What About Contraception?

God created sex, not just so that we would enjoy marriage, but also so we could have children. Children are a gift and not an accident. If you couldn’t imagine having children with a certain person, then you shouldn’t have sexual intercourse with them. This is one of the reasons why sex belongs to a lifelong marriage.

The Bible says that children are a gift from God. This means we should live as if a child is always welcome even if it isn’t planned. This doesn’t mean that we should have as many children as possible. God has created women in such a way that there are some days when they are less fertile. By avoiding sexual intercourse in the days around ovulation, the probability of pregnancy is reduced. The Bible doesn’t say anything about it being wrong to avoid sex on certain days.

Nowadays there are also contraceptives that prevent you becoming pregnant, but these function in different ways. When a sperm cell has united with an egg cell, human life has started. The Bible is very clear that human life is of infinite value, both before and after birth.

There is therefore a big difference between contraceptives that stop conception and contraceptives that don’t. For example, the condom will stop sperm cells coming in contact with the egg. The pill will also do this if you take it regularly and don’t forget to take it. But contraceptives such as the ‘spiral’ and so-called ‘mini pills’ (progestogen-only pill or POP pill) can lead to a fertilized egg not being able to survive in the womb. This means that the human life that’s developing is stopped a short time after it’s started. If you use contraception, it’s therefore important to choose a method that works before conception and not after.

When a couple plan to get married it’s important for them to talk about contraception. If you’re not planning to have lots of children during the woman’s fertile years, then you need to find some way of avoiding conception.