Early Predictions of Pro-Contraception Side
• Control population
• Reduce the number
of unwed
pregnancies and
abortions
• Improve marriages
Example of Dire Predictions by
Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion Side
• In 1968, a book by Paul Ehrlich entitled The
Population Bomb was published.
• In the book, Ehrlich predicted there would
be mass starvation brought on by
overpopulation, and that it was too late to
stop it from happening. Among other things,
he wrote that we needed a federal law
legalizing abortion.
• The book became a best seller, Ehrlich
appeared on the Johnny Carson Show 25
times, and overpopulation became a
prominent environmental issue.
Example of Dire Predictions by
Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion Side
• In the Population Bomb, Paul Ehrlich wrote that
population was growing faster than food production,
and that "massive famines will occur soon, possibly
in the early 1970's, certainly by the early 1980's."
• In developing countries (such as India and Uganda),
between 1970 and 1996, the population grew by
69%. During the same time period, the percentage of
people in these countries who were undernourished
went from 37% to 18%.
Example of Dire Predictions by
Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion Side
The Sky is Falling!
The Sky is Falling!
• Ehrlich’s best case scenario starts in 1974
with the United States announcing "it will
no longer send food to India, Egypt, and
some other countries which it considers
beyond hope. A moderate food rationing
program is instituted in the United States."
Famine and food riots sweep Asia" and
one-fifth of the world's population starves
to death by 1985.
• As of 1997, 78% of the starving young children
(5 years of age or younger) in the world live in
countries that have food surpluses and export
them to other nations.
Connecting the Dots
•
In 1990, Paul Ehrlich and his wife published a book
entitled The Population Explosion. The dust cover of the
book has an endorsement from Senator Al Gore.
• In 1970, Paul Ehrlich became one of the founders of
Earth Day
• As of 2002, Paul Ehrlich sits on the U.S. Earth Day
Council along with the president of Planned Parenthood.
• Some global warming extremists are closely connected
to these groups.
Here is the basic line of thought:
A.
B.
C.
D.
Global warming cause = Emissions
Cause of emissions = Humans/anthropogenic
Solution to humans = Reduce humans
Solution to reducing humans = Contraception and abortion
Purported Promise of Contraception: Freedom for
Women! No more ‘ball and chain’ (namely, children)
God Creates Every Human Soul
Contraceptive Seeks to Thwart
God’s Life-Giving power
Pope Paul VI the Prophet
Humanae Vitae’s Warnings
If contraception were practiced more readily
there would be…
1.
2.
3.
4.
More infidelity in marriages (true)
A loss of respect for women (has happened via
pornography, certain types of music, etc.)
Contraception would become a dangerous
weapon in the hands of public authorities
(China, some in this country).
It would lead to a false sense of freedom -ultimately leading to a greater slavery to sin
(sexual addictions abound now in our
country).
The Wisdom of Humanae Vitae
 Sex today is often seen as a joke in our
high schools and colleges.
 The rate of rape has skyrocketed.
 China has a mandatory one child limit -forcible abortion in many places.
 Contraception has led to more abortions
(more on this later).
What We Got Instead
The Contraceptive Mentality
 Higher divorce rates and single family homes
 Rise in out of wedlock births
 Higher infidelity (due to contraception)
 A rejection of motherhood and parenthood altogether
 Rise in pornography and the harm that comes with it
 Rise in child abuse rates
 Rise in physical effects due to contraception -- breast
cancer, ovarian cancer, etc., etc.
 (Controversial point): Emasculation of men. Where
have all the good men gone? “My wife doesn’t need
me to take care of her”
Birth Control History
• Every Christian Church was against
contraception until 1930 (even Martin
Luther and John Calvin, the 2 most
important Reformation-era Protestant
theologians were vehemently against it).
• The Fathers of the Church (St. Augustine,
St. Jerome, St. John Chysostom, etc.) were
ALL against it.
Contraception in Scripture
• Some scholars hold that the word ‘pharmakos’ and
‘pharmakeia’ in the NT (Galatians 5: 19-26, Rev.
9: 21, Rev. 21: 8) refer, either directly or
indirectly, to chemical potions used for
contraception. Examples:
• “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: immorality,
impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery,
hatreds…those who do such things will not inherit the
Kingdom of God.” Gal. 5: 19-20
• “Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic
potions/sorcery, their unchastity…” Rev. 9: 21
Psalm 127: 3-5
• “Behold children are a gift
from the Lord; the fruits of the
womb is a reward. Like arrows
in the hand of a warrior are the
sons and daughters of one’s
youth. Happy the man whose
quiver is filled with them…”
Psalm 128: 1-4
• “Happy are those who fear the Lord, who
walk in his ways! For you shall eat the fruit
of your handiwork; happy shall you be.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine…your
children like olive plants around your table.
Behold, thus is the man blessed who fears
the Lord.”
It is not a coincidence that Jesus’ first miracle
was at a wedding (Cana)
God loves marriage and loves life.
Contraception, Cohabitation and
Separation
Couples now live together before marriage and split up after marriage!
Couples who co-habit together before marriage (and usually use contraception) have a MUCH
higher rate of divorce than couples who do not live together before marriage.
(per 1,000 married women)
Divorces
Divorce Rates
25
20
15
10
5
0
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1991
Percentage of All Families
with Children
Single Parent Families
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1991
Percentage of out of wedlock births
Out of Wedlock Births
80
70
60
50
White
Black
All Births
40
30
20
10
0
1960
1975
1990
1995
1997
Source: William J. Bennett, The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators
• Brad Wilcox, assistant professor of sociology at UVA
(Ph.D., Princeton University), cites research by six
scholars which show contraception to be responsible
for a significant rise in divorce and illegitimacy, both
of which lead to other social ills like heightened rates
of criminal behavior and increased high school drop
out rates. Wilcox also argues that the poor are
especially susceptible to the harms caused by the
contraceptive culture. Wilcox notes that the research
is not partisan. "The leading scholars who have
tackled these topics are not Christians, and most of
them are not political or social conservatives”
•
Robert Michael, of the University of Chicago
(Distinguished Professor in the Harris School of
Public Policy) believes that sudden widespread use
of artificial contraception and the availability of
abortion is responsible for "about half of the increase
in divorce from 1965 to 1976."
•George Akerlof, a Nobel prize-winning economist:
“…traditional women who wanted to either abstain from
sex or at least receive a promise from their boyfriend that
he would marry her in the case of pregnancy could no
longer compete with ‘modern’ women who embraced
contraception. This created an environment in which
premarital sex became the norm and women felt free or
obligated to have sex."
"Thus, many traditional women ended up having sex and
having children out of wedlock, while many of the
permissive women ended up having sex and contraception
or aborting so as to avoid childbearing. This explains in
large part why the contraceptive revolution was associated
with an increase in both abortion and illegitimacy.”
Sam: For men, learning to follow and accept the female fertility cycle is an essential part of
loving our wives. This is something my dad taught me when I was in high school--he explained
how the cycle can effect a woman's moods, and why a husband should make an extra effort to
help out when his wife needs to relax. But when you don't know exactly where your wife is at in
her cycle, this is mostly guesswork. Bethany and I learned the basics of NFP while we were
engaged, and Bethany started tracking her cycle on her own. That was a great help. For example,
there were times when she'd be upset over something minor, but then we'd realize that her
hormones were blowing it out of proportion and have a good laugh. It definitely prevented a few
arguments.
I've read a good deal about the side-effects of contraception--especially hormonal varieties such
as the Pill. As a husband, I can't imagine inflicting that upon my wife. (And this is not even to
mention the greatest problem with the Pill--that it can act an abortifacient.) The great struggle of
being a Christian husband is working to love our wives as Christ loves the Church. We all fail at
that, but contraception seems to me to be very destructive of love. Sex should be the very picture
of self-giving love. At this time of greatest intimacy, contraception puts a barrier in-between
husband and wife--a literal barrier, in the case of condoms and diaphragms.
Husbands need to be leaders in this area. In our society, contraception is viewed as such a great
necessity because too few men take responsibility for their sexuality. Men want sex, but they put
all the "consequences"--such as raising children--onto women. If more men were loving leaders
of their homes, self-sacrificing, and eager to practice NFP to space their children, there would be
no public outcry for contraception.
Bethany (his wife): Contraception can be harmful both to a newlyconceived baby and to a woman's body. It does not foster communication
or self-knowledge or love of either spouse's body, something NFP does. It
also can treat children as a sickness or a disease and often fosters a selfish,
anti-child attitude.
SMART SEXUA LITY
RISKY SEXUA LITY
Chaste Lifesty le
Dangerous Lifestyle
Postponing sexual activity until
marr iage; husband and wife remain
mutually faithful
Having mo re than one sexual
partner; no long-term
commitment to monogamy
No risk of STD's
1 in 4 get STD's
Health
Risk of AI DS, PID, cervical
cancer
Supportive partne r while
pregnant
Alone while pregnant
Children hav e two parent family
Single parenthood
Retain sel f-respect; respected by
others
Disrespected by opposite sex
Fond memories of past
relationships
Painful memories of past
relationships
Clean conscience
Guilt, sh ame, and secrecy
Enjoy adoles cence
Forced to grow up too soon
Contraception and Abortion
Fruits of the Same Tree
“In some critical respects abortion is of the same
character as the decision to use contraception.... For
two decades of economic and social developments,
people have organized intimate relationships and
made choices that define their views of themselves
and their places in society, in reliance on the
availability of abortion in the event that
contraception should fail.”
United State Supreme Court Decision, 1992
Planned Parenthood vs. Casey
• Only 8% of women having an abortion say they have never used
a contraceptive.
• 54% of women having an abortion said they used some form of
contraceptive during the month they became pregnant.
• From the Alan Guttmacher Institute (a pro-choice web site):
• 46% percent of women had not used a contraceptive method
in the month they conceived, mainly because of perceived
low risk of pregnancy and concerns about contraception.
The male condom was the most commonly reported method
among all women (28%), followed by the pill (14%).
Inconsistent method use was the main cause of pregnancy
for 49% of condom users and 76% of pill users; 42% of
condom users cited condom breakage or slippage as a
reason for pregnancy.
John Paul II
The Gospel of Life
• “It is frequently asserted that contraception, if made
safe and available to all, is the most effective remedy
against abortion. The Catholic Church is then
accused of actually promoting abortion, because she
continues to teach the moral unlawfulness of
contraception. When looked at carefully, this
objection is clearly unfounded. It may be that many
people use contraception with a view to excluding
the subsequent temptation of abortion. But the
negative values inherent in the "contraceptive
mentality” are such that they in fact strengthen this
temptation when an unwanted life is conceived.
Indeed, the pro- abortion culture is especially strong
precisely where the Church's teaching on
contraception is rejected" (n. 13).
Contraception and Abortion
~~Bedfellows~~
• They are linked sociologically.
• Every culture and subculture which has opened the doors to
contraception has likewise experienced an increased practice of
abortion.
• They are linked in law and jurisprudence.
• In 1973, the Supreme Court's Roe vs.Wade decision legalizing abortion
clearly built upon the recognized privacy right behind contraception.
• They are sometimes linked by being identical.
• Some "contraceptives" have a backup mechanism whereby a newlydeveloping life may be destroyed in its microscopic stages. These drugs
and devices are abortifacients,
John Paul II
The Gospel of Life
• [On contraception]: "Such practices
are rooted in a hedonistic mentality
unwilling to accept responsibility in
matters of sexuality, and they imply
a self-centered concept of freedom,
which regards procreation as an
obstacle to personal fulfillment" (n.
13).
Contraceptives as Abortifacients
The contraceptive pill works in three ways:
•Prevents ovulation
•Prevents sperm from meeting egg
•As an abortifacient — prevents
fertilized ovum from implanting in
uterine wall.
Test tube babies & designer
genes
• Pope Paul VI predicted
that the use of
contraception would lead
us to want complete
control over reproduction
and that we would begin
to treat our bodies like
machines.
Contraception violates
Physical Health of Women
Common Side-Effects of Birth
Control Pills, etc.
•
•
•
•
increased
irritability
increased
propensity to
depression
weight gain
reduced sex drive
An Insult to Women
Impediment to Total
Self-Giving
Babies Bond Us
Large Families Tend
to Stay Together (and are fun!)
• Question: What’s one of the greatest gifts you can
give a child?
• Answer: A sibling
Large Families Tend
to Stay Together (and are fun!)
“I came that they might have life and have
it more abundantly!” ~~ John 10: 10
Responsible Parenting
The NFP (Natural Family Planning) approach always views children,
if and when they come, as a gift from God (never a mistake).
Natural Family Planning
• fertile mucus
Signs of fertility • rise in temperature
• change in cervix
Effectiveness of NFP
“…pregnancy rates [of couples using NFP] have
depended on the motivation of couples. Increasingly
studies show that rates equivalent to those with other
contraceptive methods are readily achieved in the
developed and developing worlds. Indeed, a study of
19,843 poor women in India had a pregnancy rate
approaching zero. Natural family planning is cheap,
efficient, without side effects, and may be particularly
acceptable to and efficacious among people in areas of
poverty.”
Dr. R. E. J. Ryder
British Medical Journal, Sept. 18, 1993
Benefits of NFP
 No bad physical
side-effects
 Requires mutual sacrifice
 Enhances
communication between
spouses and strengthens
marriages
 Strengthens couple’s
relationship with God
 No harm to society
 Women, particularly, love
52,000 STDS per day -- 1/2 among ages 15-24 =
26,000 a day among young people ages 15-24!
The other night, I attended a meeting at my child's school where
some of the faculty were going to preview the school's new sex education
curriculum for any parents who were interested. I arrived and looked at some
of the material prior to the start of the meeting. After looking and looking, it
quickly became obvious that the mention of abstinence was not part of this
curriculum. After the meeting started, I raised my hand and asked why
abstinence was not a part of the curriculum. I was immediately met with much
hostility and condescension from the other parents who were there. I was
caught totally off guard by this, and I didn't say anything in response to their
vitriol.
The meeting continued as I sat there totally cowed by what had just
occurred. After the staff introduced themselves to us, they invited the parents
to take a break and go to the back of the room where there were nametags set
up. The staff instructed the parents to take that time to apply their nametags,
introduce themselves to one another, shake hands, do a little meet and greet.
As the rest of the parents did so, I remained in my chair, still very embarrassed
about what had happened earlier. One of the instructors came up to me and
invited me to go back there and join the others. I told the instructor that I
probably wasn't the most popular person in the room right now, so I would
rather stay put. The instructor left it at that and walked off.
I sat there praying about what I should do. All I wanted to do was
leave this uncomfortable situation, but I had too much pride to just walk
out. I prayed and prayed, and finally, this little voice in my head told me to
stay put and do nothing. A couple of minutes later, the other parents were
ushered back to their seats. Once they were seated, one of the instructors
said, "Now, what we are going to do is teach a sample class to you in the
exact same way we would teach your children. Everyone take off your
nametags and turn them over. One of you has a flower drawn on the back
of it. This flower represents an STD. Whoever has that nametag, please
identify yourself."A man raised his hand and identified himself as the
flower nametag.
The instructor then asked the man whose hands he shook during the
meet and greet. He identified them, then the instructor asked them whose
hands they shook, and so on and so on.... The instructor then said, "So as
you can see, from this one person, all of you caught an STD." It was then
that something in my brain clicked. I stood up and said, "Excuse me, I
want to apologize for any disruption I caused earlier with my questions,
and I am going to leave now. But there is one thing I want to point out
before I leave. Not quite everyone in here has an STD. You see, while you
were all shaking hands, I abstained. Goodnight."
Birth Control/Condom
Stats and Facts
• For male condoms the FDA says the rate is 14 percent. In other
words, over a span of a year, for every 100 typical couples using
condoms, 14 will become pregnant. This rate is based on birth
prevention, not disease prevention.
• A July 20, 2001 report from the National Institutes of Health,
Scientific Evidence on Condom Effectiveness for Sexually
Transmitted Disease Prevention, concluded that scientific
evidence does not support condom use as a means to prevent
infections of genital herpes (HSV), human papillomavirus,
chlamydia, syphilis, chanchroid, and trichomonas (pages 20, 26,
17, 23, 21, 18 respectively). Yes, lowers chances, but does not
‘prevent’ -- see www.cdc.gov for more information.
CDC Web site on HPV
(most common STD)
CDC Web site on HPV (most
common STD)
CDC Web site on Chlamydia
CDC on Chlamydia
Note, NOT prevent
Herpes -- From CDC
CDC Fact Sheet on HIV/AIDS
•
•
“The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted
diseases is to abstain from sexual intercourse, or to be in a longterm mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has
been tested and you know is uninfected. For persons whose
sexual behaviors place them at risk for STDs, correct and
consistent use of the male latex condom can reduce the risk of
STD transmission. However, no protective method is 100 percent
effective, and condom use cannot guarantee absolute protection
against any STD. Furthermore, condoms lubricated with
spermicides are no more effective than other lubricated condoms
in protecting against the transmission of HIV and other STDs. In
order to achieve the protective effect of condoms, they must be
used correctly and consistently. Incorrect use can lead to condom
slippage or breakage, thus diminishing their protective effect.
Inconsistent use, e.g., failure to use condoms with every act of
can lead to STD transmission because transmission can occur
with a single act of intercourse. While condom use has been
associated with a lower risk of cervical cancer, the use of
condoms should not be a substitute for routine screening with
Pap smears to detect and prevent cervical cancer.”
Source: CDC’s National Prevention Information Network
Fact Sheet for Public Health Personnel
Birth Control Stats and Facts
• Among sexually active teenage girls aged 12 to 18, 30% contracted
an STD over a six month period, including condom users. Source:
LM Dinerman et al, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Med,
149(9):967-72, Sept 1995.
• Only 7 percent of HIV positive persons voluntarily notify their
sexual partners. Source: New England Journal of Medicine, Jan 9,
1992.
• 78% of teen pregnancies are unintended.
• Teen pregnancies account for about 1/4 of all accidental pregnancies
annually.
Source: "Teen Sex and Pregnancy," Facts in Brief, AGI, 1999
• The Naval Academy Department of Chemistry
stated the following:
"The defining feature of viruses is their diminutive
size. For example, the AIDS virus (----->) is only
0.15 microns, and the hepatitis B virus is even
smaller. Given the presence in rubber of intrinsic
defects two orders of magnitude larger in size, the
ability of a condom or surgical glove to prevent
transmission of viral particles is problematic."4
Recent headlines have noted that the rate of
AIDS is much higher (as high as 50%) than what
was previously thought.
-- Washington Post, Fall 2007
Birth Control Side Effects &
Heath Hazards
• The Pill (Combined): Health risks include abnormal blood clotting and
heart attacks, cancer, and gallbladder disease. Side effects include
headaches, acne, weight gain, vaginal infections, and depression.
• Mini-pill (Progestin Only): Health risks and side effects include ectopic
pregnancy, ovarian cysts, weight gain, and menstrual cycle disturbances.
• Norplant: Common side effects include headaches, acne, weight gain,
nausea, nervousness, hair loss, mood swings, ovarian cysts, scarring
upon removal.
Source: Contraceptive Technology, RA Hatcher et al, 7th ed, 1998
Birth Control Side Effects &
Heath Hazards
• Injectables (Depo-Provera): Side effects include increasing amenorrhea,
headaches, dizziness, weight gain, loss in bone density, allergy,
depression, and ovarian cysts. (And possibly cervical cancer, breast
cancer, hemorrhaging, fetal defect.)
• IUD: Health risks include pelvic-inflammatory disease, permanent
infertility, ectopic pregnancy, septic abortion, and even death.
• Condoms & Spermicides: Irritation, allergy, urinary tract infection.
Source: Contraceptive Technology, RA Hatcher et al, 7th ed, 1998
NFP Stats and Facts
• Natural Family Planning (NFP) is 99% effective in knowing when a
woman is fertile/pregnancy may occur.
• Among married couples who practice NFP, divorce is rare. Josef
Rötzer, M. D., author of the sympto-thermal method, reports not a
single divorce or abortion among 1,400 married couples who used
NFP. John Kippley, founder of the Couple to Couple League, reports a
divorce rate among married couples who teach NFP at 1.3%.
• The side effects of NFP include stronger marriages, more respect for
women and other ‘terrible’ things.
• Women LOVE NFP -- it makes them feel respected and cherished by
their husbands.
Reasons to reject contraception
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
It is a violation of the good of a woman’s
physical and psychological health
It is an impediment to the total self-giving of
spousal love
It is a rejection of God as the Creator of new
life
Contraception often leads to abortion as a
‘back up’ plan.
Some contraceptives are ‘abortifacient’ in
nature -- meaning, that the fertilized egg is
unable to implant because of the effects of
the pill (thus, aborting the new nascent
child).
Reasons to reject contraception
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
Contraceptives do not ‘protect’ in the way they are often
believed to in terms of STD’s (CDC information).
Contraceptives can never protect the heart from the
bonding that takes place through sexual activity. Thus, the
‘safest’ sex is in a loving, faithful, monogamous marriage.
Large families are good for marriages -- children bond
couples, keep us from being selfish, and keep us from being
lonely in old age (among other reasons).
Contraception has made pornography more available.
Contraception has ultimately led to more divorce and
greater instability in marriage -- the basic cell of society.
Those who follow the Church’s teaching on Natural Family
Planning (NFP) have a divorce rate of anywhere from 1-3%.
NFP is good for marriages, communication, etc.
Purity is a very important virtue to this 23-year-old singer. Rebecca St.
James is a virgin and she says she’ll remain one until she gets married. On
her right ring finger, she wears a gold band. During a concert in Colorado
Springs, she told her audience: “I’d like to tell you about this ring I’m
wearing. It is a promise ring, and when my parents gave it to me, they
said it was to symbolize my commitment to wait until marriage to have
sex. I can tell you right now, I will be waiting for that special person God
has planned for me.”
Rebecca St. James speaks and sings before hundreds of thousands of
teens each year -- she’s from Australia
Miss America 2002
Chastity Spokesperson