Christians should be in favor of policies on access to contraceptives – 02/09/2024 – Deborah Bizarria

The refusal of the São Camilo hospital, in São Paulo, to insert an IUD, based on Christian moral precepts against contraceptives, generated debates about the influence of religious morality in private health services. The hospital’s policy, aligned with Catholicism, prohibits such procedures, except in cases of illness, for example. One judge supported this stance, arguing that seeking contraceptives for sexual pleasure is contrary to Christian morality.

The discussion of this type of case becomes more complex when the entity receives public resources and, even more so, if the procedure would be carried out by the SUS. Regardless of the specific case, public policies for easy access to contraceptive methods are fundamental and should be supported, including by Christians.

It is known that in general Christians advocate a life of abstinence for single people and that children are a blessing within marriage. Recently, even Catholics and evangelicals who did not see much of a problem with the use of contraceptives by married people began to review this position. But the defense of this lifestyle needs to be done through conviction and evangelization in appropriate spaces, without causing harm to third parties.

After all, unplanned and often unwanted pregnancies bring with them a range of negative consequences for children, ranging from health to socioeconomic aspects. As shown in the book “The best intentions: Unintended pregnancy and the well-being of children and families”, children born from unintended pregnancies face a greater risk of malnutrition, illness, neglect and, in extreme cases, even abandonment or death.

Furthermore, there is a high probability of premature birth, low birth weight and developmental problems, which can significantly compromise the child’s quality of life. Lack of family planning can also result in less access to education, health care and future opportunities, limiting these children’s potential. In addition to the direct impact on them, social stigma, discrimination and violence can affect the families and communities involved. In the case of young mothers or teenagers, there is also an increase in school dropouts and a reduction in their participation in the labor market by 25%.

There is also a clear inequality in access to methods and information on how to use them, depending on women’s income. A Brookings Institution study looked at 3,885 single women, ages 15 to 44, who said they were not trying to get pregnant. The results indicate that the frequency of sexual intercourse is not the main factor that differentiates unintended pregnancy rates between economic classes.

Approximately two-thirds of women across all income groups had sexual intercourse in the last year, with higher-income women reporting the highest rate of sexual activity, at 71%. What really impacts the chances of unplanned pregnancy among poorer women is the lower use of contraceptives. While only 11% of the richest women who had sex reported not using contraceptives, this number was more than double among women in the poorest group. Consequently, the pregnancy rate was significantly higher for low-income women: 9% compared to just 2.9% among the richest.

In practice, if we want a country where children have the support and family stability they need to develop, it is necessary to support public policies that guarantee access to methods that prevent unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. These measures are important for society, even if you defend Christian values ​​of abstinence for singles and marriages with children.

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