Abortion, contraception: Fruits of the poison tree

Pope St. John Paul II made a very important and perceptive point in his encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life) when he stated that “despite their differences of nature and moral gravity, contraception and abortion are often closely connected, as fruits of the same tree.”

It is common to hear from certain groups, especially those with an interest in promoting birth control, that increased access to and use of contraception will reduce the numbers of abortions. This is a prediction that can be checked. A very good article by William Newton in the May 2015 Linacre Quarterly pulled the data together. Spain had a 30 percent increase in contraceptive use from 1997 to 2007 and an even higher growth in abortions (48 percent increase) in that same time period. In England and Wales, contraceptive use among sexually active unmarried women grew from 26 percent to 97 percent from 1970 to 1990, and the abortion rate grew by over 100 percent, from 8.8 to 19.9 abortions per 1,000 women in fertile ages.
 
John Paul II provided a strong reason in Evangelium Vitae to explain why the abortion rate has risen in many places parallel to an increase in the use of contraception. He said that “the negative values inherent in the ‘contraceptive mentality’ — which is very different from responsible parenthood, lived in respect for the full truth of the conjugal act — are such that they in fact strengthen this temptation when an unwanted life is conceived. Indeed, the pro-abortion culture is especially strong precisely where the Church’s teaching on contraception is rejected.” It is very interesting to note that Dr. Malcom Potts, former medical director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, essentially agreed, stating, “As people turn to contraception, there will be a rise, not a fall, in the abortion rate.”

With higher contraceptive prevalence, the amount of promiscuous sexual activity goes up, and since all methods of birth control have a failure rate, unplanned and unwanted pregnancies result in significant numbers. Babies conceived out of wedlock and despite attempted contraception are at grave risk for abortion. It is heartbreaking to read the testimonies of former Planned Parenthood workers who affirm that this giant organization promotes contraception and sexual promiscuity among young people knowing very well that there will be high failure rates, especially among teenagers, and that this will then feed their abortion numbers.

So, what is the poison tree that gives contraception and abortion as its fruits? It is sexual impurity. Chastity is a beautiful virtue that must be lived by all — married or single, lay or religious. When lust and disordered sexuality enter a person’s life, it is spiritually deadly. As people are sucked into sexual immorality, they become hooked on contraception and abortion. There is a vicious circle that leads to a “culture of death,” another memorable phrase coined by John Paul II. A selfish pursuit of pleasure results in the slaughter of innocent preborn children.

The good news is that the cycle of sexual hedonism leading to abortion can be broken by the practice of virtue and reverence for the sanctity of human life. Raising children and young people to save sex for their marital life is a wonderful blessing. Rejecting contraception in marriage also strengthens them immensely, as seen by the low rates of divorce among couples using natural methods of fertility regulation. Even those unhappy to be pregnant can be helped — as thousands of pregnancy centers do every day — to see the beauty and humanity of our preborn brothers and sisters and so be saved from the pain of abortion.