Contraception vs Abortifactant

The subject of contraception among Christians can be a very heated debate. It has as many facets as just about anything else that is not specifically outlined in the Bible. Yes, I know that there are verses to support the "no birth control is allowed" view just as there are verses to support a variety of other views. When I say specifically outlined I mean there is no verse that says "Thou shalt not hinder conception by any means other than abstinence." That specific.

That said, I think most Christians would agree that whatever your stance on the issue of contraception, abortion is wrong. (I said most, so please those of you who don't support that view, don't start sending me hate mail. You are entitled to your opinion and I would fight to the death to protect your right to have your opinion so please don't tell me I can't have mine.) The thing that concerns me is that the medical community at large generally does not inform women seeking contraception that there are approved methods of birth control that are not, in fact, contraception. The term contraception means "against conception." It means that it prevents conception. All contraception is birth control but not all birth control is contraception.

My biggest issue is with IUDs. Intrauterine Devices. These are little devices that are inserted into a woman's uterus for the purpose of birth control. What concerns me, among other things, is that these women are not generally being told HOW it provides birth control. IUDs are in no way contraception. They do absolutely nothing to prevent ovulation (and nothing to prevent the sperm from reaching the egg) therefore they do nothing to prevent conception. The IUD's function is to make the uterus a hostile environment thus preventing the implantation of the embryo. When you have an IUD in place and you have a heavier than normal period, you are most likely having a miscarriage. The IUD has, for all intents and purposes, aborted your baby.

The fact that women are not being told this before they have the device inserted seems to me to be, at the very least, unethical.

The other night I did something that I feel quite badly about now and had I known ahead of time what I was about to do I would have done it much differently. Two women that I love dearly were in my living room. Both of these lovely married ladies have children but are currently delaying more children. This is their choice and as long as their husbands are in agreement with them, my opinion on the subject is irrelevant and therefore kept to myself. I knew one of the ladies had an IUD. I had discussed with her the way it works before she had it inserted. However, she was newly postpartum at the time and she has grown emotionally in huge ways in the years since then. This evening a few days ago she was telling me that the cookie in each of her hands was not indicative of her being pregnant and I said, "IUDs are probably one of the most effective forms of birth control around, you know I just have an issue with how they achieve that birth control." I went on to say I respect a couple's right to choose to delay conception but I believe contraception should be used not abortifactants. The other lady with us that evening asked what I meant. I explained how an IUD works and the bit about the heavier than normal periods usually being miscarriages. Sometimes my big mouth gets me in trouble. This whole exchange took less than two minutes but at the end of those two minutes I seriously thought for a moment that the second lady was going to be physically sick. The first lady wasn't looking too good either. The first lady had completely forgotten our conversation years ago before she got her IUD and the second lady never knew that that was how they worked. I didn't know it until I stuck my foot in it but the second lady had an IUD as well. She was understandably horrified at the news of how her birth control method achieved it's goal.

Now, my first lady, the one I had spoken to about this years ago isn't sure of her belief in God. She is seeking but she hasn't made any decisions. However the second lady, the one I didn't know had an IUD, is a believer. She has a relationship with Jesus Christ. And while we have never had an actual conversation about abortion specifically, I know from the way she leads her life and the choices she makes that she doesn't believe in abortion. It isn't that I would have withheld this information from her but had I known she, as a believer, had an IUD in place, I certainly would have been more gentle in my method of telling.

I know the believing lady is planning to change her birth control method and I know my still seeking lady is seriously reconsidering. I'm glad for this. I just wish I had shared the information differently. But the information needs to be shared. Doctors aren't volunteering the information and most people in the secular world figure as long as you don't skip a period you were never pregnant. This is, of course, not true. You are pregnant from the moment that egg and sperm collide. Preventing that collision is contraception. Once that collision has taken place, the egg is fertilized and you are pregnant. Anything other than the hand of God that ends that pregnancy from that moment on is abortion.

They say knowledge is power. You have to wonder why this knowledge isn't shared. Why this knowledge is denied. Why this knowledge is called a lie. As my mother in law says, "The devil is a busy man."