From: Steve Creps <creps@silver.ucs.indiana.edu>
Subject: Contraception == abortion? (was Re: re:pro-choice)
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 14:36:55 -0500

In article <CHRISTIA%92040809071262@ASUACAD.BITNET> KSTE@PURCCVM.BITNET (Kerry Stephenson) writes:
>I do not understand the contraception argument.  Are you saying that you
>feel that contraception is the moral equivalent of abortion?  If not, why
>would you not want to treat them differently?  If so, then you are saying
>that you believe that contraception is also the taking of a life.  I am
>now extremely confused.

   This wasn't addressed to me, but I thought I'd give my two cents'
worth.  The Catholic Church teaches simply that the sexual act (unitive
aspect of marriage) belongs with the creating of new life (procreative
aspect).  As such the two cannot be unnaturally separated.  This means
no artificial birth control.  It also forbids surgical sterilization,
which falls into the category for which the technical term is "mutilation."
This notion of the indivisibility of the two aspects of marriage is the
main rationale against birth control (and is the basis as well as other
teachings).

   Recently in this group the Old Testament story of Onan was discussed.
This story is one that supports the teaching on birth control.

   Obviously it is not taught that a barren couple should refrain from
sex.  However I have heard the recommendation that a couple of which
one of the partners has had steriliztion surgery, and they later
realized it was wrong, act is though the surgery had never taken place.
For example, the couple should use natural family planning, even though
it would not be possible for them to conceive anyway.  This would help
to insure the couple's dignity and respect for one another as human
beings, and not treat one another as "sexual objects."

   The Catholic Church also teaches that life begins at conception;
therefore from the moment of conception a human being exists.  Hence
we have the reasoning behind the Church's stand against abortion.  It
really makes perfect sense; if one believes that the unborn baby is a
human being, and therefore just as valuable as any other person, then
one should equate abortion with murder.

   Now to the point of the subject of this article.  I am not aware
that the Church teaches any equivalence between birth control and
abortion.  However, some types of birth "control," from what I
understand, may fall into the abortion category.  As an example of
this I will name the intrauterine device (IUD).  As I understand it,
this device works by staying inside the uteris, and scraping the walls
of the uteris of any eggs that may form.  However, there is no way for
the IUD to distinguish between an unfertilized egg, or an embryo.  In
the latter case the IUD would be performing an abortion.  In this way
can _some_ forms of birth control be considered abortion.  I'm really
no expert on birth control methods, so I would welcome comments from
anyone who has more knowlege on the subject.

   Anyway, from the Catholic viewpoint, birth control and abortion are
both wrong, but not for all the same reasons.  And abortion is obviously
worse than birth control (although the Church certainly does not teach
that birth control should be used to prevent the "need" for abortion).

--Steve

-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Steve Creps, Indiana University
creps@silver.ucs.indiana.edu
creps@iubacs
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU