Would Jesus dispense contraceptive pills?

This week reminded me of the story of the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She maneuvered through the crowd that swarmed Jesus, reached for the hem of his garment, and was healed. She wasn't supposed to touch him. According to the law, she was unclean. Yet, she did and the bleeding stopped. 

A controversy over birth control has brewed in the last few days. As we know, the pill was approved in our country in the 1950s and it has changed the lives of countless women. I began to understand the importance of the birth control pill when I worked in South Louisiana. I chose to work in Cajun country, because it was difficult for churches to get pastors there. And after years of working with the urban poor, I wanted to gain a better understanding rural poverty. While there, I found myself working mostly with teenaged girls because working with teens was an important key to breaking the cycle of poverty. 

Teen pregnancy keeps women in poverty. Oftentimes in difficult circumstances, young women cannot imagine a future. They may not have known many women who went to college or had professional careers. But they do know of one satisfying option, when they begin to imagine themselves as mothers. Motherhood is extremely meaningful, but when a teenager becomes a mom, she can get trapped in poverty. And it can be a cycle that lasts for generations.