That being said, I am still a strong supporter of birth control and abortion rights. So I want kids - so what? That doesn't mean everyone does, or that everyone would be able to care for any children they gave birth to, even if they wanted them (due to any number of factors - illness, injury, economic status, etc.). I was ecstatic to learn of the FDA approval of Plan-B Emergency Contraception for purchase without a prescription for women age 18+. I think that will be an immeasurable help in cutting down the number of unintended, unwanted pregnancies - and by extension the number of abortions required.
I would be very happy if abortions were never needed. That would mean that there were safe, reliable, accessible methods of birth control to prevent pregnancy and that all pregnancies that happened were planned, or at least wanted/accepted if not actively planned. Abortions are very hard on women, physically and psychologically, and if they did not need to have them, so much the better - but if they need them, then I damn sure want them to have access to getting them.
We're clear on my stance on birth control and abortion rights now, correct?
With all of that tumbling around in my head, I'm not quite sure what to think of this Newsweek article: Making Babies the 'Quiverfull' Way
The basic concept, for those that do not want to click the link, is this is a conservative Protestant movement that deems all birth control of any kind - even tracking fertility cycles as the Catholic Church allows - anathema and that every couple should be willing and ready accept as many children as God gives them. The following quotes are the ones I have seen repeated most often in reading about the 'Quiverfull' movement:
"God is the only opener and closer of the womb"and
"Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the Fruit of the Womb is His reward. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them..." (Psalms 127:3-5)
I am of two minds about this idea, I believe. On one hand, the couples that decide to follow this and that truly want the family with 10+ kids are following their faith and doing what they feel is right. Their family and home life have nothing to do with me, and do not impact me in any way, right? I should not concern myself with what they are doing any more than they should worry about what goes on in my home.
On the other hand, the whole concept just seems wrong to me. An article on the Quiverfull website about reasons to have another child includes reason #9: Have another child to counter global depopulation. It suggests that everyone should have large families of this kind to "offset the coming population implosion." (article here) I read several articles (mostly linked from the Quiverfull website or the Blessed Arrows website) that repeatedly referenced erroneous reports of "the myth of overpopulation" or that birth control pills "cause abortions in 5% of cases." That kind of blatant misinformation scares me in several ways, for several reasons. Not the least of which is how many people are living this kind of life based on these kinds of misinformation?
To me, the scariest part of the original MSNBC article is in the last paragraph:
Though Ken admits life isn’t always easy—last spring, all eight kids came down with chicken pox at once—he says the family became “exponentially happier” after relinquishing control of Devon’s womb to God. He’s counting on his eldest daughter, Peyton, 12, to carry on the tradition. She “will stay under my covering until I turn her over in marriage to a God-honoring young man,” he says. Hopefully, he adds, they too will reap a full quiver.The reasons that quote is as frightening to me as it is, I think, has to do with other articles I read on the above sites (and others links on them) on parenting, dating/courting/betrothing, and marriage. That is another discussion, however - if you are bored and curious, feel free to peruse the linked sites, and read some of the articles posted. They are an interesting, if somewhat frightening, read.
crossposted to my personal journal.
