Item Detail
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14729
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3
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3
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English
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Bodies, Babies, and Birth Control
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Latter-day Saint Women in the Twentieth-Century
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Provo
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Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History
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115-130
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'In this paper I will explore official and unofficial messages that the Chruch has sent to girls and women about childbearing during the twentieth century and the effect of those messages on women's reproductive choices. First, I will examine the theological framework that is reflected in commentary on this topic and grounds procreation as a basic principle of LDS belief. Next, I will chronicle some of the influential statements that have been given by leaders of the Church regarding family planning. I will note the divergent pronouncements and the various interpretations of the basic principle those pronouncements represent. Third, I will investigate actual family planning practices among two hundred active women in the Church during the twentieth century. Following the recent emphasis on practices in 'lived religion' among scholars such as David D. Hall and Robert Orsi, my analysis will be based on women's real decisions and lived experiences as expressed in their own voices. Finally, I will assess how closely these women's practices correspond to the pronouncements made by Church leaders. It will be important, as part of this assessment, to discuss the ways in which these women have negotiated their relationships with the institutional Church as well as with other members of the Church regarding their reproductive choices.' (taken from author's introduction)