Lightning rod? Catholics & birth control
Posted by kate dugan on February 20, 2009
So my husband and I have been doing a quasi Natural Family Planning method of birth control for about 6 months. It not quite the church’s NFP, but a model called the “Fertility Awareness Method” that I’ve found really approachable.
The reason for my personal disclosure is this: I was chatting with a young Catholic woman this evening and our conversation got around to ethics & Catholicism and to what it means to practice Catholicism. I somehow mentioned our birth control method–and she was really surprised. Only her “conservative” Catholic friends are off the pill and her “liberal” Catholic friends love the pill (like I did, I have to say) and just don’t worry about the Church’s stance.
Here’s my point: birth control, in the past, has sort of been a lightning rod for Catholics. I think others think that young Catholics tend to be assumedly nonchalant about the whole issue. But I actually think that’s not true at all. I think we are thinking a lot about our methods of birth control. And whether we decide to go on or of the pill for religious or health reasons–or a combination of both–there are a lot of conversations to have here.
If you’re willing to participate in this survey, remember its all anonymous!
jjhatch said
I chose “other,” but I really needed a “both/and” button! :)
And yes, I think you’re absolutely right – I got very frustrated with an article on Busted Halo that perpetuated the idea that Catholics who use artificial birth control are very flippant about the whole thing, whereas I have thought, researched, talked, and (dare I say) prayed about it.
Julia Walsh said
As a celibate my response on the survey would make no sense, ha! So, I’ll just take the opportunity to put my views out there in this forum…
Nonetheless, this is definately an issue that I’m passionate about but barely ever talk about for many reasons. First of all, I am not really sure if celibates can be the authority on the matter. (Theolgians and philosophers, yes; celibates, I don’t know.) Secondly, the enviromental situation.. the world IS over-populated and the scientists do say that the planet may not be able to support too many more people at the rate we’re populating, so what is one to do? Thirdly, I don’t want my friends to think that I am so rigid in my opinions that they can’t talk to me about their sex practicies.
But I do have my opinions, indeed. First of all, sex is good and it’s purposes ARE two-fold. It is to celebrate the sacred union of Love. And, it’s to create new life. This is just simply a biological fact. God was good to make it pleasurable, I understand. And that’s why I believe that sex must happen with the two reasons in mind, and not scientifically restricting the most beautiful gifts that God can give us- Life and Love. Therefore, I vote for NFP and abstinence. That’s what I would do if I were married and not a celibate sister.
God bless you all and your lives of Love. :)
nfpworks said
Rock on, Julia. I think if more people understood how sacred sex was and how harmful contraception is, they’d sign up.
Lauren Ivory said
This is such a difficult topic. I’m in a similar situation to Julia so my answer may not fit in the purposes of the poll!
I don’t think birth control is all bad. I’ve taken the pill for years to help with physical issues. Id rather not have to, not because of any conflict with Catholic teaching in my mind (I suppose especially in my specific circumstances) but because I prefer not to be on medication. There are risks to everything.
However, if I did have different circumstances, I think I’d still be o.k. with birth control in most situations. I’m glad that NFP is so meaningful for others and don’t mean to dismiss that for them. However, I see it as natural birth control. It is still an attempt in my mind to impede pregnancy while always being open to what God might do anyway. Yet, there is always a chance one can get pregnant even when using artificial birth control so it is not much different for me. I do think if NFP works for people, it has great benefits-no medication and being in touch with one’s body. I wonder if there is a homeopathic birth control.
So much of our spirituality in the Catholic church is about the literal AND the metaphorical. I think this applies to ‘being open to life/create new life’. Growing love is life giving, and not just to the couple. Bottom line for me-Its just not clear cut and there are so many varied circumstances to consider.
zeeehjee said
Just surfing the net and stumbled my way here. Thought I’d post a few comments.
“So my husband and I have been doing a quasi Natural Family Planning method of birth control for about 6 months. It not quite the church’s NFP, but a model called the “Fertility Awareness Method” that I’ve found really approachable.”
This statement could be a little misleading. The Church doesn’t condone one specific type of natural family planning over others, so to say that the Fertility Awareness Method is “not quite the Church’s NFP” is wrong. In fact, at my parish this is one method that is taught, and I recommend anyone reading this to look into the method. You just can’t beat Organic Sex!
“I think others think that young Catholics tend to be assumedly nonchalant about the whole issue. But I actually think that’s not true at all. I think we are thinking a lot about our methods of birth control. And whether we decide to go on or of the pill for religious or health reasons–or a combination of both–there are a lot of conversations to have here.”
I agree completely… well, almost completely. When I was in college our Newman Center began to breach this topic. Most of us just assumed the Church was crazy, but after reading what the Church had to say about it most of us had a big change of mind. Pretty soon about 40-50 of us were gathering each week to study JPII’s Theology of the Body and how our bodies make visible the love that God has for all of us. As members of that group have married over the last few years, they have practiced NFP with great success, including the Fertility Awareness Method, above.
The only part of the statement I disagreed with (and I dont’t even really disagree, as you’ll see) is that it talks about using the pill for health reasons. This is allowed by the Church for women who are not engaging in intercourse. However, for single women who are using the pill, I would suggest finding a doctor wo doesn’t prescribe it at all. The reason? The pill typically only treats symptoms, rather than the disease or condition itself. If you’re a woman with a condition that is treated by the pill, why not just end the condition itself rather than just live without the condition’s symptoms? Please see this document for alternatives to the pill: http://www.omsoul.com/pamview.php?idnum=340
One more thing on this point: It might be the case that you have been prescribed the pill because its simply easier on your doctor to prescribe it. Doctors can be tempted into prescribing certain drugs that really don’t benefit the patient as much as a dfferent drug. Drug companies often pay for doctors to go on vacations so they can dupe them into prescribing their products. The pill and other birth control methods are no exception to this and its possible you could be getting better healthcare by going off the pill.
But I would also strongly caution married couples who are on the pill. The pill is designed to work at preventing ovulation by tricking a woman’s body into thinking its pregnant (which doesn’t seem too healthy to me, but I’m not a doctor so, whatever). Sometimes, however, the pill will not do this and an egg can get through the falopian tubes and become fertilized, which is the beginning of human life. The secondary affect of the pill, then, is that it makes it so the fertilized egg doesn’t implant, thus, ending the human life.
You probably dont want to do that.
zeeehjee said
To Julia’s comments:
“As a celibate my response on the survey would make no sense, ha! So, I’ll just take the opportunity to put my views out there in this forum…”
I’m preparing to be celibate myself as I look forward to ordination (God Willing) in a little over 2 years. It looks as though you spend quite a lot of time in prayer (judging by your order’s name) so please say a prayer for me!
“First of all, I am not really sure if celibates can be the authority on the matter. (Theolgians and philosophers, yes; celibates, I don’t know.)”
I don’t think celibates are an authority on this either. But I do believe that God is an authority on this, as I’m sure you do to, and I believe that the magisterium has the authority to speak on this because their authority comes from God. Also, some Theologians and philosophers are celibate… some very good ones, in fact!
But I do think that celibates have a role in this. My pastor has counciled hundreds of couples in his day. Some with good marriages, some (sadly) with terrible marriages. He’s seen it all. Many would say that because he himself is not married, he has no persective on marriage, but I believe he brings a certain objectivity to the discussion that a married person can’t bring to the discussion. He is obviously very good at what he does, since people he’s helped keep referring him to other couples. So celibates do have an important role in this discussion, it seems.
“Secondly, the enviromental situation.. the world IS over-populated and the scientists do say that the planet may not be able to support too many more people at the rate we’re populating, so what is one to do?”
I’m not sure about this one. This notion that we are overpopulating the planet is ver common, but I don’t believe there is a ton of evidence for this. True, there are a lot of starving people out there, but they are not starving because the world is bankrupt of resources. There are many reasons, including unfair distribution of resources and tribal warfare cutting off resources in order to literally starve out other tribes. The problem isn’t overpopulation… its sin.
But while we’re on the environment… birth control might be having a terrible affect on it. Seriously. Estrogen levels in Boulder creek are believed to be turning a disproportionate number of fish, female… lowering the population of fish!
This article covers both sides:
http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2008-02-19/cupido-birthcontrol
is it conclusive? No, not completely. But is there enough there that honest stewards of the environment should pay attention? Yes… there is!
“Thirdly, I don’t want my friends to think that I am so rigid in my opinions that they can’t talk to me about their sex practicies.”
This hasn’t been my experience. In fact, when I say I don’t recommend artificial birth control, people typically want to learn more about why I believe this… usually non-catholics. Due to this, they tend to actually open up more to me about their sex practices.
“But I do have my opinions, indeed. First of all, sex is good and it’s purposes ARE two-fold. It is to celebrate the sacred union of Love. And, it’s to create new life. This is just simply a biological fact. God was good to make it pleasurable, I understand. And that’s why I believe that sex must happen with the two reasons in mind, and not scientifically restricting the most beautiful gifts that God can give us- Life and Love. Therefore, I vote for NFP and abstinence. That’s what I would do if I were married and not a celibate sister. ”
Bravo! I think that’s something we can all agree with!
God bless!
Becky Chabot said
Zeeehjee- You said, “This is allowed by the Church for women who are not engaging in intercourse.” Actually, provided that hormonal contraceptives are being used for medical reasons, married women and those having sex ARE allowed to use the pill. This falls under the principle of double effect, wherein the prevention of pregnancy is an unintended side effect of treating a medical condition. Just an FYI.
jocelynstorm said
Just an other FYI. The pill doesn’t cure anything. Whatever symptom or condition it is prescribed for will resume once you quit taking it. There is always a better course of treatment than taking the pill. You just wont always, ok almost never, hear about these alternatives from a medical doctor. Great alternatives can be found at: http://www.popepaulvi.com/
zeeehjee said
Thanks for the response, Becky.
I disagree with your interpretation of the Principle of Double Effect and here is why…
The PDE has 4 main parts that all must be met to have a morally appropriate act.
1) The act itself must be good or morally neutral –
That is no doubt the case with a married woman using the pill for medical reasons.
2) The intention of the actor must be for the good effect –
That can be the case (although not guaranteed) and I’ll assume that it is in your situation.
3) The good effect does not come as a direct result of the bad effect –
This is also true in the case of a married woman using the pill for health benefits.
But its the fourth one that creates the problem…
4)The good effect is proportionate to the bad effect-
This isn’t the case with a married woman using the pill, since the pill *can* lead to the destruction of an embryo, a human life. That is disproportionate to treating a non-life threatening ailment.
But again, I would suggest to anyone reading this that there is better news that is irrelevant to the Church’s teaching… there is (in the vast majority of cases) a treatment for your ailment that is better than using the pill, because the pill typically only treats symptoms. Visit the link in my above post and talk to a doctor who is willing to treat your ailment rather than just giving you something to quell your symptoms.
Also, I had another comment as well and it is still awaiting moderation. What’s the deal?
God Bless.
smeej said
Hi Zeeehjee,
I don’t really have anything to add to your comment. I just wanted to tell you I’ll be praying for your discernment process. You cathechize beautifully. I don’t think anyone could read your post and feel threatened or attacked. You explain exactly why you believe what you believe in a clear, concise, personal manner, and that’s something of a rarity these days, especially in internet comment boxes.
Thank you for your gifts and your desire to use them in service of the Church. No matter what vocation God has given you, your sincerity and faithful pursuit of His will will make it a beautiful cooperation!
God bless you!
Lacey Louwagie said
I’m the comment moderator, and for some reason, your comment never arrived in my inbox. I’ve approved it from the WordPress dashboard. Sorry about that.
agapeflower said
Hey!
Great article – stumbled upon the site tonight and am really excited about it. I’m a faithful Catholic and a FAM user as well, and it’s worked for my husband and I for over a year. It’s good to know there are other Catholics out there who use it – and not the full NFP.
I absolutely think that birth control is a conversation many faithful young adults are having with themselves; and it’s also an issue that, quite honestly, is never black and white. Thanks for keeping the conversation going!
sjdemoor85 said
As a website that promotes progressive forward thinking for 20-30 year old Catholics, I invite you to think forward to Dr. Janet Smith’s take on contraception and natural family planning. This link will take you to her website where you can listen for free to a lecture by Dr. Smith explaining her take on the contraception/natural family planning debate. Give it a thorough listen.
http://www.janetsmith.excerptsofinri.com/
thatmarriedcouple said
I’m not so sure that young Catholics do think that much about their forms of family planning. Granted, many do! But I know many who just completely ignore Church teaching and go straight for the pill. That’s not a new thing – our parents generation did the same.
I think in order to be able to say you’ve truly carefully considered it, you have to have done some reading on the subjects (Theology of the Body is a bit much, but there are tons of study guides for it; Humanae Vitae is fairly short and quite prophetic; Christopher West has several books; Janet Smith’s talks and articles are right on). You have to know why the Church says its a sin before you decide you can just ignore that teaching. And I think once people truly understand the why, they understand that NFP is different from just contracepting, and they want and need to embrace it.
Also, I think celibates are important to this issue. People don’t want to use natural methods of family planning because they think going without sex for one week each month is too hard; society has convinced us that its impossible and even abnormal. Yes, it is hard, there’s no denying that! But it’s worth it. And when you see that some people are not just giving this up for 8 days a month, but for their entire lives, that helps them to realize that maybe it is possible.
Oh, and overpopulation is a myth. Check out the video at http://overpopulationisamyth.com/overpopulation-the-making-of-a-myth
nfpworks said
I agree with Thatmarriedcouple that celibates *are* important. There are several comments above stating something to the effect that celebates have no say in the matter of marriage because “they don’t have sex.” This illustrates an incomplete understanding of what celibacy is. When I was discerning my vocation I read Thomas Dubay’s “And you are Christ’s,” which speaks of the charism of virginity, a spiritual term for consecrated celibacy. I would highly encourage all to read it, because it explains how the consecrated life isn’t just “giving up sex” (or any other worldly thing for that matter), but it’s about marriage, self-gift, and ultimately about what you gain–not what you give up. It’s brilliant and a quick read.
Further, it’s noted that celibates don’t have sex. On the contrary, CELIBATES DO HAVE SEX. They all have it all the time! (It should be noted that sex was used as a noun far longer than the recent developments in using it as a verb nearly exclusively.) Sex isn’t just about the verb meaning “to do it”, but it’s about a person’s femininity and masculinity, how they live, give and serve in their life. John Paul II writes all about what he called “The Feminine Genius” in his letters, especially his Letter to Women & in Mulieris Dignitatum. Thus, consecrated men and women, brothers and sisters, and priests, have sexuality, though there’s is directed, some say subliminated, for another purpose to foreshadow how it will be in heaven.
Further, as we learn in one aspect of the Theology of the Body, consecrated vocations are a spiritual compliment to those who are called to marriage, and their sexuality (and entire person, body mind and soul) are important to married life in the Church. Saying that “celibates have no say” is missing the point that 1) Two of the holiest people in history, one being divine, were celibates: Our Lord & His Mother, and 2) You don’t have to be married and sexually active to speak truth about sexuality. That’s like saying a man can’t be a good OB/GYN because he doesn’t have a vagina!
For more on celibacy: http://www.christopherwest.com/page.asp?ContentID=128
Natural Family Planning » Is Birth Control a Lightning Rod for Catholics? said
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