Good question! There is actually a very clear answer to this which we shall see as we examine a few scriptures. In short, we will see that the curse associated with child-bearing was different than the curse that was given to all mankind. The former curse is still present with us; the latter curse was indeed taken away (for the believer) when Christ stood in man’s place on the cross and bore his curse.

Let’s consider the “curses” that were pronounced in the Garden of Eden immediately after the fall. “So the LORD God said to the serpent: ‘Because you have done this, you are CURSED more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:14…NKJV). The serpent, which was used of the Devil in the fall of man (see 2^nd Corinthians 11:3), was cursed more than any other animal, for it would CRAWL and EAT DUST forever. This curse has NOT been removed, nor will it be removed during the coming Millennial Kingdom of Jesus Christ, for we read in Isaiah 65:25, “The wolf and the lion shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and DUST SHALL BE THE SERPENT’S FOOD.”

The Lord then turned to the woman and said, “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children” (Genesis 3:16). As you rightly pointed out, women “still feel birth pains” today, so that curse has not been removed either. When the Lord Jesus told His disciples about signs of wars, famines and earthquakes that would precede His Second Coming in power and glory, He went on to say “all these things are merely the beginning of BIRTH PANGS” (Matthew 24:8…NASB). This indicates that in the future tribulation there will still be “birth pains” when women are giving birth.

Finally, the Lord turned to Adam and said, “CURSED is the ground for your sake; in TOIL you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both THORNS and THISTLES it shall bring forth for you….in the SWEAT of your face you shall eat bread” (Genesis 3:17-19). Here we learn that the earth itself was also cursed because of Adam’s sin and that man would feel the effects of this cursed earth as he labors to produce food. No one would question the fact that THIS CURSE is still with us today. We are told in Romans 8:22 that “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.” Thus when Adam sinned the curse affected all of creation; it has all been tainted by sin and thus all of creation is groaning under the burden of this curse. How long will creation suffer under this curse? We have the answer in Romans 8:19-21, “For the EARNEST EXPECTATION OF THE CREATION eagerly waits for THE REVEALING OF THE SONS OF GOD. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it IN HOPE; because THE CREATION ITSELF ALSO WILL BE DELIVERED FROM THE BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION INTO THE GLORIOUS LIBERTY OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD.” So, at the fall God CURSED ALL OF CREATION, but in a coming day (when the sons of God are revealed with the Lord Jesus Christ…see Colossians 3:1-4), all of creation will be delivered from that curse (with the exception of the serpent, as we saw earlier in Isaiah 65:25).

Now a word about the CURSE that Christ bore is in order. Let’s read Galatians 3:10-13, “For as many as are of the works of the law are UNDER THE CURSE; for it is written, ‘CURSED is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’ Yet the law is not of faith, but ‘the man who does them shall live by them.’ Christ HAS REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, having BECOME A CURSE FOR US (for it is written, ‘CURSED is everyone who hangs on a tree’).” The CURSE that Christ bore was the CURSE OF THE LAW! The LAW pronounced a curse on everyone who was trying to work their way to heaven through keeping the law. That curse involved TWO PENALTIES: DEATH and JUDGMENT! We read in Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is DEATH” and we read in Hebrews 9:27, “but after this THE JUDGMENT.” Men who are trying to become righteous before God by GOOD WORKS will eventually DIE and then they will be JUDGED (see Revelation 20:11-15). Yet Christ came to BEAR THE CURSE for men, as we just saw. On the cross He bore God’s JUDGMENT against sin and then He bowed His head and DIED (see Isaiah 53:5-6, 10; 2^nd Corinthians 5:21; 1^st Peter 3:18 and John 19:28-30, 33-34). The sinner who believes that Jesus bore their sins and the judgment due to them is saved (Isaiah 53:5 with 1^st Peter 2:24). To the redeemed sinner THE CURSE IS GONE! Has my reader seen, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ BEARING THEIR CURSE by hanging on the tree of Calvary?  (450.5)  (DO)