Contraception Is Not the Answer

Experts at League Conference Expose the Root Cause of Abortion

by Ann Scheidler

Joe Scheidler explains the urgency of confronting contraception if the pro-life movement is ever to stop abortion once and for all [Photo by JDJ]

Following more than a year of preparation and consultation with national pro-life leaders the Pro-Life Action League hosted "Contraception Is Not the Answer," a national pro-life conference dedicated to exposing the myth that artificial birth control is good for society and is the solution to reducing abortions. Eight outstanding speakers addressed the topic of contraception from a variety of perspectives.

Over two-hundred-fifty people attended the two-day conference September 22 and 23 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Rosemont, IL. The League's national director, Joe Scheidler, opened the conference by explaining the absolute necessity of addressing the root issue of contraception if we are to have any hope of eradicating abortion. Eric Scheidler, the League's Communications Director, served as Master of Ceremonies, introducing each speaker and facilitating the question period after each presentation.

Chastity versus Contraceptive Sex Ed

Libby Macke [Photo by JDJ]

Even abortion advocates now readily admit that abortion is not a positive choice, but their solution is invariably more "comprehensive" sex ed and greater access to contraception. The fallacies of such an approach were demonstrated with solid statistical evidence by Libby Gray Macke, Executive Director of Project Reality. Macke showed how effective abstinence-only programs are for high school students, helping them make good choices and avoid the heartache and serious problems that accompany pre-marital sex.

Allan Carlson [Photo by JDJ]

Allan Carlson, President of the Howard Center based in Rockford, IL gave a fascinating presentation on the traditional Protestant rejection of birth control and their twentieth century about-face. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin took seriously God's commandment to Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply." Calvin wrote that this is the only command given by God that remained the same after the Fall.

"Luther saw procreation as the very essence of human life," said Carlson. Luther objected so strongly to the idea of avoiding children that he also rejected the Catholic Church's tradition of priestly celibacy, believing that ministers should marry and have large families as an example to their flock. Carlson is hopeful that the increasing emphasis on family values among Evangelical Protestants will lead to a rediscovery of the Luther's sense of family.

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Priest Calls for Conversion of Heart

In his travels throughout the world, Fr. Tom Euteneuer, President of Human Life International, has seen firsthand the insidious claims of family planning programs that children are the cause of poverty and misery. Organizations like Planned Parenthood International and Marie Stopes indoctrinate people in third world countries with the notion that they would prosper like the West if they just had fewer children—a thinly veiled eugenics program. Fr. Euteneuer displayed some of the leaflets and posters the population controllers use that depict larger families as unhappy and shabbily clothed, while small families are smiling and well dressed.

Fr. Euteneuer [Photo by JDJ]

The average Kenyan does not think there is any population problem, but the government does because it is offered huge sums of money from the UNFPA to cut its population. Kenya is twice the size of the United Kingdom, and it has half the population. But nobody says the UK is overpopulated.

Human Life International combats the anti-life programs of population control groups. "The damage of natural disasters can be healed with money, time, human labor and perseverance, but the damage of a devastating anti-human ideology can only be healed with conversion of heart," said Fr. Euteneuer.

Contraception Is an Insult to Women

Dr. Janet Smith, a theology professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, has been a leader in the anti-contraception movement for over two decades, reaching millions with her famous talk, "Contraception, Why Not?" In her talk at the League's conference entitled "Hormones 'R' Us," Dr. Smith focused on the impact of chemical contraceptives on women's bodies, minds and relationships. She stressed that a woman who is on a chemical contraceptive is in a state of pseudo-pregnancy and does not experiencing normal phases of fertility even though she is in a fertile stage of life.

Janet Smith [Photo by JDJ]

"Contraception has radically changed our understanding of sexuality," said Dr. Smith. "Contraception leads us to believe that sex can be a momentary encounter, not a life-long commitment. It has brought about the concept of 'accidental pregnancy.'" Because the artificial chemicals alter the natural balance of hormones in a woman's body, they affect the way she relates to men. Studies show that men are not attracted to a contracepting woman in the same way they would be attracted to a fertile woman.

Dr. Smith tracked the multiple side effects of the pill that are routinely dismissed by medical professionals, but which the popular press is recognizing more and more. "I'm sure every woman wants a pill that will give her more headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, weight gain, increased irritability and propensity to depression," said Dr. Smith. "There's something wrong with this picture." Smith concluded, "The contraceptive pill is an insult to women. It denies the gift of fertility and treats it as an inconvenience and a health condition to be treated."

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