Let me start this off by saying, I am not writing this post in order to change your mind about birth control. I have shared before how the Lord has convicted us about trusting Him with our family size, but I realize that not everyone has the same convictions, and that the Lord will work in different people in different ways.
I do, however, believe in making fully informed decisions. I learned when we started our “quiverful” journey that there is a lot about birth control that the doctors and pharmacists don’t tell you.
Since most Christians believe that life begins at conception, I’ll start with the definition of the word. Dictionary.com defines conception as,
1. the act of conceiving; the state of being conceived.
Image adapted from one courtesy of BrandonSigma / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Thanks for your article. You gave a good perspective by just laying out facts.
I grew up in a Christian family with a medical background. My mom took birth control, then got off it because the side-effects were worse than pregnancy. So I never thought of birth control as a moral issue– to me it was nothing more than typical medical prevention. That is, until I went to college & read Randy Alcorn’s “Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Abortions”. That pamphlet was the beginning of my understanding that I could not take the pill, the patch, IUD, the ring, etc.
Anyway, I didn’t want to jump on Alcorn’s bandwagon, with him not being a scientist or medical doctor, so I did my research. I talked to OB/GYNs, read the warnings on birth control labels, & read material from a completely, different perspective.
Before I was married & was trying to figure out what my future husband & I should do for family planning.The first gynecologist (a Christian) I spoke with told me that her birth control was very dear to her heart & that she believed it safe. She seemed a little emotionally attached.
I also read a secular book (Sorry, I can’t remember the title. But I’m sure you’ll easily find similar conclusions elsewhere) written for older woman struggling to get pregnant. It confirmed birth control can cause abortions & remains in the body’s system for a time after ceasing the medication.
After marriage & my first baby’s birth, I spoke to my 2nd OB/GYN (also a Christian) & she reluctantly let me know that, yeah, it’s possible to abort your baby with birth control. She made sure to let me know it was not it’s first intent & purpose.
My research confirmed that while birth control is not designed to abort, it’s secondary function can abort.
During my husband’s & my engagement, he asked me what we should do. I told him my thoughts. We ended up deciding to go natural & trust God would provide the right number of children at the right time. We wanted to wait a year before pregnancy; we got pregnant 3 months into marriage. Oops? Nah. (Perfect, actually. She is awesome!) After figuring out my body a little better, we were able to plan on a 2nd child born 3 years later. Also perfect.
Thanks for listening. Your life is a gift & so is your children’s.
Thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this. I think this information needs to be spread… and in a humble and understanding way. When my husband and I got married, I had to scour the internet and research tons of medical lingo, and sort through half-truths and lies from many Dr.s, even well meaning Christian Dr.s, to understand the truth about birth control. We too came to the conviction that life does begin at conception, and that the >.05% chance that we could kill our newly conceived child with birth control was not acceptable. I believe that God wants us to trust him with our family planning, and I also understand first hand the struggles that come along with that. I pray more women learn the truth about birth control and prayerfully consider their choice.
I should add that after being convicted of my own sinful use of birth control and my lack of care for my womb as the gift God had designed it to be for our children/potential conceptions, I felt such peace in repenting and receiving the abundant grace provided in Christ for me. Praise the Lord for His unending mercies!
Thanks for sharing. Wonderful article, full of information I was looking for!