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How controversial is the topic of birth control
Social and ethical issues of birth control methods
Research on the impact of religion on healthcare
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The issue of birth control remains one of the most controversial issues within the Catholic Church dividing members at all levels including the clergy. The Roman Catholic Church for the past 2000 years has been a major opponent of artificial birth control (BBC). Pope Paul VI made a clear declaration on the use of birth control when he wrote ‘the Encyclical Letter ‘Human Vitae’ on July 25, 1968 which banned Catholics from using contraceptives (Pope VI). These important declarations demonstrate the power of the Papacy to shape public policy on matters relating to human health and reproduction on a global level. The belief within the Catholic Church is that God have the sole power over the creation of life and humans have no role in this decision (BBC). In addition, the Pope is considered as Christ’s representative on Earth and assigned the role of setting policies for human morality. However, there is noted opposition to the Church’s stand on contraceptives. Some Catholics and other biblical scholars note that the bible is silent on the issue of birth control and therefore believe that the Church has implemented its own moral ethics in the life of human reproduction. The Church’s idea about contraception is based on obedience to the scriptures. Contraception is considered a sin because it hinders natural sex therefore and is seen as ‘an unnatural evil closely linked to pagans or heretics.’ The evidence purported above gives an insight into the beliefs and ideas Catholics have on contraception. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) article on Contraception, dated March 8, 2009, invites us to believe that if contraception is approved by the Catholic Church it would breakdown the sacred institution of marriage. Catholics are enc... ... middle of paper ... ...er/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html>. Religions - Christianity. " Contraception.” BBC. 3 Aug. 2009. Web. 6 Mar. 2012. . Smith, Jane, ed. "Contraception: Why Not?." CERC. Aug.2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2012. . "Statistics: Worldwide. AmfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2012 http://www.amfar.org/About_HIV_and_AIDS/Facts_and_Stats/Statistics__Worldwide/ The Pill. " People and Events: The Catholic Church and Birth Control”. PBS Online. Web. 6 Mar. 2012. . Volsky, Igor, ed. Large Catholic Institutions Offered Contraception Even Before Required To Do So. 09 Feb 2012. Web. 9 Mar. 2012,
Sanger continues backing her statement with the examples in education, labor, and that the church had caused women to be looked down upon. Sanger spoke on principles of Birth Control, they include: “it should be available to every adult, that every user should be taught how to use it correctly, that women should have the right to control their bodies and whether to have children.” (Jenson, 166). If Wardell would have included some specifics from Sanger’s speeches, the argument would have been made
The pro-life stance on abortion is often associated with and defended by traditional Christian beliefs , ; however, this paper will argue that it can and should be defended with secular arguments that appeal to reason and our shared human condition. This paper will try and counter the notion that the argument is simply another battlefield where religion and secular thought meet. Rather, it is an important issue that carries with it heavy implications not only for the religious but also for the secular. The major arguments discussed include the emotional and physical toll on the mother, the societal toll of having abortion legalized, and the rights attributed to every human being; first, however, the stance taken in this paper will be further defined and clarified.
The fact that the only physician to support contraceptives was a woman speaks volumes about the disconnect between the male and female perspective on the issue. It begs the question: Can a man objectively weigh in on this issue? Since inarguably both the physical sacrifice and emotional burden of carrying to term and caring for an unwanted child lay solely on the
Margaret Sanger’s first order of business in her attempt to claim women’s rights to sexual freedom was to alter the church’s thoughts and ideals regarding the use of contraception. In 1916, when she began her revolutionary crusade, contraception was not only condemned by the Catholic Church, but by many sects of Christianity. After much effort, the year 1930 brought success to Margaret Sanger and her cohorts. It was at this point that the Church of England accepted the use of contraception in certain circumstances, and only between married couples (Contraception History). This victory by Sanger and her organization, Planned Parenthood, was followed by a wave of acceptance among many denominations for contraceptive use among married couples, and then among single adults. The aftermath of Sanger’s efforts influenced much of the world to changing i...
When legally introduced to society in 1960, the Pill stirred up a long period of controversy. The availability of the Pill had great impact on women’s health, social life, laws, religion, family, relationships, morality and sexuality. Initially conceived to be highly effective and safe, the Pill left many women with side effects – few which led to several fatalities. Before the Pill was created, many women postponed sex due to the social norm and fear of becoming pregnant before marriage. Families grew large and it was typical for a woman to have multiple children caused by the lack of birth control. Due to regulations, such as the Comstock laws, many people supported the prohibition of the Pill and other family planning practices. However, many women believed in the right to control their own body when it came to procreation. Despite the controversies, the Pill left lasting impacts, such as by opening society to the sexual revolution and...
Abortion has been a political, social, and personal topic for many years now. The woman’s right to choose has become a law that is still debated, argued and fought over, even though it has been passed. This paper will examine a specific example where abortion is encouraged, identify the Christian world views beliefs and resolution as well as the consequences of such, and compare them with another option.
Watkins, E. (2012). How the pill became a lifestyle drug: the pharmaceutical industry and birth
In this mind baffling speech by Margaret Sanger, she explains the importance of attaining birth control as a female. She believes that “birth control should be available to every adult man and woman” (The Morality of Birth Control). In her opinion, every person over 18 should at least obtain knowledge of it, and try to practice it as much as possible. “Not only will birth control reduce the rate of disease and famine, it will also help heighten the standards of civilization towards teen pregnancy and child abortion” (Population Growth and Resource Depletion). Only then will people attain real morality.
Watkins, Elizabeth Siegel. Genesis Of The Pill. On the Pill: A Social History of Oral
Imagine today in America’s hyper-sexualized society, not being provided with any knowledge about contraception or sexual education. Before Margaret Sanger’s activism, most women were in this position of oblivion about their own bodies. In “Morality of Birth Control”, Sanger argues effectively for the legalization and acceptance of both birth control and sexual education using ethos, pathos, and logos to strengthen her argument. Sanger organizes her argument by first presenting a series of questions that were sent out to “the most eminent men and women in the world.” These questions pertained to the opinions of these men and women on the topic of how birth control and awareness could potentially affect their society.
In 1990, the number of abortions in the U.S increased in number to 1.55 million a year and remained at this level for about 10 years(NRLC 2). After all this time, it seems that mankind has finally started to realize the dignity of a human person. The Catholic Church teaches formal participation in the act of an abortion is a grave offense and that since the time of the First Century, the Church has declared righteous evil of every performed abortion(Catechism of the Catholic Church 548). The Catholic moral law of the church is that "You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. God, the Lord of Life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men mus...
Sanger, Margaret. "The Morality of Birth Control." Gifts of Speech. Smith College, 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Robert Creamer. "Protecting Access to Birth Control Does Not Violate Religious Freedom." Current Controversies: Politics and Religion. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Lee’s Summit High School. 31 Oct. 2013
Who should be responsible for stopping the 120 million sperm that are released during a male orgasm from fertilizing a female’s egg? The context of that question has been a societal debate in terms of the consequences of unplanned pregnancy and whether it is a female, male or both sexes responsibility to practice “safe sex”. Introducing the birth control pill for women in the 1960s created a huge controversy between sexual conservatives and the women who would benefit from the pill, but the responsibility still remained in the hands of women. However, as medicine has advanced and the possibility of a male birth control pill has amounted, many wonder if the same issues would arise if a male birth control pill did in fact become available. In order to understand the effects on society of both individual female and male responsibilities it is essential that the women birth control pill is discussed, the male pill and lastly, what the stigmas and potential effects of both birth control pills mean.
"People and Events: The Pill and the Sexual Revolution." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.