Does Having Babies Make Logical Sense?

This is the sixth part of our unit study for mommies about babies. In earlier “lessons,” we covered the myth of overpopulation and the grimy roots of reproductive “rights” (which I like to refer to as “reproductive manipulation).

Today we are going more towards the practical application. This time I would like to present a different mindset concerning being willing to have babies. I would also like to present some positive press and resources which advocate receiving children from God.

Remember, this is not about twisting anyone’s arm via guilt. It is only about removing the misunderstandings and discouraging misinformation which often deter us from following the leading of God in our lives.

A personal perspective

We are a family with 15 children, so there were many times when we had to face skeptical family members when announcing another baby. When we would try and convince them that we were following the leading of God, they would retort:

“But God gave you a brain, too, so use it!”

The implication always was that having babies is illogical.

We’ve already proven that babies have immense propensity for building, establishing, and protecting the earth and its inhabitants via problem-solving.

We also exposed the seething evil at the foundations of anti-baby movements.

Now we are going to focus on the anti-baby prejudice on the personal level via practical truth.

Does having babies make logical sense?

To answer that question, let’s consider what preventing babies does:

1. Preventing babies creates an atmosphere where human life and dignity are reduced or obliterated.

If we feel we have control over whether or not a human being will be born, we begin to see humans as “pathogens.” So, we can eliminate hundreds, or thousands, even millions of them at will for the good of things like the gene pool or the planet.

“We will be like the Most High” and disregard God’s view of people as eternal, spiritual beings.

The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.

Psalm 33:13-15

2. Preventing babies opens the door to rampant promiscuity and perversion.

God originally intended for the sexual act to have two purposes:

• Procreation.
• Unity in the covenant of marriage.

But the introduction of “the pill” in the 1960’s diverted God’s intentions.

Ministers and concerned lawmakers during that time rightly perceived the threat to morality. At first, oral contraceptives were only available to married couples. Inevitably, this poison was offered to the general public and a revolution exploded.

By removing the connection between sex and procreation, it became “recreation” and it moved from being an expression of unity between a man and a woman in the covenant of marriage. It was reduced to an “act.” As merely an act, it was then open to be practiced in any perverted way a human could imagine. We see the results today, including the epidemic of autoeroticism considered a “right” that is attached to the proliferation of pornography.

3. Preventing babies retards emotional maturity in adults.

Let’s be real; having children grows us up.

The Responsibility Of Fatherhood

By Edgar A. Guest more Edgar A. Guest

BEFORE you came, my little lad,
  I used to think that I was good,
Some vicious habits, too, I had,
  But wouldn’t change them if I could.
I held my head up high and said:
  ‘I’m all that I have need to be,
It matters not what path I tread,’
  But that was ere you came to me.

I treated lightly sacred things,
  And went my way in search of fun,
Upon myself I kept no strings,
  And gave no heed to folly done.
I gave myself up to the fight
  For worldly wealth and earthly fame,
And sought advantage, wrong or right,
  But that was long before you came.

But now you sit across from me,
  Your big brown eyes are opened wide,
And every deed I do you see,
  And, O, I dare hot step aside.
I’ve shaken loose from habits bad,
  And what is wrong I’ve come to dread,
Because I know, my little lad,
  That you will follow where I tread.

I want those eyes to glow with pride,
  In me I want those eyes to see
The while we wander side by side
  The sort of man I’d have you be.
And so I’m striving to be good
  With all my might, that you may know
When this great world is understood,
  What pleasures are worth while below.

I see life in a different light
  From what I did before you came,
Then anything that pleased seemed right;
  But you are here to bear my name,
And you are looking up to me
  With those big eyes from day to day,
And I’m determined not to be
  The means of leading you astray.

Edgar A. Guest. “The Responsibility Of Fatherhood.” from Family Friend Poems

When people refuse babies, they miss out on maturity. When there aren’t any little people to nurture and protect, entire cultures degrade, beginning at the personal level. There is no longer any reason to work hard, to keep things nice, or to keep things safe. We are only left with keeping our small selves “happy.”

No reason to risk or build, because there is no reason beyond ourselves. No sacrificing, no risking, no self-denial for the greater good.

As an example, there is a village in Japan which has been slowly dying due to a population inversion. The older people who still live there have been so sad about the situation that they have made dolls which are posed as if taking part of different activities all over the town. At one point there were only a couple dozen people, but over 300 dolls.

Recently, a new couple moved into the village and had a baby. The townspeople are overjoyed, but they are also afraid the couple won’t stay. So, they do everything they can to help. They run errands and bring over meals, among many other services. This one baby has given them hope, and it is changing things for the better.

4. Preventing babies forces us to do harm to our bodies, which impacts our mental and emotional health.

There is an old saying:

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Most contraception (except for Natural Family Planning) take a healthy part of the body and “break” it.

There is also an antiquated notion that a doctor swore to “do no harm.” Contraception, abortion, and infanticide all go against these common sense precepts.

Conception, pregnancy, and childbirth are natural, healthy functions of the reproductive system.

Being able to conceive and give birth are signs of health and vitality in women. It stands to reason, then, that when we go in with either mechanical or chemical means, we disrupt the natural, healthy working of a bodily function.

With this disruption also comes a myriad of negative side effects, not only for the reproductive system, but concerning over all health. These can include everything from mood-alteration to cancer to stroke.

Oral and invasive methods of birth control, like implants, IUDs, patches, shots, and pills, come with their own complications. The most common form of hormonal contraception, the pill, has been categorized by the World Health Organization as a Group I carcinogen. That’s the highest possible ranking; cigarettes are also in Group I. If a woman is in the smaller percentage of women who get pregnant with an IUD, there are high risks as these pregnancies are typically ectopic (implantation occurring outside of the uterus) and can be life-threatening. According to The Cleveland Clinic:

You don’t have to look far to find more risks. There is a lot of research on an increased risk of glaucoma and other eye problems following hormonal birth control use, as well as blood clots, strokes, pulmonary emboli, some cancers, lupus, and more.

“A 2021 study of over 4.8 million subjects found that women currently using hormonal birth control, which included modern delivery methods like rings, inserts, and IUDs, were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with glaucoma – today, right now, not later in life.”

Studentsforlife.org

Surgical forms, either in males or females, are even worse. Men may experience “inflammatory and immunological consequences” (although this complication has been under researched and downplayed) from vasectomy procedures, as well as long-term emotional problems. Women who undergo surgical sterilization are much more likely to need more drastic surgeries later due to Post Tubal Ligation Syndrome (or PTLS) and a host of other side-effects.

All of this is ugly and scary, but what are the arguments FOR having babies?

1. Babies have a positive effect on the marital relationship.

When a couple receives a baby, a special bond is created. As Pearl S. Buck put it, they “share” a child together. Here is evidence of their love and the solidifying of their union; a person whose spark of life began with their intimate union. Now they have a reason to work on creating a home where there is peace and harmony. This little life makes them better people.

2. Babies have an effect on society.

Fathers and mothers have more reasons to do away with violence and vice in the surrounding community. Parks and safe streets become more important when couples have children to keep safe and happy. People become more careful about imbibing “adult” beverages and entertainment around innocents.

3. Babies help our health.

One study has suggested that men who have four children before the age of 30 are much more likely to live to be 100 years old.

As Daniel Koos writes on The Iowa Clinic website:

Becoming a dad makes you look in the mirror and face your own health because you want to model good behavior and be around to see your little guy or girl grow up.

Research backs it up. The health benefits of having kids are clear.

Koos goes on to outline all the different ways men’s health is increased by having children.

For women, who have a more intimate experience with procreation (including breastfeeding), the health benefits are tremendous!

Pregnancy:

• Decreases period pain.
• Decreases endometriosis symptoms.
• Reduces the risk of several cancers (uterine, ovarian, endometrial, and breast). In the case of endometrial cancer, the risk is decreased by 14% for every pregnancy up to eight.
• Increase survival rate 5-20% for women over 60 who have given birth to boys.

Besides this, there is something amazing called “Fetal Cell Microchimerism” that happens when women become pregnant.

It seems DNA from the baby crosses over into the mother’s body and stays for decades. The DNA cells help in maternal healing and fight disease. They also make it less likely a mother will contract rheumatoid arthritis.

Besides physical health benefits, the mental and emotional benefits are almost too numerous to list.

4. Having lots of babies deters narcissism, prevents loneliness, and encourages social understanding.

Large families are more than the sum of their individual members. They are an ecosystem. With good parental oversight, children realize they are not the center of their universe; that there are others equally as important. They learn the blessedness of sharing with others. They are born into a “group,” so they always belong to something greater than themselves. If they are sad, there are many who will sympathize and cheer them up. If they are happy, there are many to celebrate with them. Loneliness becomes almost impossible. (Our children sometimes complain that they receive almost too much attention.) Large families learn to work together, for meals, home upkeep, family emergencies, etc.

A large family is its own community. While each child has a vertical relationship with his parents, there are also horizontal relationship with each other, some being closer than others. In this way, each child learns relationship skills, mentoring, and responsibility.

While parents should not take advantage of this dynamic for selfish ends, they also should not feel badly about it, for these sibling relationships will be a blessing to the children long after the parents pass into eternity.

I was blessed to hear more on this subject from a podcast on the Lila Rose channel. She was interviewing a Dr. Catherine Pakaluk who is a social scientist and a Catholic mother of eight. You can find the interview here. You may also want to read her book, Hannah’s Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth (affiliate) in which she emphasizes the joys and benefits of having a larger-than-average family.

I hope you find the above evidence to be positively compelling and challenging to cultural norms of anti-natalism.

On my part, this has been a great dive into some very encouraging information. I have been doing so much research that I already have the next post mostly written, so look for it soon!

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