Contraception

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Contraception tends to feel like a “side issue” for some pro-life advocates. But we do have a responsibility to address it as it plays a significant role in the supply and demand for abortion – in addition to causing a number of abortions itself. Learning about contraception will help guide your conversations about the earliest types of abortions as well as the reasons some members of our culture have accepted abortion as “normal.”

What is the Pro-Life Stance on Contraception?

In the world of birth control, the area of focus for pro-lifers (separate from religious belief) is abortifacient v. non-abortifacient. Abortifacient means that a device/substance is capable of unnaturally ending the life of a preborn child, primarily by thinning the lining of the uterus (endometrium) so much that a conceived person cannot implant and therefore dies. Abortifacient devices truly put the “con” in the word contraception.

Because our mission is to abolish abortion, Students for Life of America does not take a stance on the morality of non-abortifacient contraceptives. However, we remain opposed to abortifacient varieties, as makers of these “contraceptives" widely admit they could end nascent human life. While the intention of women who consume these types of birth control isn’t to end life but prevent the creation of new life, we believe in trusting the science and proceeding with caution.

Generally speaking, the following is a guide to birth control types:

Abortifacient

Non-Abortifacient

What is Students for Life’s Stance?

While SFLA does not engage in most policy debates related to hormonal contraception, in our work with young women across the country, we show them respect by addressing their concerns and discussing medical facts too often hidden by the abortion industry. It's tragic that too many in the medical community are not forthcoming about the short- and long-term impacts of drugs and devices recommended by many every day, from abortion vendors to doctor's offices. We believe informed consent matters.

Students for Life of America does oppose violations of Constitutional conscience rights in forcing people, such as nuns, to purchase or subsidize drugs or devices which they find morally objectionable. We also oppose efforts to sell products with the capacity to end preborn life over the counter, in part because such products empower abusers, who attempt to avoid pregnancy as their criminal acts toward minors take place. SFLA does oppose reckless and casual distribution of abortifacients, which corporate abortion promoted by mislabeling drugs and devices which the Supreme Court proved can end human life.

Students for Life of America provides educational information on how contraception works, available to those who are interested.  But no effort of any kind has been expended to limit birth control, which is defined as that which prevents pregnancy. None is coming. 

In addition, we call on the FDA and Congress to do the testing needed to ensure that such products, especially when given to minors, are safe. As many women tell us, and, as we know ourselves, short- and long-term use of some products has had very negative impact on women’s bodies. In addition, scientific studies are needed to answer the question once and for all…do certain “contraceptives” act as abortifacients and how often? Given the wide-spread pushing of such hormone use, women need better information about what they are being given. 

Birth Control Does NOT Prevent Abortions

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), with typical use, 9% of women will get pregnant within the first year of taking the pill. This means that 9 out of 100 women still get pregnant even though they’re on birth control. When using a male condom with typical use, a whopping 19% of women report having gotten pregnant within the first year. Not only that, but according to the Guttmacher Institute, 51% of U.S. abortion patients report using contraception the month they got pregnant. This evidence contradicts the pro-abortion propaganda claiming that if women had better access to birth control, abortions would become unnecessary.

Planned Parenthood and county health departments have been giving out free condoms and birth control for years. Yet, the unplanned pregnancy, abortion, and STD rates in America have not significantly fallen; actually, in the case of STDs, the rate has significantly increased. In fact, states like California and New York who make birth control and condoms freely available to citizens, even minors, have some of the highest abortion rates in the nation.

What’s even more scary is that Planned Parenthood knows this. They actually rely on the failure of the contraception they provide to increase their abortion profits. In the mid-2000s, Planned Parenthood condoms were ranked some of the lowest-quality available.

Contraception can give women a false sense of security, and condoms and birth control clearly can’t be relied on as fail-proof methods of stopping a pregnancy from occurring.

Birth Control Has Its Own Risks

Oral and invasive methods of birth control, like implants, IUDs, patches, shots, and pills, come with their own complications. The most common form of hormonal contraception, the pill, has been categorized by the World Health Organization as a Group I carcinogen. That’s the highest possible ranking; cigarettes are also in Group I. If a woman is in the smaller percentage of women who get pregnant with an IUD, there are high risks as these pregnancies are typically ectopic (implantation occurring outside of the uterus) and can be life-threatening. According to The Cleveland Clinic:

You don't have to look far to find more risks. There is a lot of research on an increased risk of glaucoma and other eye problems following hormonal birth control use, as well as blood clots, strokes, pulmonary emboli, some cancers, lupus, and more.

  • "A 2021 study of over 4.8 million subjects found that women currently using hormonal birth control, which included modern delivery methods like rings, inserts, and IUDs, were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with glaucoma – today, right now, not later in life."

In addition to the serious health consequences for women, chemical contraceptives have been proven capable of ending the life of a preborn human mere hours or days after conception by thinning the uterine lining and making implantation difficult. Life begins at conception, and if birth control prevents implantation, a human life has artificially been ended. So this capacity makes it morally wrong.

For an in-depth look into the effects of birth control on the female mind and body, read This Is Your Brain on Birth Control.

Birth Control Hasn’t Lowered the Abortion Rate

Planned Parenthood and county health departments have been giving out free condoms and birth control for years. Yet, the unplanned pregnancy, abortion, and STD rates in America have not fallen; actually, in the case of STDs, the rate has significantly increased. Despite this evidence, the Obama Administration issued a ruling forcing all health insurance plans to cover birth control with no deductible.

What’s even more scary is that Planned Parenthood knows this. They actually rely on the failure of the contraception they provide to increase their abortion profits. In the mid-2000s, Planned Parenthood condoms were ranked some of the lowest-quality available.

Birth Control Disrespects Women

Today’s OBGYNs hand out birth control like it’s candy. Or perhaps, more appropriately, like Band-Aids. Instead of putting time and effort into treating the conditions that ail women (like endometriosis, hormone imbalances, poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and other ailments), they just prescribe chemicals and send women on their way.

Pro-life OBGYN Dr. Stigen once said, “There is no such thing as a deficiency in birth control.” She is right. Doctors are using it as medicine, when the truth is, birth control is a drug that masks the symptoms but never actually addresses the problem. It’s a degrading disservice to women. That is why a group of doctors came up with NaPro Technology.

NaPro Technology investigates a woman’s gynecologic system to identify the problems and cooperate with the natural menstrual cycle to correct the condition and maintain her natural human ecology. If your doctor tells you that you need birth control to regulate your cycle or help with abnormalities, reach out to a NaPro trained doctor and get a second opinion. There may be underlying issues that may only worsen over time, create issues when you’re ready to have a baby, or cause infertility.

“Most of my life, I’ve dealt with issues from severe cramping to irregular bleeding. Every time I went to the doctor, I was offered birth control as a solution to which I always declined for various reasons. My symptoms would come and go, but after things got really bad, I saw a pro-life OBGYN and NaPro trained doctor. The first question she asked was, ‘Have you ever taken birth control?’ to which, my answer was, ‘No’. She explained that the symptoms I was facing are often caused by years of taking birth control because of their high dose of estrogen, but I had never taken it in my life. I was actually dealing with a severe hormone imbalance. I’m so grateful for her. The other doctors simply offered a problematic pill that I would have been taking for the rest of my life. Thanks to her willingness to investigate the root of the issue, she was able to find the problem and help fix it naturally.”

– Camille Cisneros, SFLA Supportive Services Coordinator

A Better Way

At its core, Natural Family Planning (NFP, also known as green sex or fertility awareness) is really about understanding how the female body works. Adult women are constantly undergoing cycles of fertility that have observable, physical signs that can be tracked to determine the times of fertility and infertility. Methods of NFP provide the tools with which to track these signs in order to achieve or postpone a pregnancy.

Though often used in religious communities, fertility awareness methods are a good choice for women regardless of faith background. Anyone who wants to prevent or achieve pregnancy completely naturally and chemical-free is a good candidate. Many users of these methods report benefitting greatly from the empowerment afforded simply by understanding how the amazing female body truly works. Read more here.

Contraception v. Chemical Abortion Fact Sheet