1. So why is the Church
opposed to unnatural forms of birth control?
Why is it the Church’s business to involve itself in my bedroom?
When the Church
teaches that something is harmful or sinful, it doesn’t do it to be a
paternalistic killjoy that sucks the fun out of life. It does it because it cares about people not getting hurt and living the best lives
possible, for the life here as well as the one to come. In fact, the Church wants us to follow the
path that will make us the most happy.
The Church wants to share with us the very good news about sex and wants
us to experience radical self-giving love.
Wanting what is best for us means that the Church must also inform us
that there are some things that will not
ultimately make us happy and can actually harm us physically, emotionally, and
spiritually. Like any good parent, the Church
is going to tell us what is best for us as well as when we are in error.
Taking its
cues from scripture, tradition and the guidance of the Holy Spirit as promised
by Jesus, the Church has taught for 2000 years that sex was meant for
marriage. God has ordained us toward
marriage for our own benefit and no other setting is more ideal for the raising
of children. Any sex outside of marriage
is sinful and problematic for a number of reasons. Some are obvious: children born out of
wedlock (abortion, abandonment, etc.), STDs, broken hearts/depression, affairs
(divorce)—there are many studies to back these realities up. Other reasons may
be a little less obvious: spiritual harm, separating ourselves from Jesus and
His grace in our lives, to name a few.
Likewise,
the Church is opposed to birth control not only because of the physical harm it can cause to its users and to the unborn, but also because of the harm it does to
individuals and society. At first
glance, birth control may sound like
a good and prudent thing, but the truth is that birth control leads to a
“contraceptive attitude” that is completely opposed to the gift of new life. Take a moment to consider the following:
Sex, by God’s design, has two primary purposes:
·
To unite, to bond, to give love (Unitive)
·
To make babies (Procreative)
Christ
taught us that what God has joined together, man must not separate (Mark 10:9). God joined sexual intercourse with the
creation of new life. When we try to
strip sex of one of its innate purposes, all sorts of disorder results. When the life-giving aspect is removed from
sex, sex becomes the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure. Approximately 3600 babies are aborted each
day in the US because this contraceptive mentality puts disordered pleasure
above the dignity of human life (stat based on Guttmacher institute’s report of
1.3 million babies aborted annually in US).
Since the sexual
revolution, birth control has also lead to an amplified view of (especially)
women as objects, to be used for pleasure with no commitment. Initially, birth control was proposed for
married couples to control their family size, but very quickly, people realized
that it could be used to have sex without marital commitment. Once the contraceptive mentality took hold of
our culture, affairs, divorce rates, out-of-wedlock pregnancy rates, and
abortions skyrocketed.
The Church
cannot also support certain types of contraceptives due to the physical harm they
can cause to the woman’s body and to the unborn. The World Health Organization has listed hormonal
contraception as a class 1 carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) right alongside
plutonium, asbestos, arsenic, formaldehyde, cigarette smoke, etc. Some contraceptives such as the IUD,
progesterone-only-pills, the morning-after pill, Norplant, Depo Provera (the
‘shot’) are actual abortifacients (abortion-causing substances) because their
primary method of action is to prevent the implantation of an already
fertilized embryo (a new unique human life).
2. Ok, so just because
contraception has had a negative effect on society, how is it necessarily
harmful to us as a married couple? We
just want to use it to prudently plan our family size—what could be so bad
about that?
Ultimately,
the Church wants what is best for a couple.
Marital sexuality brings spouses closer to each other and to God. Contraceptive sex puts a wedge between the
husband and wife because they are not
fully giving themselves to one another.
Instead of giving themselves completely, they are holding back a part of
themselves (their fertility). In a very real way, they are saying “yes I want
you, but just not all of you (not your fertility), I take you for better (for the pleasure and enjoyment
of sex), but not for the imagined worse of becoming pregnant.” Blessed Pope John Paul II said that when we
use contraception, we are “lying with our bodies.” Whether we’re conscious of it or not, this
has a deep impact on the emotional and spiritual health of our relationships.
In contrast
to contraception, NFP is completely natural and causes no harm to the
body. After the initial investment in
the NFP class & thermometer, it costs nothing. It is the “green” way to go. It strengthens the marital relationship
because it facilitates open communication and cooperation. The couple has to work together to live out
NFP. The periods of abstinence also
strengthen the relationship because instead of relying solely on sex for
intimacy, the couple learns to cultivate intimacy in other ways. It builds character. It can keep sex fresh and exciting because
the periods of abstinence give you something to look forward to, as well as
help the couple cultivate non-sexual ways to be close and affectionate. When the couple is ready to become pregnant
it is immediately “reversible” and there’s no waiting period before trying to
conceive. It helps the couple identify
when they’re the most and least fertile so that they can have better success
when trying to conceive. The
sympto-thermal method is >99% effective in preventing pregnancy. Following God’s truths and having clear
consciences also blesses the marriage tremendously.
3. So are we expected to
keep having as many kids as physically possible until we can’t have any
more? That sounds downright
irresponsible in this expensive day and age.
No, the
Church does not teach that a married couple needs to have as many children as
possible until reaching infertility. The
Church teaches that the couple may use NFP to plan their family size, provided
that they aren’t limiting their family size for self-centered reasons (e.g., wanting the latest and greatest objects, vacations, homes, cars, etc.). Since children are the supreme gift of marriage, the Church does not want us to limit the
blessing of children for selfish reasons.
The Church urges us toward generosity when considering the gift of new
life. As such, a couple should pray
together and discern their family size on an ongoing basis. If there is a serious reason (be it
financial, physical, mental, psychological, health) to delay having children,
the couple may use NFP (not contraception) to plan their family size.
4. Where is
contraception mentioned in the bible?
Contraception
and contraceptive acts are mentioned in Genesis (38:8-10) and Galatians
(5:20). In Genesis, we learn about a man
named Onan who deliberately renders the sexual act infertile and as a result God
takes his life as punishment.
In
Galatians, Paul condemns “pharmakeia”, the use of potions/drugs/poisons for
harmful purposes. Pharmakeia is
specifically mentioned in the context of condemning sexual sins.
5. Other Christian
churches are okay with it, why isn’t the Catholic Church with the times?
Before
1930, ALL Christian denominations opposed contraception. Even the anti-contraception laws of 1800s
were passed by a Christian protestant legislature. During the Lambeth conference of 1930, the
Anglican Church, under tremendous social pressure, became the first Christian
group to permit the use of birth control.
It was initially intended for use by married couples and only in limited
circumstances. However, over time virtually all other Christian
denominations gave into societal pressure and gradually accepted contraception.
ONLY the Catholic Church has proclaimed the same consistent message that contraception
is always wrong and harmful for families and society for the reasons mentioned
in the previous questions. It is the
Church’s job to instruct the truth about sexuality—the same truth that does not
change simply because society’s behavior and morals change.
6. But I’ve been told
that birth control is healthy and my doctor even prescribed it for a medical
reason.
The Church is not opposed to the use of hormones for the treatment of a medical condition. If a doctor has prescribed hormones for a genuine medical reason, there is no moral conflict with Catholic teaching because the primary aim is to treat an ailment, not to prevent the transmission of new life. If the use of hormones as a medical treatment has the unintended effect of preventing pregnancy, the person taking them is not guilty of any wrongdoing (principle of the double effect).
It
is debatable whether hormonal birth control can be considered
"healthy" when it also carries a myriad of health risks. Ultimately,
if a woman must take hormones for a serious medical condition, she and her
doctor must weigh the benefit vs. the risk of potential side effects. In
many cases, other treatment options can be explored.
7. Surely, there could
be legitimate reasons to control family size or space births. Contraception lets you do that, so what’s the
problem?
The problem
is that the ends don’t justify the means.
Yes, there are legitimate reasons to control family size or space
births, but that doesn’t justify using something intrinsically wrong
(contraception). For example, if I need
to support my family financially, I would not be justified in robbing banks to
achieve that outcome. We cannot do evil
so that good may result. NFP is a
morally acceptable alternative.
8. Isn’t NFP simply “Catholic
birth control”?
No, it definitely
is not. Though contraception and NFP may
have the same end result (not becoming pregnant), they both achieve this in
very different ways. In the case of NFP,
you respect God, God's design, and your spouse.
In the case of contraception, you reject God’s design, disrespect your
spouse, and put yourself above God. That
said, one can even have a contraceptive attitude in using NFP. It should only be used for the legitimate
reasons discussed earlier.
9. We’ve already been
having sex and using contraception, is it too late for us to start over fresh?
Of course
not! Even if your wedding is only a week
away, it is never too late to wipe the slate clean and start anew. If you haven’t been perfect in this regard,
now would be a great time to go to confession and start out fresh. Making the decision to get right with God and
to do what’s best for your marriage is never
a decision you will regret. If you
have a better chance of starting your marriage on the right foot, why wouldn’t you give it a try?
10. Lastly, why is masturbation
considered a sin by the Catholic Church?
I’ve always heard health experts and psychologists say it’s completely healthy
and natural.
Even if masturbation had some
miraculous health benefit, it would still not be morally acceptable because
sexual activity was intended for selfless giving within marriage, not for
self-centered, self-directed pleasure.
According to chastity.com:
“To understand why masturbation is wrong, we
need to step back from the world’s constant clamoring for the fulfillment of
sexual “needs” and go back to God’s plan for sex. Sexuality is meant to be a
gift between a husband and wife for the purpose of babies and bonding. When it
is taken out of that context, the gift is degraded and, in the case of
masturbation, altogether ceases being a gift. The purpose of sexuality is
abandoned, because the center of the sexual act becomes “me” instead of “we,”
and the person is trained to look to himself for sexual fulfillment. The gift
of sexuality is misused for the sake of lifeless pleasure… (the) goal in sexual activity has been reduced
to merely receiving pleasure instead of showing love. A person who does not preserve his own purity
when alone will have a difficult time remaining pure with another.”
Closely
linked to masturbation is the use of pornography, which is gravely sinful
because it reduces another person to an object and cheapens the sexual
act. Be honest, no healthy person would
want his or her mother/father, daughter/son, sister/brother to star in a
pornographic film or be viewed in such a way.
Recent research has revealed a startling new problem with men as young
as their 20s suffering from erectile dysfunction due to the extensive use of
pornography and masturbation. According
to the US journal Psychology Today, younger men have been
so over-stimulated by porn that regular sexual activity can no longer “turn
them on” and they are unable to achieve or maintain an erection and/or reach
climax with a real woman. The report, called 'Porn-Induced Sexual Dysfunction is a Growing
Problem', explains that the loss of libido 30 years earlier than what is
expected is caused by continuous over-stimulation of dopamine, the
neurotransmitter that activates the body's reaction to sexual pleasure, by
repeatedly viewing pornography on the internet. So in a nutshell, pornography is a selfish act that misuses sexuality and treats another person as nothing more than a means to garnering pleasure. Overcoming pornography/masturbation addiction can be extremely challenging but with prayer and diligence, it can be overcome. There are many fantastic resources out there.
Written by J. Sanchez and Edited by C. Schussman 2012
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