Did Contraception Lead to Homosexuality?

By Mary Worthington

In August 2005, a court in the state of California decided that registered homosexual unions now enjoy the same legal rights of spouses. How did this homosexual revolution come about? The answer, suggests Stephanie Coontz, is that marriage is under siege from heterosexuals.

An excerpt from her controversial article, “The Heterosexual Revolution,” won the title of "Anti-Family Quote of the Week" from the World Congress for Families. Ms. Coontz states:

Traditional marriage, with its 5,000-year history, has already been upended. Gays and lesbians, however, didn't spearhead that revolution: heterosexuals did.

… Heterosexuals were the ones who made procreation voluntary, so that some couples could choose childlessness, and who adopted assisted reproduction so that even couples who could not conceive could become parents. And heterosexuals subverted the long-standing rule that every marriage had to have a husband who played one role in the family and a wife who played a completely different one.

However, this quote is anything but "anti-family." On the contrary, causes the reader to reflect thoughtfully on the blame Christians and marriage defenders have on the current tragedy of homosexuality that has infiltrated our culture. It begs the question, if those who do not address "faith questions" understand that separating procreation from the conjugal act has brought about the homosexual revolution, why are pro-life and pro-family organizations so afraid to admit it?

In Catholic circles, this is referred to as the "contraceptive mentality," and it is easy to see how this has spearheaded the slippery slope into the homosexual revolution. This quote speaks volumes about this all-too-common modern-day philosophy that has lead to the disastrous attacks on marriage and family. Through contraception, husband and wife have defied the vows of their marriage to commit to each other in love for the sake of procreation and education of children. They have turned their marital act into merely a means of pleasure, calling this advancement in the name of love and happiness.

Erasing children from the equation through the voluntary destruction of their reproductive faculties, husbands and wives have given a message to the world that marriage can be self-defined according to their own desires. Procreation no longer matters; only mutual arousal does.

Yes, marriage is under siege from heterosexuals.

While making all too many valid points about the role of marriage in society and the importance of monogamous unions, Ms. Coontz neglects to address the fact that God ordained marriage from the beginning of time. She claims that marriage served two purposes throughout history that caused same-sex marriage to remain unimaginable: increasing the household labor force through having children and a division between labor by gender between husband and wife.

With the advent of contraception in the early 19th century and assisted reproduction in the 20th century, couples were now free to redefine marriage. "This eroded the traditional argument that marriage must be between a man and a woman who were able to procreate," said Ms. Coontz.

Ms. Coontz arrives at a conclusion that the pro-life movement for so long has been afraid to touch: contraception does not have a place in marriage. Contraception has crept its way into nearly every mainstream Christian religion, leaving out only Catholicism. Contraception has successfully crept its way into the marriages of devout Christians and Catholics alike. The procreation of a child is no longer seen as a gift or a miracle, but as a power or a right that couples (or anyone for that matter) can achieve.

In his recent article "Designed for Sex," philosopher J. Budziszewski speaks about the true meaning of our human sexuality and how this is properly order toward love and commitment.

The hinge concept is design. I said that we’re not designed for hooking up, that we’re designed for our bodies and hearts to work together. We human beings really do have a design, and I mean that literally—not just a biological design, but an emotional, intellectual, and spiritual design. The human design is the meaning of the ancient expression 'human nature.' Some ways of living comport with our design. Others don’t" (original emphasis).

On the defensive, the pro-life movement is working to turn the tide against abortion and euthanasia, and pro-family organizations are eagerly trying to halt the influence of homosexuality. However, contraception, which is one key element, seems to be often overlooked

Even Ms. Coontz says, "It is simply magical thinking to believe that by banning gay and lesbian marriage, we will turn the clock."
 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mary Worthington is the co-founder of No Room for Contraception.  She has been active in the pro-life movement for six years, and has had a special interest in exposing the harms of contraception for the past ten years.  Mary is a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville with a BA in Theology and minor in Human Life Studies.