This was the basis of a heated argument among friends who were debating the merits and demerits of family planning. What I found particularly interesting was the tendency by the Catholics among us to insist that God decreed we fill the earth.

The traditionalists, on the other hand, maintained it is a man’s right to determine how many children his wife will have regardless of his ability to support them. According to traditional thinkers, God and society would provide.

It wasn’t until one of the guys in the group whipped out his Bible to show us the above verse that there was momentary silence. His emphasis was on the word ‘subdue’ and he wondered why the mainstream churches that preach against family planning seem to suppress its use.

Eureka moment

I was literally taken aback because frankly, I have never really taken it into consideration. What I’ve always heard emphasised is the command to fill the earth by multiplying. The moment became a sort of turning point for me.

It was like removing the wool from my eyes and being imbued with Biblical and moral justification for family planning. Ever since I can remember, I have been made to feel that my support for family planning methods, especially for women because it gives them the chance to breathe between deliveries and the power to decide how many children they wanted, was selfish and unholy.

The holy book of Genesis, and myriad other verses therein, prove that I have been right all along! The revelation was an eureka moment.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, the word ‘subdue’ means ‘to bring under control by force or to defeat’. The word ‘control’ means ‘the power or authority to direct, order, manage or over something’.

In other words, besides multiplying and filling the earth, God also gave us the power to subdue and control population growth to ensure there is balance in the ecosystem and that one aspect is not destroyed to maintain another. So why is there hostility every time the words ‘family planning’ or ‘contraceptive’ are mentioned?

Sacrifice

Why do mainstream churches and traditionalists find it so easy to sacrifice the lives of millions of women over childbirth? Do they care that thousands of girls and women lose their lives daily through attempts to terminate unwanted pregnancies?

My good friend Florence Gachanja from UNFPA believes certain individuals and institutions moralise against family planning for their selfish interests. That could be true.

While on a visit to Mombasa recently, she took me along to visit several groups working in villages at the Coast. According to the officials, one of the main reasons why husbands beat their wives is because they have suggested the use of contraceptives to plan their families.

Consequently, a lot of women have become afraid to even mention the word and would rather die in childbirth than risk their husbands’ wrath. The fear is so endemic that some women even believe their husbands can see them (even when they are not there) when they walk into a family planning facility to discuss options.

I had a chat with a Muslim cleric and he informed me that family planning is not frowned upon among Islamic faithful as long as the methods are used within the confines of a marriage and not by the unmarried.

Enough said

As we gear up to mark World Contraceptive Day this Saturday, let’s have another quick peek inside the Bible.

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul urged him to advise the Christian faithful that "...if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (infidel)".

Enough said.