How Many Children Is Too Many?

You are a 29 year-old Mayan woman with 7 children. You and your husband don't use birth control because 1) according to your church it's sinful to do so, 2) your culture tells you that a woman's job is to have children, and 3) if you walk into a local pharmacy and buy condoms word will get out that you're a tramp and sleeping around.
Today is Sunday and you've come to the Salud y Paz clinic to see a surgeon in hopes of having your tubes tied. The decision to have this surgery was a difficult one but there simply doesn't seem to be any other option - there's no way your family can afford to feed another mouth. Despite this, you haven't told your husband or friends what you're doing because you know this news would harm your marriage and perhaps your standing in the community. As you nervously wait outside the operating room the surgeon walks up to you with the news, "I'm sorry, we can't do the operation. You're pregnant."


This very scene played out two weeks ago before my eyes as we hosted a surgery team from California. It was heartbreaking. I felt for this poor woman and her desperate circumstances. It made me think a lot about birth control and how we respond to it as people of faith and as people dealing with situations that are far from black and white.
On one hand, I greatly respect and generally hold the belief that all children are a blessing from God. And I also understand why many Christians (mostly Catholics) choose to not use "artificial" forms of birth control, such as the pill or condoms. In many ways it is a great step of faith to say that each time you have sex you are trusting God's will over your own.
On the other hand, I also believe that sex can be a sacred gift from God and was created for our enjoyment. In our world today, it's also easy to understand why most Christians and non-Christians (in America, at least) choose to use various forms of birth control to "choose" when they become pregnant - affording them greater control over their career choices and family planning.
Whatever your beliefs, the issue raises many difficult questions. If you're against the use of birth control, is the woman in the above example "sinful" for what she was choosing to do? If so, however, which is the greater sin: using birth control or bringing a child into the world that you can't afford to feed? If you support the use of birth control, do you underestimate the blessing that unexpected children can be or have you allowed the ability to control birth turn you into a controlling person? There doesn't seem to be any easy answer - which unfortunately many of us are unwilling or unable to accept. We choose a side and dig in our heels.
In situations like these, perhaps there is another option - doing our best to understand the "other," and choosing to leave the judgment to the only One who is worthy of doing so.

We had patients come from as far away as Tikal (12 hours by bus) for surgery.

Surgery weeks when we operate on children are especially exciting, but also a little nerve-wracking for everyone due to the increased risk of having children under anesthesia.

We were able to repair 5 cleft lips...

...which left us with some very happy and proud parents.

This is why we did 20 hernia surgeries and already have 17 signed up for the surgery team in May.

I honestly thought this thing was gonna jump out of his back and start tap-dancing. Dude had lived with this large mass for 30 years...

...but no longer! Wow, our surgeons kick butt. My boss made me get a new little fridge to keep biopsies b/c last time I just double-bagged the "specimens" in zip-lock bags and put them in the fridge with the food. The staff got a little upset with me. Geez, let's loosen up people : )

As always - peace to you.

Jay