-Provera Pg, 2417-2418
[3] As of 8/96 over 68 federal lawsuits against Norplant's maker, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, have been consolidated in Texas alone. Norplant is linked with loss of vision, migraines, brain tumors,and are often difficult to remove because of a tendency for the capsules to migrate in the body
[4]Physician's Desk Reference, 1996, see, for example, Demulen and other Searle birth control drugs, Pgs. 2201-2220
[5] David Sterns, MD., et al.,The Birth Control Game: Gambling With Life, Pg. 2, ALL publ., Stafford, 1990
[6] Lawrence Roberge, The Cost of abortion, Pg. 7, Four Winds, LaGrange, GA, 1995