Family Planning/Birth Control
Family planning is embraced by religions across the spectrum as a moral good, a responsible choice, and a basic human right. The world's religions recognize that family planning helps build strong families, protect the health of women and children, reduce child and spousal abuse, and prevent unwanted pregnancies.
In the United States, religions have long-standing positions that endorse and encourage family planning. The overwhelming majority of women (97%) use a modern method of contraception during their reproductive years. Contraception not only leads to healthier families, it also helps reduce unintended pregnancy. Half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended. Public health experts agree that family planning helps to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions.
Religious support for family planning is consistent with faith principles that give primacy to well being, including the health of children, families and the community at large. Religions recognize that children fare far better when they are born into nurturing environments and families prepared for parenthood.
In 1965 the Supreme Court upheld the right of married couples to seek contraception in the landmark case Griswold v. Connecticut. Seven years later this right was extended to unmarried couples. The Court based its decision on the right to privacy in intimate, family, personal decisions.
Contraceptive technology research has moved very slowly since the release of oral contraceptives in 1960. Funding for this research is often limited and many pharmaceutical research entities have shied away from such work because of the legal roadblocks they know they will encounter by those who oppose even the most basic methods of family planning. Health plans routinely fail to include coverage for contraception although it is part of basic health care for women. Largely as a result, women of reproductive age pay 68% more in out-of-pocket costs for health care services than do men of the same age.
IRCRC supports:
- efforts to strengthen family planning programs
- efforts to make birth control affordable and accessible
- education for youth and adults to help them learn how to prevent unintended pregnancy and limit or space their children
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Get the facts!
Family Planning & Contraceptive Use
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Children who are the result of unintended pregnacy are at greater risk of developing health problems, living in poverty, and being the victim of abuse and neglect.
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11% of women having abortions had never used a method of birth control; non-use is greatest among those who are young, unmarried, poor, African-American, Hispanic or poorly educated.
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49% of the 6.3 million pregnancies that occur each year are unplanned; 47% of these occur among the 7% of women at risk of unintended pregnancy who do not practice contraception.
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Overall, 64% of the more than 60 million women aged 15-44 practice contraception.
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Nearly 17 million women require financial assistance or subsidized contraceptive services and supplies.
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Each year, publicily-supported conyraceptive services help women prevent 1.3 million unplanned pregnancies, which would result in over 600,000 abortions, over 500,000 unintended births and 165,000 miscarriages.
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When adjusted for inflation, total public expenditures for family planning services today is about the same as in 1980.
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Indiana is ranked 49th in efforts to help women avoid unintended pregnancy.
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(Source: Guttmacher Institute)
Learn more
Family Planning: A Moral Good, a Human Right—a 2-page paper in pdf format that includes official statements about family planning from national faith groups
Emergency Contraception: A Sound Moral Choice—a 2-page paper in pdf format
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