• Birth Control—Who Should Decide? You or the Church?
    Awake!—1989 | September 22

    • What Is the Bible’s Viewpoint?

      Those who argue against contraception often cite the Biblical command given to Adam and Eve: “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28, Douay) However, as Spanish writer Ricardo Lezcano rightly observed: “It seems somewhat contradictory to apply to 4,000 million human beings the same formula that was applied to the only two inhabitants of the planet.” This command was clearly related to the special circumstances existing at that time.

      Nowhere in the Bible is birth control or family planning discussed. Although the Bible condemns sexual immorality, it does not teach that only procreation can legitimize sexual relations between husband and wife. (Compare Proverbs 5:15-20; 1 Corinthians 7:2, 3.) In this matter, therefore, as in others where direct Scriptural guidance is absent, each couple must decide in harmony with their conscience. Establishing arbitrary standards of right and wrong would be going “beyond what is set down.”​—1 Corinthians 4:6, The New American Bible, a Catholic translation.

      This does not mean that every form of birth control is acceptable in God’s sight. The Bible makes clear that God esteems the life of the unborn child and takes note of its embryonic development. (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5) Under the Mosaic Law, someone who even unwittingly caused the death of an unborn child was liable to severe punishment. (Exodus 21:22, 23) Therefore, from God’s viewpoint, abortion is reprehensible, and so is any other device or medication that terminates life after conception has occurred.a

      Thus, what many sincere Catholics believe intuitively​—that family planning is a matter best left to each married couple—​is precisely what the Bible indicates.

      Joaquim, the Portuguese father mentioned earlier, came to that conclusion after personally experiencing the difficulties and heartaches of adhering to Catholic doctrine regarding birth control. He began to investigate the Bible to determine whether other dogmas of the church might not also be mere “commandments of men” rather than “the commandment of God.”​—Matthew 15:3, 9, Dy.