Yesterday, a young girl walked into the pregnancy center for a pregnancy test. I heard her talking with one of our client advocates as she walked through the hallway, and I stopped to listen when I heard her ask whether or not birth control was available through the pregnancy center. This young girl told us that she had been using birth control for about a year now, but really wanted to stop using it. She told us that she "didn't like it." That answer can be pretty common for a lot of women who are using some form of birth control, and it's a pretty understandable answer. Birth control injects hormones into a woman's body, throwing her entire body off balance. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of what is famously known as simply "the pill," the most popular form of contraceptive here in the U.S.
No, we don't give out birth control here at the pregnancy center, and I'm very grateful for the fact that we don't. I think it's time that women start seriously looking at what birth control does to our bodies. These days, it's incredibly common for "the pill" to be prescribed for pretty much any reason - acne, heavy periods, pain etc. But what most people don't realize is that these pills can seriously harm us (both physically and psycologically), lower our chances of becoming pregnant in the future, increase the risk of getting breast cancer, cause us to gain weight, could possibly cause an abortion for baby already conceived, throws our hormones and our bodies off balance, gives us nausea, decreases our libido, harms the environment, and puts a barrier between us and our husbands.
So why would we do this? CNN put out an article this past week about how the birth control pill has revolutionized our culture and completely changed the way that we view sex. Birth Control is oftentimes seen a "liberating" thing for women - a powerful way for them to gain control over their bodies, to decide for themselves on how to use their sexuality, and a way to enjoy sex with "no strings attached."
But what's wrong with this? For one thing, there is no such thing as "sex with no strings attached." Our sexuality is the core of who we are as women, and the way that we use that gift goes deep inside of us. By using birth control, we're working against our own natural cycle, which is always going to touch us in a deep way. As Theology of the Body explains, our bodies express our persons - what we do with our bodies matters.
Second of all, birth control takes out the responsibility that comes with sex. We're human beings, not animals. We have the capability of saying no, of making decisions - we have freedom, and, as Spiderman famously said: "With freedom comes great responsibility." John Paul II said it even better: "the greater feeling of responsibility, the more true love there is."
The primary purpose of sex is procreation; no matter how much we try to justify the use of contraception, we can't - because Christ is always in control of new life, not us. Everytime we use contraception, we're kicking Christ and His creative power out of the fundamental act that He designed for new life.
And last, but not least, it really does harm us as women. As I once heard, "birth control is the only drug you give to a healthy woman that makes her sick." Think about that - birth control harms women. It isn't good for our bodies - this should tell us something.
So, happy birthday to "the pill"? I think not.
Who: All incoming high school freshmen through incoming college freshmen.