Abstract
There is evidence supporting the hypothesis that the historically favorable views of Protestants regarding the practice of family planning are changing among selected sub-groups. Such an attitudinal shift among Protestants has been rarely investigated by social scientists. This literature review represents an initial step in examining the phenomenon. A profile of Protestants' historical views of family planning will be presented first, followed by a discussion of the recent questioning of this group's favorable attitudes towards the practice. Additionally, research literature on contraceptive behavior and fertility patterns will provide empirical evidence supporting the hypothesis.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Marcum, J. P. (1981), “Explaining Fertility Differences among U.S. Protestants,” Social Forces, 60, pp. 532–543.
Marcum, J. P. (1986), “Explaining Protestant Fertility: Belief, Commitment, and Homogamy.” The Sociological Quarterly, 27, pp. 547–558.
Mosher, W. D. and McNally, J. W. (1991), “Contraceptive Use at First Premarital Intercourse: United States, 1965–1988.” Family Planning Perspectives, 23, pp. 108–116.
Mosher, W. D., Williams, L. B. and Johnson, D. P. (1992), “Religion and Fertility in the United States: New Patterns,” Demography, 29, pp. 199–214.
Pride, M. (1985), The Way Home: Beyond Feminism, Back to Reality. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, p. 29.
Goodson, P. (1996), “Protestant Seminary Students' Views of Family Planning and Intention to Promote Family Planning through Education.” Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, Austin, Texas, The University of Texas at Austin.
Dienes, C. T. (1972), Law, Politics, and Birth Control. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
Doriani, D. (1993), “Birth Dearth or Bring on the Babies? Biblical Perspectives on Family Planning.” The Journal of Biblical Counseling, XII, pp. 24–35.
Schnucker, R. V. (1975), “Elizabethan Birth Control and Puritan Attitudes.” Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 4, pp. 655–667.
Ibid., p.661.
Morgan, E. S. (1942), “The Puritans and Sex.” The New England Quarterly, XV, pp. 591–607.
Sweet, L. I. (1994), Health and Medicine in the Evangelical Tradition: “Not by Might nor Power,” Chicago, IL: Trinity Press International.
Parkerson, D. H. and Parkerson, J. A. (1988), ‘Fewer Children of Greater Spiritual Quality’ Religion and the Decline of Fertility in Nineteenth-century America. Social Science History, 12, pp. 49–70.
Parkerson, D. H. and Parkerson, J. A., p. 50.
Ibid., p. 57.
Ibid., pp. 57–59.
Dienes, C. T., p. 93.
Graebner, A. (1980), “Birth Control and the Lutherans: The Missouri Synod as a Case Study,” in James, J. W., ed., Women in American Religion, University of Pennsylvania Press.
Asbell, B. (1995), The Pill: a Biography of the Drug that Changed the World, New York: Random House, p. 53.
Reed, J. (1978), From Private vice to Public Virtue: the Birth Control Movement and American Society since 1830. New York, NY: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers.
John-Stevas, N. (1971), The Agonizing Choice: Birth Control, Religion and the Law. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Ibid., p. 82.
Fagley, R. M. (1967), “Doctrines and Attitudes of Major Religions in Regard to Fertility.” United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Proceedings of the World Population Conference-30 August-10 September 1965, pp. 78–84. Belgrade.
Spitzer, W. O. and Carlyle, L. S. (1969), Birth Control and the Christian: A Protestant Symposium on the Control of Human Reproduction, Wheaton: Tyndale House, p. xxv.
Mathews, A. H. (1967), “Birth control: Which Methods Are Moral?.” Christianity Today, 11, pp. 43–45.
Meyers, J. J. (1988), “Does the Bible Forbid Family Planning? A Biblical and Theological Evaluation of Mary Pride's Arguments against all Forms of Birth Control in Her Book “The Way Home.” The Counsel of Chalcedon, p. 21.
Vincent, M. O. (1968), “A Christian View of Contraception.” Christianity Today, 13, pp. 14–15.
Assembly Committee on Human Sexuality (1991). Presbyterians and Human Sexuality: the 203rd General Assembly (1991): Response of the Report of the Special Committee on Human Sexuality, Including a “Minority Report”. Louisville, KY: Office of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (USA), p. 83.
Freedman, R., Whelpton, P. K. and Cambell, A. A. (1959), Family Planning, Sterility and Population Growth. New York: McGraw Hill. pp. 160–161.
Mercier, J. M. (1984), “Family Planning Education: How Do Adults Feel About It?” Family Relations, 33, pp. 523–530.
Allen, J. E. and College, S. (1967), “Family Planning Attitudes of Seminary Students.” Review of Religious Research, 9, pp. 52–55.
Allen, J. E. and Cole, L. P. (1975), “Differences in Predominant Family Planning Attitudes and Experiences of Seminary Students: A Ten-year Assessment.” Review of Religious Research, 17, pp. 68–73.
CT Institute (1991), “Is Birth Control Christian?” Christianity Today, p. 34.
Provan, C. D. (1989), The Bible and Birth Control, Monogahela, PA: Zimmer Printing, p. 3.
Morecraft III, J. (1989), “The Bible on Large Families.” The Counsel of Chalcedon, pp. 9–10.
Concerned Women for America. (1993), “They'll Learn How to Use a Condom before they Learn to Multiply.” Christianity Today, September 13, p. 17.
Christenson, L. and Christenson, N. (1978), “Contraception: Blessing or Blight?.” International Review of Natural Family Planning, II, pp. 1–11.
Ibid., p. 7.
Schamp, R. O., McGaughran, A. L., Lang, S. and Doughty, P. F. (1993), “The case against the Use of Oral Contraceptives.” Journal of Biblical Ethics in Medicine, 7, pp. 76–77.
Kuhar, B M. (1988), “Pharmaceutical Companies: The New Abortionists.” Human Life International, pp. 1–4.
Goldscheider, C. and Mosher, W D. (1991), “Patterns of Contraceptive Use in the United States: The Importance of Religious Factors.” Studies in Family Planning, 22, pp. 102–115.
Kahn, J., Rindfuss, R. and Guilkey, D. (1991), “Adolescent Contraceptive Method Choices.” Demography, 27, p. 323.
Mosher, W. D. and McNally, J. W. (1991), Op. cit., pp. 108–116.
Doriani, D., Op. cit., p. 26.
Pride, M., Op. cit.
Ibid., p. 25–26, 29.
Doriani, D., Op. cit.
Ellison, C.G. and Goodson, P. (1997), “Conservative Protestantism and attitudes toward family planning in a sample of seminarians, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 36, December.
Westoff, C. F. and Jones, E. F. (1979), “The End of Catholic Fertility.” Demography, 16, pp. 209–217.
Mosher, W. D. and Hendershot, G. E. (1984), “Religious Affiliation and the Fertility of Married Couples.” Journal of Marriage and the Family, 46, pp. 671–677.
Mosher, W. D., Johnson, D. P. and Horn, M. C. (1986), “Religion and Fertility in the United States: The Importance of Marriage Patterns and Hispanic Origin.” Demography, 23, pp. 367–379.
Mosher, W. D., Williams, L. B. and Johnson, D P., Op. cit.
Marcum, J. P. (1981), “Explaining Fertility Differences among US Protestants.” Social Forces, 60, pp. 532–543.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Mosher, W. D., Williams, L. B. and Johnson, D. P., Op. cit.
Roof, W. C. and McKinney, W. (1987), American Mainline Religion: Its Changing Shape and Future, New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Smith, T. W. (1990), “Classifying Protestant Denominations.” Review of Religious Research, 31, pp. 225–245.
Gay, D. A. and Ellison, C. G. (1993), “Religious Subcultures and Political Tolerance: Do Denominations Still matter?” Review of Religious Research, 34, pp. 311–332.
Ellison, C. G. and Sherkat, D. E. (1993), “Conservative Protestantism and Support for Corporal Punishment.” American Sociological Review, 58, pp. 131–144.
Bartkowski, J. P. and Ellison, C. G. (1995), “Divergent Models of Childrearing in Popular Manuals: Conservative Protestants vs. the Mainstream Experts.” Sociology of Religion, 56, pp. 21–34.
Bartkowski, J. P. (1995), “Spare the Rod..., or Spare the Child? Divergent perspectives on Conservative Protestant Child Discipline.” Review of Religious Research, 37, pp. 97–115.
Ellison, C. G. and Musick, M. A. (1995), “Conservative Protestantism and Public Opinion Toward Science.” Review of Religious Research, 36, pp. 245–262.
Mosher, W. D and McNally, J. W., Op. cit.
Mosher, W. D., Williams, L. B. and Johnson, D. P., Op. cit.
Wiederman, M. W., Maynard, C. and Fretz, A. (1996), “Ethnicity in 25 Years of Published Sexuality Research: 1971–1995.” Journal of Sex Research, 33, pp. 339–342.
Elifson, K. W. and Irwin, J. (1977). “Black Ministers' Attitudes Toward Population Size and Birth Control.” Sociological Analysis, 38, pp. 252–257.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Goodson, P. Protestants and Family Planning. Journal of Religion and Health 36, 353–366 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027437310363
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027437310363