By Mia Uhlschmidt
Abortion is the greatest sin against human dignity of our times, but we often don’t speak of the root of the issue—specifically, the consequences of the Sexual Revolution and the widespread acceptance and use of contraception. Not only does contraception have negative consequences in marriages, but it leads to a war on human dignity, especially for children.
The first consequence of contraception is separating the two natures of the marital act. The marital act is a gift from God to bring a couple together through a physical renewing of their wedding vows and to open them to the possibility of being co-creators with God through their future children.
Contraception, however, excludes God from the natural effect of the marital union, which carries many natural and social consequences. With the acceptance of contraception, marriage no longer has the expectation of the gift of children. Because these expectations have changed, the idea of the marriage act being between spouses is slowly being erased, leading to marital infidelity and promiscuity. But perhaps the greatest problem with contraception is how it affects how we see each other with dignity, especially children.
First, contraception rejects God’s natural plan for marriage and the dignity of spouses as parents. It especially rejects the dignity of the woman, by treating her natural fertility as a burdensome condition to be extinguished, instead of a physical manifestation of God’s life-giving love for us. Another problem with contraception is it brings about the idea that children are commodities. With the acceptance of contraception, children are now seen as burdens and “accidents,” not blessings. Contraception ultimately leads to the greatest war on human dignity of our times: abortion, where a preborn child is deprived of the right to life.
But what can we do to fight for human dignity, starting even before the creation of a child?
I think the greatest way to speak out against this war is to change our culture, one step at a time. Fighting against the false teachings brought about by contraception starts with supporting families. Through teaching, tutoring, and babysitting, I have learned how to support families and how to see children as Jesus saw them. I hope I can continue to learn from the kids I work with just as much as they learn from me and find more opportunities to support my family and those around me.
But the war on human dignity extends far beyond the lies of contraception. I have met several people who, because of contraceptive ideology, see themselves as an “accident” rather than a unique person with purpose. Learning to build a culture of life, love, and dignity means treating everyone we meet with respect, even when their lives completely differ from ours.
Changing the world can be as simple as smiling at a stranger in a store, reaching out to an old friend, or treating your family as the God-given gift that it is. And maybe, someday, our culture will remember the inherent dignity humans deserve.
Mia Uhlschmidt won third place in the high school category of the Culture of Life Studies Program’s 2024 Pro-Life Essay Contest.