Original air date: 16Feb2010
I feel compelled to write on this topic for many reasons. Some of the information in this post I have known as long as I can remember (or at least since Health class in high school,) other parts for just a couple years, and some of it is brand-spanking new to me. I think it is especially because of that last part -- the part that is NOT well-advertised, yet I believe EVERY woman should know -- that I write this.
Before I start, I’d like to throw out a few questions. Some of them might be simple and quick for you to answer, others are pretty deep. All the answers, though, will have a bearing on what you feel about what I am about to write, so please bear with me.
- Are you pro-life or pro-abortion?
- Do you believe in taking the birth control pill (BCP)? What about the “morning-after” pill?
- When do you believe life begins? At conception? Implantation? Birth?
- Do you believe the Christian’s body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? (To back up a step, do you believe in Jehovah God? That there are things that are right and things that are wrong - and rewards/consequences for our choices?)
- Do you believe we are responsible for what we put into our bodies? That we will be called to answer for how we treated ourselves - what kind of steward we were?
As you probably know by now, my life has been a health roller coaster for the last 5½ years, facing Behçet’s Disease, Endometriosis, and more. I have been given medicines and treatments that are relatively safe and mannny years old, and others that are not proven, that are very risky, and are simply on a trial-and-error basis. At the height of my diagnostic quest, I once had to take 56 pills every day (and yeah, they were the prescribed, medication kind.) ;-) I have had to sign off and accept some pretty terrible side effects - everything from indigestion to mood swings to knowing that I have a higher rate of developing malignancies, due to the immunosuppressants I am on. My husband and I have had to weigh the benefits with the risks and decide on a course of treatment -- which many times simply felt like choosing the lesser of two evils (one of those decisions I am weighing right now, actually.)
But one thing no doctor ever advised me about or asked for my consent for was related to being made aware that the medicine I was about to take would mean that if I ever conceived, my body would prevent a pregnancy, since my body would forcible flush it out. All I was told is this was the safest and most common form of birth control.
Let me pause for a moment. I believe that within the medical practice, doctors have a certain responsibility for making the patient aware of a reasonable amount of risks and benefits of each treatment considered. Our society focuses, in fact, on the responsibility the “other person” bears. But how much do we stress our own responsibility for our own education? Especially now, living in such an information age, do we have any excuse for ignorance? For years I simply took a doctor at their word that such-and-such-a med would help me, never considering for a moment HOW that treatment worked inside my body or the long-term effects of such a treatment -- let alone any spiritual consequences such a choice might merit. It has only been recently that I have really focused on HOW certain treatments work inside the body, and I have been alternately fascinated and appalled at what I have learned. I have also become convinced that even if we remain ignorant to such inner-workings, we are not avoiding our responsibility in the matter. The Bible says that at one time God overlooked ignorance, but now He is calling ALL men to repentance. He also says that His people are destroyed because of their lack of knowledge. Note that it never says, “God understood why they made the wrong choice and forgave them, because they didn’t know any better and their heart was in the right place.” The Bible says repeatedly that we must come to God according to the truth of His Word. Now, both of those quotes are directly related to people’s ignorance of God’s Word and commands, but I believe it has a broader application also. I believe it means that just because we didn’t know about harm we were causing, that doesn’t mean we are absolved of responsibility.
I would dare say that the majority of the people who read the beginning questions answered in the following way: “I am pro-life. Yes, I believe the BCP is a responsible choice for a married couple’s family planning - but no, I do not believe in the “morning-after” pill. (In fact, that is horrendous to even think about.) Life begins at conception, we are the temple ... and yes, we are responsible for our choices.” How close did I come?? I can understand that point of view, because up until very recently I would have answered the exact same way. It’s a majority view (at least among Christians) but much of it even the world agrees with -- did you know that 54% of all women are pro-life (with the largest pro-life group, other than elderly, being 18-24 yr-olds?) and as many as 100 million women worldwide use the BCP?
I approved of the BCP, even taking it myself for years -- until I learned how the pill really works. It’s not simply a “conception blocker,” as your average clinic doctor leads you believe ... it truly prevents births, but NOT pregnancies. See this website for more in-depth information: http://www.prolife.com/BIRTHCNT.html and I believe you will be very surprised. Not to get all “9th grade Health class” on you, but here’s a video on YouTube that explains it very well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhZOBqdlE5M . Very simply put, the hormones in the BCP force your body to act as if no conception occurred, even if conception DID occur. That means that an egg could have been met by sperm, and without any interference you WOULD have had a baby, but the pill forces you to have a period, which expels the fertilized egg.
When I learned this, I was sick to my stomach. I maintain that there is only ONE difference between the BCP pill and the “morning-after” pill -- when you take it. I believe the BCP is simply the “morning before” pill, but they both have the same result. When we arm ourselves with true medical knowledge, I believe that to be pro-life yet pro-BCP is hypocritical. To be pro-BCP yet against the “morning-after” pill is hypocritical. We must do research and find out HOW different medications work and alter our bodies before we consent to taking them. Personally, I have deep sorrow at the years I took the pill, even though I never planned on having children ... and I have asked the Lord’s forgiveness for my ignorant behavior. This, I believe, is only genuine if I take it seriously enough to (a) do better about making educated choices in the future, and (b) do everything I can to educate my sisters, knowing how easily misled we are my the advertising and profit-seeking behavior of the pharmaceutical companies. I am grateful that the Lord forgives us when we seek Him according to His truth, knowing that we will no longer continue to make the same mistakes.
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