Birth Control Pills --> A Mortal Sin? Really?

12 million women in the United States are on the birth control pill.  3 of my 4 roommates are on the birth control pill.  So what does that say about us and our religion?

In my opinion, birth control pills create a safe environment for men and women to have sex.  At first you might think that this is important in the college-scene -- girls and boys who want to have fun and sleep around for 4+ years.  But when you think about it from another perspective -- a married couple who has decided not to have children, or who do not want to pass on a disease to their children, or who have decided to adopt than give birth naturally – then it becomes a different story.

I found a website that disagrees with my viewpoint – a church’s opinion about birth control (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/e_church.html).  Here is an excerpt:

A Mortal Sin

On New Year's Eve 1930, the Roman Catholic Church officially banned any "artificial" means of birth control. Condoms, diaphragms and cervical caps were defined as artificial, since they blocked the natural journey of sperm during intercourse. Douches, suppositories and spermicides all killed or impeded sperm, and were banned as well. According to Church doctrine, tampering with the "male seed" was tantamount to murder. A common admonition on the subject at the time was "so many conceptions prevented, so many homicides." To interfere with God's will was a mortal sin and grounds for excommunication.

As a female who wants to have a career and establish myself financially and emotionally before mixing kids into my life, why should I be denied the right to make love to my future husband until we are ready to have children of our own?  

Although I can understand the other side of the argument, that not allowing sperm to fertilize an egg is like not allowing a potential human being to be created, I can't get my head around the idea that God would want us to have sex naturally, without any protection, and then have children that we cannot afford to care for.  With that in mind, people who have children they did not plan to have, purely because they were not allowed to use contraception, may then not have the time/money to care for them in the right way.  That means hunger, and/or neglected children that grow up to disturb the community.

I consider myself pro-life, but only because I believe the options available to women in today’s world should come as close as possible to eliminating unwanted pregnancy, making the need for post-conception abortions unnecessary (except in the cases of rape and other types of molestation).

I guess, in conclusion, I do understand the church’s point of view, and I will not look down upon those that follow the Church’s morals, but in return I would appreciate respect toward those of us who don’t plan to abstain, and want to make sure we are ready for kids before we jump on that bandwagon.  I certainly don’t want to be committing “A Mortal Sin,” as the website above states.