| Pro-Life Family Planning guide |
* Pro-Life Family Planning Intro (this page)*
Understanding Fertility*
Pro-Life Options for Family Planning*
Is Hormonal Birth Control Pro-Life?*
Timing Intercourse to Avoid Conception
Maybe you’re asking yourself, why are we talking about this? Does God really care about what we do for birth control? Does our faith really matter for deciding when we have kids and how many kids we’re going to have? So, let’s start with that: Does it matter and why?
Why It Matters
When conception occurs, a new person’s life begins. I’ve written elsewhere on conception’s significance
scientifically and
biblically. The scientific evidence is overwhelming that fertilization (conception) marks the point where an individual human [a person] is first alive (see
When Does Life Begin Scientifically? and
When Is a Person a Person Scientifically?). Perhaps more important for us though, the Scripture is even more clear. The Bible demonstrates that our life, our calling even, begins at conception (see
When Does a Person’s Life Begin Biblically?).
In short, what matters is conception. Conception matters to God; after all the Father chose that Jesus would be conceived. More to the point of this guide though, what does this have to do with birth control? Some methods of family planning (birth control) operate after conception. In other words, the effectiveness of these methods depends on ending a life after conception. So, because conception matters, the decisions we make in family planning matter.
Before moving on, let’s double check this foundation. If you aren’t sure about this and find yourself wondering if an embryo is a baby from conception, that’s ok. It’s an understandable question, and it’s a question I want to help you resolve once and for all. But rather than recount all of the information here, I’d encourage you to look at our
scientific overview and
biblical overview of these discussions. From here on, this guide will instead focus on the application of this truth.
On
another page, we’ll talk specifically about each of the methods of family planning and the relevant medical research. But I want to first establish the central guiding principle, the filter you can use in making these decisions. Let me also share our story so you can get to know my heart.
Our Story
When I was about to get married, a friend I respect brought up birth control and mentioned that he and his wife refused to use it. Without really meaning to, I just shut him down. Rather than let him explain, I just assumed he was going to tell me not to interfere with God’s plan for how many kids we would have. While I entirely respect that position and don’t want to talk anyone out of it, I don’t personally share it.
