Birth control

In Mormon belief, if a couple is able to physically have children, it is their privilege to bring them into the world. Reflecting the first commandment given to Adam and Eve, Mormons believe that we are commanded to multiply and replenish the earth, to bring children into the world. Since Mormons believe that we all lived as spirits before we came to earth, to have children is to provide bodies for other spirit children of our Heavenly Father, so they can also experience mortality.

Bearing and raising children is a sacred responsibility. Church leaders encourage couples not to procrastinate having children for selfish reasons. To have a family is a very high priority in the Mormon faith and children should be viewed as a blessing, and not a difficulty.

However, the question of how many children to have and when to have them (and even if to have them) is a matter of prayerful decision. It is between the husband, the wife, and the Lord. Health problems may make having children difficult or even impossible. There may be factors that make having children later rather than sooner a necessity. The health of the mother should always be a priority in any decision made by the couple. Again, this is a private matter and a matter for prayer.

Couples should also remember that the purpose of sexual relations is not only to have children, but to come closer as a couple.

Birth control, in short, is not banned by the Church, nor is it at all considered to be the same as abortion. Whether to use it or not is a matter that the couple can prayerfully and privately consider.