Then And Now- April Kepner's Views Of Marriage

Dr. Kepner's views on marriage, divorce and family ethics have changed since she arrived in Seattle

1. You can only loose it once

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When she moved to Seattle, Dr. Kepner firmly believed that sex was only permissible inside of marriage. This was likely due to her traditional upbringing on a family farm in Ohio. While Kepner is only described as protestant she and many other protestants may believe something similar to the ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality, "Sexual intimacy, together with promises of fidelity and public accountability, nurtures bonds that allow people to thrive and provides a rich context for the care and support of children." She wanted to be in a committed relationship, marriage, before she had sex.

2. A virgin no more

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The doctors spent a night in a hotel before their board certification exams exams, and a very stressed Dr. Kepner decided to have sex that night. She felt awful afterwards and regretted having sex before marriage. She was a mess the next day because part of her very traditional Christian identity was being a virgin until marriage. She failed her board exam.

3. Dr. Avery is irresistible

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Kepner repeated her fifth year of residency and despite feeling guilty about breaking her promise to God about not having sex before marriage, Dr. Kepner continued to have sex with Dr. Avery. She agreed with Augustine in the sense that they both denounced sex outside of marriage.

4. Pregnancy Scare

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In the midst of her passionate relationship with Jackson Avery, Kepner fears that she is pregnant. She thinks that to have a child, that she should be married. In this, Kepner could have been mirroring the thoughts of Christians such as Augustine which stated that out of lust could come a child, but this was only a truly good thing if the couple was married. She wasn’t married, so this child was not a good thing.

5. Shotgun wedding

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Jackson loved Kepner, so when he thought she was pregnant he proposed. She felt that she shouldn't have a child outside of wedlock, so she accepted. Barbara Whitehead wrote that, "When it comes to family life, marriage is that prudential institution. Throughout our history, marriage is the means by which individuals who are not born to great fortune or favor can form a cooperative union to share the responsibilities of a family household and especially the tasks of nurturing and educating children." Kepner viewed the marriage as practical because they are going to have a child together, so it was acceptable to her. She was willing to have a companionate marriage, for the sake of the child.

6. Thank God, Kepner doesn't have to get married

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Kepner found out that she wasn't pregnant and is thrilled. Now she doesn't have to marry Jackson. This scene showed how much the pregnancy impacted her decision to marry. Martin Luther said that the most valuable thing that a person can do for God is to raise their child well, and by that he meant a married couple should raise them well. Kepner wants to serve God, so she viewed the marriage as necessary for them to raise their child.

7. The traditional wedding that she (almost) had

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A kind, church-going man proposed to Kepner and she accepted. She invited all of her family and friends to her fairytale wedding, where she would be married in the eyes of God. Martin Luther and his contemporaries reformed marriage by requiring parents and witnesses to be present at the ceremony. Kepner was simply planning the public wedding that was promoted by Luther.

8. All that matters is love

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Kepner along with Luther firmly believed that love was one of the three essential components to marriage. Jackson stood up at her wedding and said that he loved her and she had grown to love him, so she left her fiancé at the alter and eloped with Jackson.

9. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in a baby carriage

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Kepner found out that she was pregnant, and now that she is married she is ready to have the baby. She, unfortunately, found out that her baby had Osteogenesis Imperfecta type 2 and will not survive long after birth.

10. Livin' on a prayer

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Kepner had to decide between carrying the baby to term and inducing labor at 24 weeks. She initially agreed to have labor induced, but before the procedure she is asked to sign the baby's death certificate. She instead prayed for a miracle from God.

11. A mother's love

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Dr. Kepner wanted to wait and hope for a miracle, but the diagnosis meant that her baby's bones were breaking in her womb. She decided to induce labor 3 months before her baby's due date to spare him pain. This might not have been what the clergy would have advised and it wasn't what she wanted to do, but she loved her baby and this was the best thing that she thought she could do for him. As soon as he was born he was baptized and was loved by both of his parents for his very short life. She heeded the advice of Martin Luther, she was a priest to her child and ensured that he would be baptized as a Christian before he died.

12. While they greived, they drifted apart

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While they grieved the traumatic loss of their son, April and Jackson drifted apart. They fought all the time and neither of them were happy. Dr. Avery brought up divorce and at first Dr. Kepner rejected it because they had made a promise before God to always be together. The idea that marriage cannot be disolved has ancient roots, but was highlighted by the Council of Trent, "the perpetual and indissoluble bond of matrimony was expressed by the first parent of the human race." That idea, as exemplified by April Kepner, is still how many think of marriage; it is permanent.

13. Kepner finally agreed to divorce, but she kept a secret

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Kepner finally agreed to sign the divorce papers, but she held back a secret. She was pregnant once again. This is remarkable because in the beginning she would have married Avery just to have a child inside of wedlock, and now she agreed to the divorce because she was pregnant. She wanted what was best for her baby, and the unhappy marriage that she was in would only harm her child. Margaret Farley said that one of the reasons to divorce is because there is another commitment that supersedes the marriage commitment. Her commitment to her child's happiness and welfare supersedes her marriage commitment.

14. Kepner changed & grew

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When April Kepner first moved to Seattle she would have never imagined that she would divorce her husband and then have their child. She would have never imagined having sex before marriage. Her very traditional values were challenged due to the complexity of her life. She still is a strong Christian, even though she broke with many traditional ideas of marriage and family.