Contraception Guidebook Options, Risks, And Answers For Christian Couples

The Contraception Guidebook Copyright © 2005 by Sandra L. Glahn and William R. Cutrer Requests for information should be addressed to: Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cutrer, William, 1951- The contraception guidebook : options, risks, and answers for christian couples / William R. Cutrer and Sandra L. Glahn. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-10: 0-310-25407-8 (softcover) ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25407-2 1. Contraception-Popular works. 2. Contraception-Religious aspects-Christianity. I. Glahn, Sandra, 1958- . II. Title. RG136.2.C88 2005 613.9'4-dc22 2004029111 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible. The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of Zondervan, nor do we vouch for their content for the life of this book. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other-except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher. Interior design by Michelle Espinoza Printed in the United States of America 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 /? DCI/ 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Chapter 1 HOWMANY CHILDREN DO YOUWANT? How many children do you want? For more than twenty years, when engaged couples have come to me for premarital counsel-either in my capacity as a physician or as a pastor-I have asked them to sit back to back so they can't see each other's response and then have asked them to raise the number of fingers for the number of children they hope to have. Rarely have both the man and woman given the same answer. This exercise helps many couples realize that in their plans for marriage, an important consideration has been left out. "How many?" and "When?" can be complex questions. - An engaged woman attending a Christian college overhears one of her professors explaining why he has six children: "We don't use contraception-that would mean a lack of faith. We prefer to trust God." She wonders how she and her fiancé will balance "stepping out in faith" with weighing the pros and cons and making wise decisions. - A wife has been using the pill, but she and her husband recently heard that the pill causes abortion by killing the early embryo. Now they have second thoughts and are trying to figure out what method of contraception, if any, is best for them. - Feeling her biological clock ticking, a wife is eager to stop using contraception. Her husband, concerned to first establish financial security, wants to wait. Their endless discussions about when to stop using contraception are getting them nowhere. - Acouple with five children have always thought it was wrong to use contraception but have now been told that the wife's health would be endangered if she were to have another child. They have no idea where to begin in considering the options. - An engaged couple plans to use contraception after they marry, but they have no idea what options are available and which ones fit within their pro-life beliefs. Each of the individuals in theseCutrer, William R. is the author of 'Contraception Guidebook Options, Risks, And Answers For Christian Couples', published 2005 under ISBN 9780310254072 and ISBN 0310254078.