Can I take birth control pills for a medical need?

[katpants]

I might be put on Retinol for an incurable autoimmune disorder. I have to be put on prescription birth control at the same time because the side effects could be devastating for a baby. I am very mixed up about this. Also, one of the benefits of birth control pills would be to help my horrible cramps, which I get monthly.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

I assume the reason your physician wants you on birth control is because he presumes you are sexually active and could become pregnant. If you are not sexually active, then you should correct his presumption.

If you are sexually active, then you cannot use the birth control pills for contraceptive purposes for any reason whatsoever. You cannot deliberately will to prevent the conception of a child while engaging in conjugal relations. Period.

That said, you can use the drugs commonly prescribed for contraceptive purposes to treat your cramps. Alleviating the pain of menstrual cramps is a morally legitimate use for drugs of that kind. You can even use them if you are married and engaging in conjugal relations with your husband, so long as you agree to use them solely for treating your cramps. In such a case, the other effects of the drug (both contraceptive and abortifacient) are accepted as risks but are not sought as either an end or a means.

**Recommended reading:

NFP and the Single Girl** by Michelle Arnold