Christianity & Family Planning (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B)

Christian Teachings about Family Planning

What is Family Planning?

• Family Planning or contraception is something that allows a couple to have sex without conception occurring, this allows a couple to control the number of children they have

• The use of contraception in the West has become very popular 

  • It is estimated that 90% of the sexually active population of childbearing age in the UK use some form of contraception

• People try to control the number of children they have for many reasons: 

  • For the health of the mother

  • To avoid the risk of not being able to provide for the existing family

  • To maintain good standards of living for the family unit

Types of Family Planning - Artificial Methods

• There are many different types of contraception available to couples including; the male and female condom, diaphragms, caps, combined contraceptive pill, progestogen only pill, contraceptive injections, contraceptive implant and intrauterine device (IUD)

• For women who have had unprotected sex, there are emergency contraceptive pills (morning after pills) 

  • The pills work by preventing or delaying ovulation

  • Emergency contraception does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

• Condoms, as well as being effective contraceptives, are the only form of contraception which can prevent the transmission of STIs such as HIV/AIDS

• Artificial methods can be used without much planning and in any form of sexual relationship

• However, methods such the IUD and the morning after pill, which prevent the fertilised egg from attaching itself to the womb wall, are often called abortifacients because they bring about a very early abortion

Types of Family Planning - Natural Methods

• The most common form of natural contraception is known as natural family planning (NFP) or fertility awareness

  • It involves reducing the chance of becoming pregnant by planning sex around the most fertile times during the woman’s monthly cycle

• Another method of natural contraception uses devices to measure hormone levels in the woman’s urine

  • If used according to the instructions, these methods can be 94% effective

• Natural methods require planning and for the couple to give up sex at certain times of the month

• Natural methods do not involve any drugs or any risks of promoting early abortions but they do not prevent STDs

Christian Teaching on Family Planning

• Contraception is a challenging issue for Christians because there are no direct teachings in the bible because it is more of a modern issue

• Some Christians refer to teachings in the bible that encourage having children and use this as an argument not to prevent procreation from taking place

  • For example, ‘As for you, be fruitful and increase in number: multiply on the earth and increase upon it’ (Genesis 9:7)

• Some Christians would also refer to the belief in the sanctity of life and argue that all life, including potential life, is precious and should therefore not be prevented

• The main alternative viewpoints relating to contraception are between Roman Catholics and other Christians (including Protestants)

Divergent Christian Attitudes Towards Contraception & Family Planning

Christianity and Family Planning

• There are two main attitudes to contraception among Christians

Non-Religious Attitudes Towards Contraception & Family Planning

Atheist and Humanist Attitudes to Family Planning

• Atheists and humanists are likely to be in favour of contraception because they assess the rights and wrongs of birth control by looking at its consequences

  • They may argue that contraception is morally right because it

    • Prevents unwanted children from being born

    • Improves the material and emotional standard of living in families

    • Prevents the spread of STIs like HIV / AIDS

• Many Atheists and humanists would believe that the situation of each individual should be taken into consideration, and there could be many reasons that they want to use birth control including

  • They want to plan for a family

  • They are not yet ready to have a family

  • The lifestyle of the couple may not be compatible with having children

  • The pregnancy may be harmful to the mother

  • They do not want to catch STIs

  • There may be a genetic disorder that they do not want to continue to the next generation

• Humanists argue that if contraception ‘results in every child being a wanted child, and in better, healthier lives for women, it must be a good thing’ (British Humanist Association)

Ethical Theories & Christian Responses

Situation Ethics and Contraception

• Situation Ethics is the belief that Christians should make moral decisions based on looking at the moral situation and deciding which choice would give the most loving outcome

• This is based on the teaching of Jesus; that the greatest commandment is to love God and to love your neighbour

• Christians who believe in Situation Ethics would say that people should use contraception because it:

  • Improves the health and well being of the woman

  • Prevents many children suffering, because every child will be a wanted child

• By reducing the rates of unintended pregnancies; 

  • it reduces the need for unsafe abortions

  • Reduces the risk of unintended pregnancies among women living with HIV, resulting in fewer infected babies and orphans

  • Provides dual protection against unintended pregnancies and against STIs including HIV if using male and female condoms 

Christian responses to non religious attitudes to contraception

• As Protestant and Orthodox Christians agree with the non religious attitudes to contraception, it is only the Roman Catholic Church which has responded to them

• The church continues to issue statements to Catholic couples that they must only use natural methods of contraception

  • However, a lot of Catholics seem to have responded by accepting the non religious attitudes

  • A survey in the US questioned more than 12,000 Catholics in twelve countries and discovered that 78% supported the use of artificial birth control 

  • This may suggest that many Catholics are not abiding by the teachings of the Catholic Church on this topic