I think it’s pretty clear that a lot of the things going on around the island are all about Ben trying to maintain his position as the leader. I think that he was chosen to be raised up as a leader after he was embraced as a kid because he somehow had the ability to connect with the island (speak to “Jacob”, whatever that means).
I think that it goes back to the moment he killed his dad (and arranged or participating the killing of the others); I suspect that from that moment on, his island connection began to wane, and he had to increasingly rely on manipulation to remain in his place as the leader, since was loosing his connection to the island.
I suspect that since the crash (or shortly after) he has always seen Locke as a big threat to his position. I think this is why he has tried to manipulate Locke into doing (or not doing) things throughout the show; the latest example of this is his attempt to coerce Locke into killing his own father (just as Ben did himself), in hopes that doing so will cause Locke’s “island connection” to suffer as Ben’s has.
To go even further out on a limb, I’d suggest that the pregnancy problems are actually Ben’s doing. He sees that children somehow have more potential for the “island connectivity” factor, and he therefore (either consciously or subconsciously) knows that it’s in his best interest to have no new kids born on the island, because they would threaten his position. I think he may also have targeted Juliet to come “fix” the problem specifically because believed that she would fail.
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