Judaism & Family Planning (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note

Jewish teachings about family planning

• Judaism sees marriage as a sacred thing and the rightful place for sexual relationships

  • This is where the couple fulfil God’s command to 'be fruitful and multiply' (Genesis 1:22)

• Judaism teaches that children are a gift from God and should be brought into a marriage union:

• Family life is very important in Judaism and children help to promote family life and pass on the faith to the next generation

• Many Jews believe that as the main purpose of sex within marriage is to have children a couple should carefully consider whether to use contraception

• Genesis 38:6–10 tells the story of Oman, who: 'spilled his seed on the ground' rather than impregnate a woman. 'And the thing which he did was evil in the sight of the Lord'.

  • This story is widely interpreted by Jews as a warning to avoid certain methods of contraception

Divergent Jewish attitudes towards contraception & family planning

Orthodox Jews

• Orthodox Jews will accept contraception, including artificial contraception, for appropriate medical or health reasons

• They would accept the use of contraception:

  • if pregnancy or childbirth would harm the mother

  • to allow couples to plan their family responsibly, taking into account their circumstances (but not to avoid having children altogether, as it is God’s will that they should have a family)

• Orthodox Jews often use the contraceptive pill because it does not interfere in the actual act of sex, and does not directly cause the wasting of seed (semen), as forbidden in the Torah

• Orthodox Jews often consult with a Rabbinic authority for advice about whether to use contraception and which methods are appropriate

  • The Rabbinic figure takes each couple’s unique circumstances into account when consulted

Liberal and Reform Jews

• Liberal and Reform Jews believe it is up to the couple to decide whether to use contraception and also which type of contraception to be used

• Reform Jews are less restrictive, and would accept the use of contraception for social or economic reasons as well as medical and health reasons

• They are also willing to use more different forms of artificial contraception

• For all Jews, sex is forbidden at certain times within the menstrual cycle

  • This acts as a form of birth control

Judaism & non-religious attitudes towards contraception & family planning

• For many non-religious people such as Atheists and Humanists, there are no religious teachings to prevent them from using contraception and family planning

• Therefore various methods of contraception are widely used in society for many reasons:

  • People can plan their family to suit their circumstances

  • Pregnancy might endanger the mother’s life or health

  • People want to have sex to express their love for someone but without wanting a child

  • It prevents STIs (sexually transmitted infections)

  • It prevents genetic conditions from being passed to the child

Jewish response to non-religious attitudes

• Most Jews would accept the use of artificial contraception for medical or health reasons

• Many Jews, including Liberal and Reform Jews, would agree with the idea of using contraception to plan families responsibly because there are so many social and economic pressures facing a couple who are thinking about starting a family

• Many Orthodox Jews might oppose certain forms of contraception, such as the condom, because of the teaching in the Torah about the act of ‘spilling of seed’ being forbidden

  • However, they might use the pill because it does not interfere with the actual act of sex, and does not directly cause the wasting of seed (semen)

• In other circumstances, Orthodox Jews would consult a Rabbinic authority as to whether to use contraception and would take their advice as experts in Jewish law, rather than thinking about what is acceptable in wider society

• For all Jews, the best place for a sexual relationship is within a marriage, or at least a faithful and committed relationship

  • Therefore they would not support the use of artificial contraception to prevent STIs if the person is being sexually promiscuous

Ethical theories & Jewish responses

Ethical theories & contraception

• Some people adopt ethical theories to help them make decisions about moral issues like contraception

• One ethical theory is situation ethics which focuses on what the most loving thing to do in the situation would be

• In the case of contraception, the situation ethicist would ask what is the most loving action to take

  • For example, if a couple are struggling financially or emotionally with the idea of having another child, the most loving thing might be to allow them to use contraception to plan their family in a way that they can prepare for and cope with

Jewish response to ethical theories

• Jews would agree with the situation ethics approach in most cases because of the Jewish principle of Pikuach nefesh

  • This means that saving a life or saving a soul is more important than most other religious rules

• Although all Jews would say that all children are to be seen as a gift from God, to be loved and brought up according to Jewish teachings, there are some circumstances where the most loving thing to do in the situation would be to permit the use of artificial contraception

  • For example, if the mother’s life or health is at risk from pregnancy or childbirth, the most loving thing in the situation would be to allow her to use contraception to avoid the potential danger to her life that a pregnancy might bring

    • This would agree with the Jewish principle of Pikuach nefesh.