Introduction

Introduction to the contraception debate

The arguments about contraception fall into several groups:

• philosophical arguments such as the "natural law" argument
• arguments based on different ideas of marriage, sex and the family
• human rights arguments such as
  • 'procreative liberty'
  • a woman's right to control her own body
  • human rights arguments about mass birth control programmes
• arguments based on the good or bad consequences of birth control (consequentialism)
• arguments about the environmental and resource problems caused by over-population
• religious arguments