The Orthodox Church permits non-abortifacient contraception within marriage under the guidance of a spiritual father, but it’s not a blanket endorsement. This is a pastoral matter, not a dogmatic one.
We’re different from Rome on this. The Catholic Church forbids all artificial contraception as intrinsically evil. We don’t. The Orthodox approach recognizes that modern medicine has given us methods that prevent conception without destroying life that’s already begun, and the Church has applied economia, pastoral discretion, to allow these methods in certain circumstances. But there’s a catch. You can’t just decide this on your own.
The Role of Your Priest
You need to talk to your priest. Seriously. This isn’t something you figure out by Googling or asking your coworker or even reading this article. The Church requires that married couples receive the blessing of their spiritual father before using contraception. Your priest knows your situation. He knows whether you’re avoiding children out of selfishness or legitimate need. He knows whether your health can handle another pregnancy right now or whether spacing children makes sense for your family.
The Antiochian Patriarchate’s pastoral letter on family life states clearly that the Church “accepts the use of preventative methods of birth control that are not abortifacient and do not harm.” That’s the key phrase: not abortifacient. Barrier methods like condoms or diaphragms prevent conception from happening. They’re generally acceptable with your priest’s blessing. Hormonal methods get trickier because some can prevent a fertilized embryo from implanting, which the Church considers abortion. The morning-after pill? Absolutely not. IUDs? Often problematic. Birth control pills? It depends on how they work, and you’ll need to discuss this honestly with your priest.
Natural family planning is always acceptable. Periodic abstinence based on fertility awareness aligns perfectly with Orthodox teaching about self-control and the ascetical life.
Why This Matters Theologically
Marriage in Orthodoxy is about two things: union and procreation. We believe sexuality is blessed by God within marriage, but it’s not just for pleasure or emotional bonding. Children are the fruit of marital love. When couples deliberately avoid children indefinitely out of selfishness, because they want a bigger house first, or because kids would interfere with their careers, or because they just don’t want the inconvenience, they’re rejecting part of what marriage is.
But life isn’t simple. Maybe another pregnancy would genuinely threaten the mother’s health. Maybe the family already has several children and needs time to stabilize financially. Maybe there are serious mental health concerns. The Church recognizes these realities. That’s why we have priests who can apply economia, making pastoral allowances for necessity without changing the ideal.
This isn’t a license to treat children as optional accessories to marriage. It’s a recognition that sometimes, for a season, spacing children or limiting family size becomes necessary. The emphasis is on “for a season” and “necessary.”
What You Won’t Hear
You won’t hear Orthodox priests talking about contraception the way your Baptist relatives might talk about “family planning” as a neutral lifestyle choice. And you won’t hear us condemn it the way a Catholic priest might. We’re somewhere in between, which frustrates people who want clear rules. But Orthodoxy often works this way. We give you principles, we give you a priest, and we expect you to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
The early Church Fathers generally opposed contraception, viewing it as part of a broader failure of self-control. That teaching hasn’t disappeared. It’s been applied differently as medicine has advanced and as we’ve learned to distinguish between preventing conception and destroying life after conception. The Church has always condemned abortion. Life begins at conception, full stop. Anything that destroys an embryo is murder. But preventing conception in the first place? That’s become a matter for pastoral guidance rather than absolute prohibition.
For Couples Here in Southeast Texas
I know many of you work offshore or in the plants with crazy schedules. I know healthcare can be expensive and uncertain. I know your extended family might have strong opinions about how many kids you should have. These are real pressures. Bring them to your priest. Don’t let shame or embarrassment keep you from having an honest conversation about your marriage and your family planning. Your priest has heard it all before, and his job is to help you grow in holiness, not to judge you.
The Church wants your marriage to be a place of love, self-sacrifice, and openness to life. Sometimes that means welcoming another child even when it’s hard. Sometimes it means responsibly spacing children so you can care for the ones you have. Your priest can help you discern which situation you’re in. But you can’t discern it alone, and you can’t discern it by simply doing what’s convenient.
