When Dr. Chris Stroud stopped prescribing artificial contraception of any kind at his fertility and midwifery clinic, he was sure he was destroying his practice.
But quite the opposite occurred.
“I thought it would destroy my practice, and I would be over,” Stroud said. “God had a different plan in mind. The practice actually exploded and has kept growing.”
Now, Stroud sees patients from all over the Midwest at the Fertility and Midwifery Care Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He is one of the few OBGYNs who do not prescribe birth control.
This Monday, Stroud will speak in the Old Snack Bar at 7 p.m. about the theological, biological, and sociological issues with artificial birth control, especially the pill. The talk is entitled “The Pill: Harmful for Women, Harmful for Life.”
“I will argue that being both pro-life and pro-contraception poses contradictions,” he said. “I’m going to talk about artificial contraception and the problems there are biologically, with breast cancer and artificial hormones; sociologically, what it has done for us since the late 1950s in terms of things like the abortion rate and divorce rate. When you roll all those together it’s a lose-lose-lose. Everybody loses.”
Stroud converted to Catholicism years ago and, shortly after, transitioned from the administrative side of healthcare to the practicing side, where ethical issues of contraception confronted him directly. After much contemplation, which included reading “Humana Vitae” by Pope Paul VI, Stroud felt convicted to change his practice.
He is certified in the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, which is based on NaPro technology, or Natural Procreative Technology, and “relies upon the standardized observation and charting of biological markers that are essential to a woman’s health and fertility,” according to creightonmodel.com.
“It could be theological talk, but it could just as easily be all about biology,” Stroud said. “A lot of non-religious people see me because they’re worried about the chemicals in the chicken they eat, and they want to eat organic foods, and then think, ‘I probably shouldn’t be pumping myself full of artificial chemicals in other ways, either.’ When you combine the two — theology and biology — it’s a very powerful argument.”
Assistant Professor of Philosophy Lee Cole’s wife, Kelly, helped coordinate Stroud as a speaker, and the event is being co-sponsored by Students For Life and the Catholic Society.
Professor of English and Students for Life adviser Michael Jordan has published a review of Allan Carlson’s “Godly Seed” in the Imaginative Conservative, in which he noted that Carlson pointed out that the American Medical Association once opposed contraception and abortion. Jordan argued that Evangelical Christians and Catholics alike must turn away from sexual vices like contraception. He encouraged men to attend the talk Monday, as well as women.
“Any man who has a genuine interest in a woman should be interested in her health, and in the health risks attending use of the pill,” Jordan said. “Any man who has a concern for the well-being of his children should know that the pill can be an abortifacient. Some men applaud both the pill and abortion because it lets them enjoy sexual intimacy without discipline and responsibility.”
Students for Life Vice President junior Magdalena Olson said she is excited to hear from Stroud.
“Most people think they understand what’s going on with birth control,” she said. “This talk will be great because of the education that can come from it. I’m eager to hear about Stroud’s experiences.”
