wfn.org | Adventists Vote Guidelines Document on Birth Control

["Christian B. Schäffler" <APD_Info_Schweiz@compuserve.com>]

October 1, 1999
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Special Report General Conference Annual Council 1999

Adventists Vote Guidelines Document on Birth Control

Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. (ANN/APD) The Annual Council 
of the Seventh-day Adventist Church voted on September 29 
a statement on birth control that provides guidelines on the 
Church's position.

"We are affirming the individual's personal relationship to 
God," said Dr. Allan Handysides, health director for the 
Adventist Church and chair of the committee that drafted the 
document. "This is not a statement of dogma. We are not 
assuming the authority to dictate, but to provide guidelines for 
those who want to know where we stand. Planning for 
children in a Christian family is a great responsibility. We have 
examined the various techniques and identified those which 
the Church does not oppose and those which may be termed 
'birth control' but which cannot be supported."

Speaking for the Church's administration, Leo Ranzolin, 
general vice-president, said that the document was especially 
applicable to those faced with such decisions of family 
matters.

"It's appropriate for the Church to give guidance and some 
orientation to Christian married couples coming from a wide 
variety of backgrounds and cultures as to aspects of birth 
control," said Ranzolin.

The Church's Annual Council is composed of 330 
representatives from all over the world, meeting to direct the 
Church's affairs and to take actions on behalf of the Church 
community.

*******

The full text of the voted statement follows: 		

"Birth Control:  
A Seventh-day Adventist Statement of Consensus"

Scientific technologies today permit greater control of human 
fertility and reproduction than was formerly possible.  These 
technologies make possible sexual intercourse with the 
expectation of pregnancy and childbirth greatly reduced.  
Christian married couples have a potential for fertility control 
that has created many questions with wide-ranging religious, 
medical, social, and political implications.  Opportunities and 
benefits exist as a result of the new capabilities, as do 
challenges and drawbacks.  A number of moral issues must be 
considered. Christians who ultimately must make their own 
personal choices on these issues must be informed in order to 
make sound decisions based on biblical principles.

Among the issues to be considered is the question of the 
appropriateness of human intervention in the natural 
biological processes of human reproduction.  If any 
intervention is appropriate, then additional questions 
regarding what, when, and how must be addressed.  Other 
related concerns include:

o	likelihood of increased sexual immorality which the 
availability and use of birth control methods may promote; 

o	gender dominance issues related to the sexual 
privileges and prerogatives of both women and men; 

o	social issues, including the right of a society to 
encroach upon personal freedom in the interest of the society 
at large and the burden of economic and educational support 
for the disadvantaged; and 

o	stewardship issues related to population growth and 
the use of natural resources.

A statement of moral considerations regarding birth control 
must be set in the broader context of biblical teachings about 
sexuality, marriage, parenthood, and the value of children-
and an understanding of the interconnectedness between 
these issues.  With an awareness of the diversity of opinion 
within the Church, the following biblically based principles are 
set forth to educate and to guide in decision making.

1.	Responsible stewardship.  God created human beings 
in His own image, male and female, with capacities to think 
and to make decisions (Isa 1:18; Josh 24:15; Deut 30:15-20). 
God gave human beings dominion over the earth (Gen 1:26, 
28).  This dominion requires overseeing and caring for nature.  
Christian stewardship also requires taking responsibility for 
human procreation.  Sexuality, as one of the aspects of 
human nature over which the individual has stewardship, is to 
be expressed in harmony with God's will (Exod 20:14; Gen 
39:9; Lev 20:10-21; 1 Cor 6:12-20).

2.	Procreative purpose.  The perpetuation of the human 
family is one of God's purposes for human sexuality (Gen 
1:28).  Though it may be inferred that marriages are generally 
intended to yield offspring, Scripture never presents 
procreation as an obligation of every couple in order to please 
God.  However, divine revelation places a high value on 
children and expresses the joy to be found in parenting (Matt 
19:14; Ps 127:3).  Bearing and rearing children help parents 
to understand God and to develop compassion, caring, 
humility, and unselfishness (Ps 103:13; Luke 11:13).

3.	Unifying purpose.  Sexuality serves a unifying purpose 
in marriage that is God-ordained and distinguishable from the 
procreative purpose (Gen 2:24).  Sexuality in marriage is 
intended to include joy, pleasure, and delight (Eccl 9:9; Prov 
5:18, 19; Song of Sol 4:16-5:1). God intends that couples 
may have ongoing sexual communion apart from procreation 
(1 Cor 7:3-5), a communion that forges strong bonds and 
protects a marriage partner from an inappropriate relationship 
with someone other than his or her spouse (Prov 5:15-20; 
Song of Sol 8:6, 7).  In God's design, sexual intimacy is not 
only for the purpose of conception. Scripture does not prohibit 
married couples from enjoying the delights of conjugal 
relations while taking measures to prevent pregnancy.

4.	Freedom to choose.  In creation-and again through 
the redemption of Christ-God has given human beings 
freedom of choice, and He asks them to use their freedom 
responsibly (Gal 5:1, 13).  In the divine plan, husband and 
wife constitute a distinct family unit, having both the freedom 
and the responsibility to share in making determinations about 
their family (Gen 2:24).  Married partners should be 
considerate of each other in making decisions about birth 
control, being willing to consider the needs of the other as 
well as one's own (Phil 2:4).  For those who choose to bear 
children, the procreative choice is not without limits. Several 
factors must inform their choice, including the ability to 
provide for the needs of children (1 Tim 5:8); the physical, 
emotional, and spiritual health of the mother and other care 
givers (3 John 2; 1 Cor 6:19; Phil 2:4; Eph 5:25); the social 
and political circumstances into which children will be born 
(Matt 24:19); and the quality of life and the global resources 
available.  We are stewards of God's creation and therefore 
must look beyond our own happiness and desires to consider 
the needs of others (Phil 2:4).

5.	Appropriate methods of birth control.  Moral decision 
making about the choice and use of the various birth control 
agents must stem from an understanding of their probable 
effects on physical and emotional health, the manner in which 
the various agents operate, and the financial expenditure 
involved.  A variety of methods of birth control-including 
barrier methods, spermicides, and sterilization-prevent 
conception and are morally acceptable.  Some other birth-
control methods (*1)  may prevent the release of the egg 
(ovulation), may prevent the union of egg and sperm 
(fertilization), or may prevent attachment of the already 
fertilized egg (implantation).  Because of uncertainty about 
how they will function in any given instance, they may be 
morally suspect for people who believe that protectable 
human life begins at fertilization. However, since the majority 
of fertilized ova naturally fail to implant or are lost after 
implantation, even when birth control methods are not being 
used, hormonal methods of birth control and IUDs, which 
represent a similar process, may be viewed as morally 
acceptable. Abortion, the intentional termination of an 
established pregnancy, is not morally acceptable for purposes 
of birth control.

6.	 Misuse of birth control.  Though the increased ability 
to manage fertility and protect against sexually transmitted 
disease may be useful to many married couples, birth control 
can be misused.  For example, those who would engage in 
premarital and extramarital sexual relations may more readily 
indulge in such behaviors because of the availability of birth 
control methods.  The use of such methods to protect sex 
outside of marriage may reduce the risks of sexually 
transmitted diseases and/or pregnancy.  Sex outside of 
marriage, however, is both harmful and immoral, whether or 
not these risks have been diminished.

7.	A redemptive approach.  The availability of birth-
control methods makes education about sexuality and morality 
even more imperative.  Less effort should be put forth in 
condemnation and more in education and redemptive 
approaches that seek to allow each individual to be persuaded 
by the deep movings of the Holy Spirit.

(*1) Some current examples of these methods include 
intrauterine devices (IUDs), hormone pills (including the 
"morning-after pill"), injections, or implants.  Questions about 
these methods should be referred to a medical professional.