The Amish believe that children are a gift from God and a heritage from the Lord, and they view having children as an expected and necessary part of being married.
The Amish continue to be predominately an agricultural community in which women do not work outside the home and have not demonstrated any signs of slowing their population increase through birth control.
Their children study up to 8th grade with a 6th-grade education. The community also goes against it higher education. The typical total family size in Amish communities is 6.8 members, which is more than twice as large as the typical American family.
The sole technique of birth control recognized by the Amish community is abstinence from sexual activity; nonetheless, some Amish families use the rhythm method. On their doctors' advice, some people will unwillingly try alternative techniques.
Birth Control Topic
Birth control is not a topic that is frequently discussed in Amish communities, not even among Amish women. In the same way, Old Older Amish do not engage in the practice of birth control.
Although some Amish practice some form of contraception, like jumping 20 times after sex, most Amish people adhere to the belief that they should "go forth and multiply."
Amish culture places high importance on large families and views having children as a kind of divine provision.
Following their customs, Amish people shun all methods of contraception. In actual fact, however, some individuals may use natural methods such as the safe days or rhythm method, and in certain instances, they may even use artificial means.
Do Amish Practice Inbreeding? Click to read.
Do Amish Use Birth Control?
The Bible, especially Genesis 9:7, which tells people to "be fruitful and multiply," is a big reason why the Amish disagree with artificial birth control methods.
This does not mean that all Amish do not use any kind of birth control, including natural methods and barrier methods; however, contraception methods are strongly advised against.
Birth control is seen as going against God's will or how nature works. The Amish do not have access to social security or health insurance, do not use birth control, and often do not like preventive measures like vaccinations or prenatal care.
They also do not qualify for benefits from Social Security. Amish women have an average of seven live births per woman.
This is one reason why Amish men live longer than Amish women. even if a pregnancy is dangerous to the mother's life or not, both birth control and abortion are against religious dogma.
How are Amish people thinking about birth control now?
Some people have speculated that the growing use of birth control among Amish may be to blame for the minor decline in the average size of Amish families.
Access to medical treatment among the Amish and the perspectives of medical experts are two factors that may play a role in determining a couple's perspective on birth control.
Although certain medical experts might advise Amish patients to utilize birth control, the majority of Amish patients do not comply with this recommendation.
On the other hand, there are signs that certain segments of Amish society are moving toward a more lenient approach to birth control.
Certain Amish women of childbearing age may choose sterilization procedures in addition to using natural and artificial birth control methods.
The use of birth control is, however, minimum even in lenient sects, but it is growing in popularity, a modernizing trend.
Old Order Amish
To many Old Order women, the notion that Artificial birth control is immoral if used for self-centered reasons is common.
However, they allow it for a married couple if used for health or emotional reasons; this is restricted to only barrier methods.
This notion is an uncommon ideology which is a rather unexpected viewpoint held by some Old Order Amish. Among the New Order Amish, birth control is taken even though it goes against their conscience.
In terms of pills birth control, most Amish do not take it because they believe doing so would mean giving up their lives.
Most Amish strongly disagree with the use of birth control, and only a tiny percentage somewhat condone the practice of using birth control. The Amish continue to hold a strong view that birth control is evil.
Traditional Amish doctrine is opposed to the practice of using birth control to limit the number of children a family can have, even though there may be signs that some Amish are changing their stance.
Amish people still regard children as a blessing from God, even though some Amish communities may be experiencing shifts in their customs due to liberalizing influences.
Amish Birth Control Jumping
Just like in any other closely-knit village, rumors and misconceptions can spread.
Because Amish teenagers do not receive sex education and are left to figure things out independently, many Amish girls believe that when they have sex, they have to jump up and down for sperm to fall off.
Amish women believe that doing 20 jumping jacks after doing the deed works to prevent pregnancy. This is a big misconception because jumping up and down does not cause sperm to fall out; even if you jump on a trampoline, it can not prevent pregnancy.
Also, read on: Can Amish Widows Remarry?
How many children do the Amish have?
The typical Amish family consists of six and seven and sometimes even nine children, but this may vary from community to community.
In contrast to the expectations of modern culture, Amish couples plan to have big families, and it is not uncommon for women to become pregnant soon after getting married.
Because Amish people believe that children are gifts from God, they frown upon the practice of using contraception. On the other hand, some Amish may choose to use birth control and other means of family planning, particularly in Amish communities that are more advanced.
However, Amish families continue to be quite big. Rural culture and demand for manual labor are two factors that contribute to the Amish people's high birth rate.
Studies have found that a typical Amish family consists of five members, and this figure needs to consider families that have yet to finish going through their fertility cycle.
From these studies, there is a likelihood of Amish families being higher than the figure, which only considers completed families. Despite this, the average size of Amish families has shrunk marginally in some communities due to various circumstances.
These variables may include a move away from agricultural labor and growing openness to family planning on the part of some Amish.
Do Amish Children Receive any Sex Education?
In the Amish community, topics such as sexual education and contraception do not come up in conversation very often. Because children are considered a blessing from God, contraception is considered immoral and evil.
Because sexual education is not typically covered in the curriculum of schools, society generally assumes that young people will wait until they are married before engaging in sexual activity.
Amish education institutions do not provide sex education, and only very few sex directions are given to the typical Amish child. In Amish Society, adults do not talk about giving birth and prevent children from seeing animals while giving birth.
In Amish schools, there is no formal education on sexuality, with teachers and adults deliberately ignoring any remark on the matter, especially in children's presence.
Informal education in entomology is provided to Amish children and teens with subjects covered, including birds and bees. From this, children gain an elementary awareness of the process of natural reproduction.
There is no doubt that the Amish children ask about the sexual activities of the farm animals, but they are barely answered. To sate their insatiable appetite for knowledge, these children frequently discuss topics of this kind with their peers in their age groups.
In addition, there is no such word as "vagina" or "penis" in the Amish language; hence, a child cannot express what is happening to them during their teenage years. In this manner, they cannot articulate what is taking place because they lack the words to do so.
Amish Sex Education.
Some ex-Amish report that the only sex education they received when they were kids was observing barnyard animals which clued them in more than their parents ever told them.
Girls are prohibited from talking about periods and get nothing from their parents. Some who are a bit curious have to sneak around and steal books that they read to get clued on what is happening to them.
In fact, after a wedding, a newlywed couple would typically spend their honeymoon traveling to see their various families for several weekends. A newlywed couple would also stay at the bride's family house, which is the primary location for collecting the wedding presents.
In summary, even if there are signs that some Amish are changing their minds, traditional Amish teaching is very against using birth control to control the size of a family.
Children are still a gift from God to the Amish, but some practices are changing in some Amish sects because of more modern ideas.
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