| I remember reading a question asked by a member about birth control. You said that it was discouraged in LDS but it was left up to the couples themselves to decide if they were going to use birth control.
I remember watching an English Hospital Drama set in the 1960's about a woman who was a Catholic, (I'm not Catholic by the way I'm C of E) and she had nearly died in childbirth having her 6th child she had also nearly died having her 5th about a year before. (Even this was only a hospital drama these sort of things did actually happen). The doctors told her that they had warned her the last time not to have any more children, and if she was to have a 7th she might not be as lucky the next time.
She replied by saying that she did not want any more children, but there was nothing she could do about it. The doctors said yes there was, that she could she could use birth control. She shook her head.
The doctors asked her if she would agree to sterilisation and left a form for her to sign if she agreed. She asked the sister at the hospital who happened to be a nun what would she do in her situation.
The sister then said that that question does not arise for her, but then the sister said if she thought she could die having another child said she would seriously think about having the operation.
Later the Catholic Priest turned up at the hospital and saw the form that she had signed to consent to the operation and he made her tear it up saying that "Every child is a gift from God". What entered my head at the time I was watching this TV programme was "Does God want her to risk her life by having another child?"
To me there is no answer to that question. What do you think of a situation like that? I know that myself or my partner would not want me to risk my life.
This woman later suffered from internal bleeding and survived an emergency hysterectomy, so this was maybe a blessing in disguise.
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