MovieChat Forums > Sleeping with the Enemy (1991) Discussion > Why do Martin and Laura have no children...

Why do Martin and Laura have no children?


I wonder why Martin and Laura have no children despite being married for three and a half years? We see them having sex two times in the movie and it was obvious both of them didn't use any contraceptives. Then how come Laura didn't get pregnant despite numerous sexual encounters with her husband?

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How on earth do you conclude she's not using pills or something? Some couples just don't conceive, and in any case, the book said they decided not to. Plus, Laura would be scared to with him.

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I agree, whitespirit. She could easily be on birth control pills or have an IUD.

Plus, I wouldn't doubt for a second if Martin had had a vasectomy! I can't see that control freak schmuck wanting to have kids & ruining his own fairytale setup.


"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

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Plus, I wouldn't doubt for a second if Martin had had a vasectomy! I can't see that control freak schmuck wanting to have kids & ruining his own fairytale setup.


That can go either way. Also, kids can be messy. And we know how Martin felt about messes.

Then again, I can see him wanting a son try to turn into a "mini-him" and/or a daughter that he would try to "groom" to be the "mother's little helper" to cater to him/help with the chores/etc.

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Maybe they couldn't have kids. There could be plenty of reasons and maybe it just wasn't her time to conceive.

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Or he wears a condom all the time?

The dude is a neat-freak, he'd definitely wear those a lot.

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So...

1. You think if you are married for 3 and 1/2 years, then you should automatically have children? HELLO 1952.
2. It was obvious they didn't use any contraceptives? Where on earth did you get that from?
3. You obviously didn't see the movie or pay attention. Martin was very controlling. Even couldn't let her live down that one time dinner was "late" to the table. You think he would want to compete with a kid? He barely let her work part time at the library.

COME ON!

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I figured Laura may have had forced miscarriages in the past. When we first see Martin knock her to the floor and kick her, imagine if she were pregnant... Not pretty...


"The unopened package was a waterproof, solar-powered, satelite phone"- Robert Zemeckis, Cast Away

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He would be too jealous to share Laura with a baby. I know the type.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Integrity is what you do when's nobody's watching.

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Martin doesn't seem like the paternal type. I bet he makes sure she uses birth control. Or she makes sure she does herself because she doesn't want to bring a child into an abusive environment like that.

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I sort of wish Laura had discovered she was pregnant with Martin's child right after the successful getaway and relocating. Would have added an additional layer of drama to the story.
I don't mean to impose, but I am the Ocean.

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Are you kidding? Not every couple wants children, regardless of how long they have been married. And how do you conclude that they don't use contraception? In the only sex scene we see between them, he is already inside her when the scene starts, so we don't know whether or not he used a condom.

There are countless ways for a woman to be on BC. She could have had an IUD, or been on the pill. Just because you don't see her taking a pill doesn't mean she isn't. Fictional characters must poop as well but we rarely see them doing that on TV. TV and movies do not have to show EVERYTHING a character must do.

Besides, look at Martin's personality. That house is practically sterile, everything is in its place and pristine. Not just clean and neat, but museum style clean and orderly. Kids are neither clean nor orderly. They make messes, they wouldn't be good at keeping the towels in line and their toys picked up. There is no way Martin would be able to stand having children.

Besides, he wants Laura at his beck and call all the time, free to do housework and cooking....being pregnant and having a child would take her away from her prison duties too much. Despite his likely desire to remain childless, it is possible that they cannot have children for one reason or another. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if a man like Martin had a vasectomy to make sure it never happened, or even made her get her tubes tied.

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Maybe they just didn't want children. A lot of couples don't. Or maybe they were waiting, as a lot of couples do. Knowing her husband's character though, it's a safe bet that he didn't want children at all. And what do you mean "it's obvious they didn't use contraceptives"? Most people in long-term/committed/married relationships don't use condoms, they prefer to use a better method. She most likely had an IUD, or was taking a pill or had an implant. Or maybe he had a vasectomy. They obviously wouldn't show whatever birth control a couple uses in a movie because it's unnecessary to mention it. Movies/TV/books don't show everything characters do, just what's necessary to tell the story.

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The book was able to give more background into the couple and their relationship. In the book, Sara/Laura was secretly taking birth control pills because she was afraid to bring a child into a home where he or she might be abused.

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That is true, I remember that from the book.
But in the film, I highly doubt Martin would even entertain the THOUGHT of children.
He'd lose his *perfect* slave-woman, his perfect world.



"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

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Right. I can't see him changing a diaper or burping a little one. Might mess up a perfect suit.

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Plus, Laura might not keep the cans of baby formula straight in the cupboard.


"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

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True, and most babies cannot put blocks in absolutely straight stacks.

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Lol @ angelatalk. They would have to be extremely gifted if they could.

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Yeah, Martin was so ocd he would not have been able to tolerate a kid. Even if he would have allowed her to have just one, he would have had the kid sent away to boarding school the second he or she would have been old enough to go. And in the meantime, he would have been a tyrant of a parent, that kids life would be hell.

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Martin shot very small loads into Laura's vagina

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