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Contraception. Christianity & Sikhism. In Christian thought. Contraception was seen as morally bad because it has the same affect as abortion. However, today many Christians no longer regard contraception as morally wrong , many regard it as the most moral thing to do in certain situations.
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Contraception Christianity & Sikhism
In Christian thought.. • Contraception was seen as morally bad because it has the same affect as abortion. • However, today many Christians no longer regard contraception as morally wrong, many regard it as the most moral thing to do in certain situations.
The Orthodox Church.. • Until the 1970’s the Eastern Orthodox Church was against contraception, but now holds that contraception is acceptable within a Christian marriage if the method is not a drug or device that includes abortions (abortifacient).
The Roman Catholic.. • The Roman Catholic Church only allows “natural” birth control, which means that only having sex during the infertile period of a woman’s monthly cycle. Artificial methods of contraception are banned.
The Church and Contraception.. • The church forbids sex outside marriage. • The church teaches using artificial contraception is wrong because; • It is against “natural law” • It reduces male respect for women • It gives humans the power to decide when a new life should begin, that power belongs to God.
The Bible.. • Two parts of the bible may show God’s disapproval of birth control; • Firstly, God commanded his people to “Be fruitful and multiply” this demonstrates that contraception has prevented human beings from being fruitful and multiplying. • Secondly, Onan was killed by God for “Spilling his seed” which may suggest that God was angry with Onan for having sex for a purpose other than having children.
Virtue Ethics.. • No clear cut answer • Rosalind Hursthouse – Argued that contraception leads to causal sex, immoral. • Michael Slote– Emphasises the caring nature of a virtuous person. He defines 3 types of care; • Care for yourself • Care for family and friends • Care for humanity
All 3 types of care emphasise the need to use contraceptives. • If you care for yourself , you will not wish to die or be sick through STI’s. • If you care for your family and friends, you would wish to reproduce only those who are going to be wanted and brought up in a loving and caring environment. • If you care for humanity, you will take into account the growth of the world’s population and the damage done to the environment. • The approach depends on the virtuous nature of the individual, each case and each situation becomes unique. E.g. it would be morally virtuous for a person not to wish to infect his/her partner with HIV/AIDS.
Sikhism.. • Sikhs have no objection to birth control. • Whether or not Sikhs use contraception, and the form of contraception used is a matter for the couple concerned.