I never realized, until I starting dating good Catholic women, how much the medical establishment doesn’t just push contraception on them, but baldly assumes that every woman takes birth control.
To wit, Melanie was given a pamphlet by the hospital when she was discharged called, “Information for New Parents and Their Babies.” It contains the following paragraph:
Sexual relations - We recommend that you do not have sexual intercourse for four to six weeks and until you have stopped bleeding and have no pain. You will need a birth control method before you resume sexual relations, even if you are breastfeeding. Although breastfeeding may stop ovulation, it is not reliable and should not be considered a form of birth control. The type of birth control prescribed for you will depend on your personal preference, whether or not you are breastfeeding, and your provider’s recommendations. Condoms are a good form of birth control if used correctly. Ask your physician or midwife about available methods of birth control.
Check out that second sentence. There’s no question, no “perhaps you may need” or “if you are using birth control.” Instead, it makes bland assumption that you will need birth control. In fact, the entirety of their advice on sexual relations for mothers who’ve just had babies is “Get birth control” and “oh, by the way, wait four to six weeks to have sex.” Talk about getting your priorities mixed up.
The default position of the medical establishment apparently is that children are to be avoided whenever possible, that families will always default to contracepting except when they explicitly decide to actively acquire a child. Talk about sucking the spontaneity and joy out of family life. But then children are just a burden, right? Or so they seem to say.
