Judaism views on contraception
Currently, Judaism views on contraception vary widely between the Orthodox, Conservatives, and Reform branches of the religion. For instance, Orthodox Judaism allows birth control only under certain situations. Even though Conservative Judaism encourages its members to follow and respect traditional teachings on birth control, it has become more willing to endorse exceptions that allow followers fit in the modern society that largely use artificial methods of birth control. On the other hand, Reform Judaism is more liberal about birth control, giving followers the freedom to make decisions about appropriate methods to use.
Regulations, which control the use of contraceptives largely, affect traditional streams of Judaism than any others because they strictly follow the Jewish law. Today, many Jews are of the opinion that modern contraception methods uphold the law choosing life more than disobeying God’s command to be fruitful and multiply.
Birth control and Judaism views on contraception
In understanding Judaism views on contraception, it is important to focus on what God says in the Torah. Genesis 1:28 says, “And God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it.” According to Talmud’s interpretation, every man on earth should at least sire a boy or a girl. While this is the case, Jewish Law, Halacha in Hebrew allows specific methods of birth control depending on prevailing circumstances.
According to Jews, the method you use to control birth is paramount in determining whether you act contrary to the law or not. Importantly, they the law prohibits men from wasting the seed. However, they accept hormonal methods of birth control, which include injections, implants, pills and patches. In contrast, most orthodox rabbinic authorities oppose the use of methods like coitus in interruptus, vasectomy and condoms because they do not allow passage of the seed. In some cases, the use of condoms is permissible if its sole purpose is to prevent the spread of incurable infections.
When does Judaism allow or prohibit contraception?
Even though Orthodox Jews hold that God is always in charge of family planning and that birth control methods are irrelevant, Jews Law permits birth control under specific conditions. For example, the Talmud allows women to employ contraception in case they are very young or they are nursing. This shows the existing variation in Judaism views on contraceptives.
Additionally, the law allows a couple to use birth control if they already have a boy and a girl. This is line with the function of the family of promoting lineage continuity. When a couple has two children of either sex, they are guaranteed family continuation. Jewish Law further prioritizes the health and life of the expectant woman. It therefore allows contraception in case the pregnancy poses risk to the health of the mother or the unborn. Therefore, a couple that uses birth control methods under these conditions does not break the law.
Modern Judaism Views on contraception
Except for Orthodox Jews, majority of Judaism followers have the free will to choose their preferred method of birth control. They do this with the aim of family planning and do not care whether they waste the seed or destroy it. In practice, Orthodox Jews may only use hormonal methods of birth control and under certain circumstances.
Judaism views on contraception therefore depend on the prevailing conditions even though Orthodox Judaism is more restrictive as compared to Reform and Liberal schools. However, the law guards against wastage of a man’s sperms. Therefore, it is more limiting on contraception that destroys the seed or prevents it from reaching the intended destination. The two common birth control methods known for this are contraceptive pill and the IUD.
Above all, two major principles govern birth control among Jews. Firstly, it is God’s commandment for man to marry and have children. This means a couple obeys this law by having children. The second principle is preserving sperms. Judaism discourages wastage of seed and demands that a man should not emit semen for no other reason apart from conception. In modern day, Judaism has become liberal, allowing couples to be in charge of their families. Thus, it allows contraception when limiting the number of children for the good of the family. In addition, a married woman should not employ birth control selfishly. Instead, she should do so to allow proper spacing of children.
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References:
http://judaism.about.com/od/sexinjudaism/a/birthcontrol.htm
http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/contraception
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/jewishethics/contraception.shtml
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/481962/jewish/What-is-the-Torahs-view-on-birth-control.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/sex.htm
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/procreation-and-contraception/#
http://www.shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/HTML/faq/08-11.html