Contraception for Catholics!

According to a recent statistic released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, only about four percent of married American Catholics use natural birth control methods, even with the Church’s strict stance on the practice. That said, it is not surprising that talk of contraceptives, along with the issues of homosexuals within the church and parishioners’ discretion in taking the Eucharist, dominated discussion at the annual meeting of those Bishops, which took place in mid-November.  

            A spokesman for the Conference stated that the Bishops believe the most pressing problem in the area of contraceptives is the belief of many Catholics that the ban of birth control methods is simply an old rule, a meaningless restriction on their lives. To address this problem, the Bishops decided on a two pronged course of action. Firstly, they decided to educate the public as to how contraceptives cheapen the conjugal act even within the sanctity of marriage. Secondly, the Bishops seek to advise married couples on alternatives to contraception that may be utilized by couples who do not feel capable of having or raising children at the present time.

            According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, along with Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae, any action which “’whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible’ is intrinsically evil” (CCC 2370). This does not, however, include natural family planning (NFP), which is greatly supported by the Church as an alternative birth control method. Unlike contraceptives, which are seen as falsifying the marital act by rendering virtually impossible the product of such a union, NFP helps couples to respect each others’ bodies and leaves open the possibility of a child, though greatly diminishing the chances.

            NFP is any method of family planning which is based on the woman’s menstrual cycle. Rather than using a calendar to estimate which days a woman will be infertile, most practitioners of NFP are encouraged to go by the natural signs a woman shows while ovulating. In order to effectively use NFP both members of the union must learn to respect and understand the woman’s body. However, when used properly, NFP is supposed to have as low a rate of pregnancy as proper usage of either condoms or the Pill.

Although the practice NFP may not seem very different from other methods of birth control, the Church emphasizes that the means are as important as the ends, and that rather than diminishing the sanctity of sexual relations, NFP actually, by restricting it, heightens a couple’s respect for one another and for God’s gift of sex as a marital act. 

*By the way: I am not a Catholic, but I enjoy researching all sides of an issue. I am planning to post several viewpoints on the subject of contraception, which is a heavily debated issue which I find quite interesting. This particular blog is an edited version of a piece I wrote for my school newspaper as a counterpoint to a more liberal viewpoint.*