Jewish Oral Contraception

Contraception is an extremely controversial topic in the world today. Differing opinions about birth control can be found between genders, political parties, and most importantly, religions. Judaism is probably one of more the lenient religions when considering contraception as far as what is acceptable and not acceptable. Unlike most religions, Jewish law does not ban the use birth control all together. Like many subjects in the Jewish religion, contraception is judged on a case-by-case basis as long as the method does not rebel against two very important Jewish principles. According the Feldman, who wrote Birth Control in Jewish Law, these principles are: “it is a mitzvah to marry, procreate, and have children” and “it is forbidden to …show more content…
The first method, the pill, is administered orally and is quite reliable and easy to use. Since the intercourse can still be performed naturally with the use of the pill, it is accepted by Jewish law. The other reason why this type of birth control is accepted is because there is no “waste of sperm,” so the groom is still fulfilling his duty of reproduction. The second type of oral contraception that is accepted by the Jewish law is a sterility potion, also known as the “cup of roots.” The “cup of roots” is made up of a combination of herbal ingredients, and is used to induce temporary sterilization as well as treatment for jaundice. According to Feldman, a man cannot use the “cup of roots” to become sterile, but a woman may use it for the same reason. Although this method is currently accepted by the Jewish law, it is highly argued since it has the potential to make a woman completely …show more content…
The child bride is a woman that in at the age of twelve or younger. The first reason why contraception is approved for this situation is because the marriage between a man and a woman this young is considered “morally questionable” in the Jewish faith, because the man is “guilty of effective neglect of the duty of procreation”. Since the child is so young, and has not experience puberty at the age of twelve, she cannot get pregnant, and therefore the groom is not fulfilling his duty in Jewish Law to reproduce. The marriage is strongly not recommended, however, it is not explicitly noted as a sin. The other reason why contraception is permitted for a child bride is because the woman is not fully developed. Consequently, pregnancy may not only cause health complications or death for the mother, but also the newborn