Contraception and Abortion

by Judie Brown
President, American Life League, Inc.

Many times as I have debated, spoken before a large audience or done a radio interview, I have pointed out that American Life League is opposed to all artificial contraception. We favor only natural methods of spacing the births of the children.

Even in a pro-life audience, the critics will rise and scold me, stating that I damage our cause by making a connection between contraception and abortion. I've heard that we will never "win" as long as people like me keep making such foolish statements.

After more than 30 years of killing through surgical abortion and now with the new breed of abortifacients such as RU-486, which are exclusively killers, can there be any doubt that there is a link between contraception and abortion? Professor Janet Smith thinks so, too. As she wrote in "The Connection Between Contraception and Abortion" (Homiletic and Pastoral Review, April, 1993),

The connection between contraception and abortion is primarily this: Contraception facilitates the kind of relationships and even the kind of attitudes and moral character that are likely to lead to abortion. The contraceptive mentality treats sexual intercourse as though it had little natural connection with babies; it thinks of babies as an "accident" of intercourse, as an unwelcome intrusion into a sexual relationship, as a burden. The sexual revolution has no fondness-no room for-the connection between sexual intercourse and babies. The sexual revolution simple was not possible until reliable contraceptives were available.

Far from being a check to the sexual revolution, contraception is the fuel that facilitated the beginning of  the sexual revolution and enables it to continue to rage.

One might go so far as to say that it rages even where there is absolutely no interest in it, such as among the kindergarten students in New York City who were invited to comprehend the reasons why "gay" and lesbian families are just like any other.

If we cannot see the connection between contraception and abortion, then, God forbid, another 30 years may go by and millions more die while the pro-life movement tries to get it right.

The abortionists argue, "If you pro-lifers really wanted to stop abortion, you'd join us finding new and better methods of contraception."

NO! Again, I quote Professor smith, who explains why the promoters of abortion and contraception place such an incredible emphasis on the word "freedom" and why they are so quick to try to pull us into the quicksand with them. They are emphasizing

not the true freedom we all desire, the freedom to be able to pursue what is good and true, but a kind of freedom that more closely resembles license-the freedom to do whatever one wants, regardless of what is good and true, but to be free to define what is good and true.

That is the key. The contraceptive promoter do realize that a baby is a possible outcome of sexual intercourse, but they reject that as an acceptable outcome. Therefore they manipulate the language to prevent the average citizen from remembering what we already know-that a baby might result if we follow God's plan and not theirs. Perhaps this is why "reproductive freedom" and "reproductive rights" always go hand in hand with the "woman's right to choose" and her "freedom of choice."

Pro-lifers must see the connection between contraception and abortion. And we must talk about it, point it out and teach others the truth. Why? Because as long as those who favor unbridled sexuality are in control and as long as we are doing a semantics dance to avoid reality, they win. With such chemicals killers as Plan B and Depo-Provera, we no longer dare sit back and say, "We are against abortion, but we take no position on contraception." To say that mean that we too prefer new definitions instead of discovering the truth.