Expert: Dr. Tim Gladu - 6/18/2010

Question
Hi:) I love your website:) and just wanted to ask if there is anything wrong with contraception being used within the marriage to prevent an unwanted pregnancy?...
I'm asking becuse I am married but not yet ready to start a family due to being overweight, as well as having several physical health problems which are currently under specialist investigation (Hormonal problems, POCS andundiagnosed fluid retention/swelling)and which require me to be on several prescribed medications as ordered by my specialist doctors(Hormone Replacement Therapy -HRT and diuretics etc.)which could probably cause birth defects/potentially interfere with a healthy pregnancy, as well as being quite overweight and feeling unprepared mentally and emotionally (and yes, even unprepared financially as well
-my medication costs alot and is only available to buy via private prescription, which means the cost of it is not covered by the government/medicare)to handle the responsibility of caring for a (quite possibly unhealthy)child to begin with!...
I would not want to get pregnant and be told that I should have an abortion due to the risks of having an unhealthy pregnancy/newborn with birth defects, I don't believe in abortion and do not believe it is God's will for us to plan to have abortions to solve the dilemma of how to deal with any possible unwanted/unhealthy pregnancies, which will probably occur without using some form of birth control...
I have always thought that in my situation, I have good reason to believe that using birth control would be the right thing to do, but just recently I was reading about all contraception having been originally condemed by the church, even when in the context of using it within a christian marriage -saying that all contraception is in opposition of and rebels against God's will, and some people still have this view today -even using some use bible verses/passages (I'm not sure if there being interpreted correctly or if they're used out of context or not?)...
An example of exactly what I'm talking about can be found using the http I have provided below:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/contraception.html
By the way, I'd just like to quickly point out that I am no longer a catholic, -I'm now a baptist believer after leaving the catholic church after years of wrongly beliving and personally feeling and suffering many years of such completely unnecessary self-condeming guilt and originally wrongly beliving that salvation was works-based, but I came across that article when I was doing a search on contraception methods and had a quick read of it and the part that worried me is that it states within that article the contraception was originally opposed by all of the christian church(including protestant churches to begin with) and it also quote biblical verses to definently imply to the reader that all contrception is biblically wrong -regardless of the reson it is being used!...
I really want to know the biblical truth (not just some bible verses or passages misinterpreted or taken completely out of context)as to whether or not contraception is permited or not, within the context of using it in agreement with my husband within our healthy marriage relationship?...
I love God and now know that I am saved by grace -not works, and through having a relationship through our Lord Jesus Christ, but I do want to honor God and do what is right and to live according to the will of God and in agreement to His word concerning all areas of my life out of a healthy reverence and love and respect for Him
-including honoring Him in the way I view or decide whether or not to use any contraception/HRT treatment (Some of my HRT treatment incldes a pill that treats my POCS as well as being contraceptive at the same time) at all?...
Please help!!!...
Any help with this would be really appreciated:) and I think it could help others out there who could also be confused about what the bible correctly teaches on this issue!...
Thankyou so much:) and I really look forward to reading your response soon:) -Keep up the great work!!!:)
~My Kindest Regards Always~
      Stephanie

Answer
I went followed the link and knowing it is Catholic teaching then the verses were taken completely out of context. When you take one verse and twist it to mean something that you want then that is wrong also. I believe that if you are having medical problems that could affect a child then you do owe it to the child not to possibly subject the child to those problems. This is also something best discussed with your doctor, because this is a medical issue and I really stay away from medical advice because I am not qualified to give medical advice. Now as far as how God would think about you not having children. This is something that you and your husband need to decide and that should be the end of the discussion. You life is still your and the choices you make are also part of that. if you have made the decision to wait then that is all you need to go on. Having children is a choice for you and I believe that is fine. God's will can still be fullfilled because when you decide to have children God will still be there to make the right genes come together to make the child He wants in the world.