We already discussed ancient and modern times, but we missed an important era: What did women do during the thousand years of the middle ages? There is still a lack of clarity around the birth control methods of medieval Christian Europe. The history of that time was written by clerical men, who did not consider contraceptive practice as important knowledge to pass on. Next to that, the Roman Catholic Church has been against sexual activities outside of the context of marital reproduction since the beginning. Additionally, they were also not very fond of artificial contraception. In 1968, Pope Paul VI published Humanae Vitae, in which he condemned all forms of birth control. For him, abstinence was the only way to prevent having babies.

This encyclical on birth control was binding to all Catholics. It also meant that the use fo the pill and all other artificial devices to prevent pregnancies by a Catholic was considered as a grave mortal sin. Birth control could no longer be regarded as a matter of free debate among theologians. Catholic doctors could not prescribe contraceptive pills for either Catholic or Protestant patients except as defined in the encyclical. This would stay the same for Catholic Christians until the 1930s, when the Anglican Communion changed this strict rule by claiming that contraception is acceptable but only in certain cases.

Recently Dr. Kara Britt and Prof. Roger Short suggested, in a medical journal published by The Lancet, that nuns should be put on the pill for the sake of their own health. This is because the oral contraceptive pill also has some other benefits, beside the contraceptive functions, such as being able to prevent womb, ovarian, and breast cancer. The authors said: "Although Humanae Vitae never mentions nuns, they should be free to use the contraceptive pill as protection against the hazards of nulliparity since the document states that 'the Church in no way regards as unlawful therapeutic means considered necessary to cure organic diseases, even though they also have a contraceptive effect'.”

This opens up space for new questions, like: will the pill perform an even grander role in health in the future?

(Source: Amirrtha Srikanthan and Robert L. Reid, Religious and Cultural Influences on Contraception, 2008; "From the Archives, 1968: Pope reaffirms ban on birth-control Pill", The Sydney Morning Herald, 29 July 2019; Ryan Jaslow, "Should nuns take birth control pills?: What study says", CBS News, 8 December 2011.)

Just like the Roman Catholic Church, other prominent religious institutes and adherents also have varied opinions on the contraceptive pill and contraceptive methods in general. Regardless of the traditional negative Jewish views on birth control, the modern ideas of Jews tend to be more open minded if it benefits health and family stability. For Islamism, the Qur'an doesn’t make an explicit statement about the ethics of birth control. The primitive coitus interruptus has been used commonly. For modern Muslims, as long as contraception is a wish from both parties, doesn't cause permanent sterility and doesn't harm the body, birth control pills and other forms of contraception are allowed.

(Source: Marian Rengel, Encyclopedia of Birth Control, 2000.)

Not only the Church, but also the secular world has an opinion on birth control. Every year on the 26th of September, World Contraception Day is celebrated. Organizations around the world are promoting contraceptive methods to improve women's and babies' health and to fight against poverty. This has not been a walk in the park. In 1965, the American Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional to prohibit married couples from using birth control. Also, in Ireland, the import and sale of contraceptives were forbidden by law until 1979. Today, contraceptive pills, IUDs and condoms are allowed in most countries. However, there are still some religious, societal, medical, and cultural reasons which cause a lower availability of modern birth control in certain parts of the world.

(Source: Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz, The Power of the Pill: Oral Contraceptives and Women’s Career and Marriage Decisions, 2002.)