The use of birth control within the Amish community varies and is a complex topic.
Many Amish seem to use birth control, but they don’t talk about it. You can tell because communities that are less strict usually have fewer children, while the stricter ones have more.
Donald Kraybill points out in his book “The Amish” that some Amish might use both natural and artificial birth control methods. He also notes that parents in the strict community of Buchanan County, Iowa, have nearly twice as many children (10.2) as New Order families in Holmes County, Ohio (5.5).
He further adds that researchers have found that 47 percent of the Schwartzentruber Amish have nine or more children, compared with 25 percent of other Amish in Ohio.
The father’s leadership status in the community seem to influence the size of his family. Ordained leaders tend to have more children on average than ordinary families.
These leaders often set an example for others. People in the community might expect leaders to demonstrate all aspects of Amish life, including having large families.
This could be one of the reasons why leaders have more children.
Additionally, leaders usually have a stable and secure life due to their position. This stability makes it easier for them to support a large family.
Leaders are deeply involved in their religion and adhere closely to traditional rules about families, which leads to having more kids.
Can the Amish Use Birth Control?
Generally, the Amish believe in letting nature take its course (Gelassenheit). This often means they do not use modern birth control methods.
While the official stance of the church is that birth control is forbidden, more progressive Amish communities are likely using some form of birth control, whether natural or artificial.
The evidence lies in the number of children in conservative Amish communities versus progressive Amish communities.
The more conservative the community, the greater the number of children they typically have.
In Old-Order Amish communities, all types of birth control, including natural family planning methods like the calendar-based approach, are not allowed.
Some Amish communities might be more open to birth control than others. In some Amish communities, birth control is allowed for women whose health might be at risk from having a baby.
But one thing is clear, whether they outright reject or forbid birth control methods or accept them, the topic is not openly discussed.
They probably use barrier methods as the pill is viewed as a form of life termination.
All Amish people are against abortion, no matter what their community’s rules are. This applies even even when pregnancy is life threatening.
They also don’t agree with things like artificial insemination, genetics, eugenics, and stem cell research because these practices don’t match their beliefs and values.
Nurse practitioners should know that trying to convince Amish women to use birth control probably won’t work. Continuing to push family planning might make Amish couples stay away from health care.