Facts 22

"The promotion and teaching of the natural
methods is, then, a truly pastoral concern, one
that involves cooperation on the part of priests
and religious, specialists, and married couples,
all working in cooperation with the bishop of
the local Church and receiving support and
assistance from him. ... In this way the Church
is better able to present to the world the
values of the natural methods, and reduce the
strong emphasis on contraception, sterilization
and abortion that we often encounter in the
world.”

“At the heart of this work in natural family
planning must be a Christian view of the human
person and the conviction that married couples
can really attain, through God's grace and
commitment to the natural methods, a deeper and
stronger conjugal unity.”
— Pope John Paul II, in his address to
the Family Congresses on June 8, 1984.

The Body as Icon of the Trinity
• “God has revealed His innermost secret: God
Himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit, and He has destined us to
share in that exchange” [Catechism, ¶221].
• “This is the central mystery of Christian faith and
life. It is the mystery of God in Himself. It is
therefore the source of all the other mysteries of
faith, the light that enlightens them” [Catechism,
¶234].
• The Blessed Trinity is an eternal common union
(“communion”) of Persons.

Mutilating the Body
• Extreme “body modification”
• Unnecessary amputations
• Addictions to surgery
• So-called “sex change” operations
• Contraception and sterilization

As the source of life,
family, Faith and
society, the union
between the sexes “is
placed at the center of
the great struggle
between good and evil,
between life and death,
between love and all
that is opposed to love.”
— Pope John Paul II’s
Letter to Families,
1994, ¶23.

• Marriage: “I give myself to you unconditionally.”
• Contraception: “I give myself to you, except …”
• Christ’s love is divine (agape): Free, total, faithful
and fruitful. In a Christian marriage, eros and
agape are called to meet and bear fruit.
The Language of Sexuality and
the Lie of Contraception

• Each and every marital act must be open
to the transmission of life.
• Never sterilize the marital act.
• Church’s concept of “responsible
parenthood.”
Openness to Life and
Responsible Parenthood

“In relation to physical, economic, psychological and
social conditions, responsible parenthood is
exercised, either by the deliberate and generous
decision to raise a numerous family, or by the
decision, made for grave motives and with due
respect for the moral law, to avoid for the time being,
or even for an indeterminate period, a new birth ... If,
then, there are serious motives to space out births …
the Church teaches that it is then licit to take into
account the natural rhythms immanent in the
generative functions, for the use of marriage in the
infecund periods only, and in this way to regulate
birth without offending the moral principles which
have been recalled earlier.”
― Humanae Vitae, ¶10, 16.

The Planned Parenthood concept of
“responsible parenthood” means to have
as few children as possible, regardless of
economic, social or other conditions, for
the good of the planet and for individual
self-fulfillment.
Contrasting Definitions of
“Responsible Parenthood”

The Church teaches that “responsible
parenthood” consists of prudently and
generously deciding to have a large family
for the Kingdom of God or, for a serious
reason, decide to space and/or limit their
children, even for an indeterminate period.
— Humanae Vitae, ¶10.
Contrasting Definitions of
“Responsible Parenthood”

The Four Basic Types of NFP
(1) the "rhythm" or calendar method, also
known as the Ogino-Knaus method, which
is now obsolete;
(2) the Basal Body Temperature (BBT) method;
(3) the ovulation method; and
(4) the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM).

† NFP does not interfere with the
natural reproductive system and
process designed by God.
† NFP is morally acceptable to all
religions and cultures.
† NFP avoids the use of mechanical
devices or powerful hormones, which
often have harmful physical, mental,
emotional and spiritual side effects.
Advantages of NFP

NFP strengthens marriage and family. It
allows husband and wife to have the
dignity of actual stewardship of the gift of
fertility according to their unique
circumstances. It fosters sexual self-
control, which is central and essential to
human freedom, true love and maturity.
It also sets a good example of chastity in
married life for teenaged children.
Advantages of NFP

Chastity: Lead by Example!
“Contracepting parents
beget fornicating
teenagers.”
–– Father Paul Marx,
Founder of HLI.
Chastity: Lead by Example!
“Contracepting parents
beget fornicating
teenagers.”
–– Father Paul Marx,
Founder of HLI.

More than a dozen sociological studies
have shown the following divorce rates
among couples who;
Use contraception: 51%
Use NFP: 2%-6%
In general, those who live by God’s plan
are always happier.
Advantages of NFP

NFP is aesthetic. Of all of the methods of fertility
regulation, only NFP allows the couple to make
love as God and nature intended.
It is amusing that "lovemaking manuals" try to
work condoms, diaphragms, and various messy
jams and jellies into the act of making love —
"getting rigged to make love," as one noted
gynecologist calls it. It is an enduring contradiction
that many of the same people who pride
themselves on the "natural" aspects of their lives
don't hesitate to pollute their bodies with drugs and
devices, and cannot let the most intimate aspect of
their existence be truly natural and human.
Advantages of NFP

Simple Secret to a Happy MarriageSimple Secret to a Happy Marriage

Simple Secret to a Happy Marriage
(1)(1) TheThe PhysicalPhysical (the body)(the body)
(2)(2) TheThe MentalMental (the mind)(the mind)
(3)(3) TheThe EmotionalEmotional (the heart)(the heart)
(4) The(4) The SpiritualSpiritual (the soul)(the soul)
(Mark 12:30)
Simple Secret to a Happy Marriage

Advantages of NFP
† NFP is among the most effective
methods of nonpermanent fertility
regulation known when learned and used
properly — up to 99 percent.
† NFP is virtually free of charge, whereas
contraceptive and abortifacient methods
cost anywhere from $530 to $2,680
annually. This is particularly crucial in
areas of developing countries where
health care is rudimentary and expensive.

Advantages of NFP
† NFP can be used to detect early illness in
the wife.
† Unlike all contraceptives, the couple can
use NFP to pinpoint the fertile time and
to become pregnant.

Advantages of NFP
Finally, NFP, unlike all contraceptive and
abortifacient methods, lets women and
men learn about their bodies and work
with them, rather than remaining
ignorant and subduing them with
chemicals.
And NFP allows husbands to more
intimately understand the psychology of
their wives by understanding the nature
of their menstrual cycles.

Breastfeeding provides babies with the best
possible food.
Human breast milk contains at least 300
compounds, including 15 elements, eight proteins,
18 amino acids, six forms of nitrogen, six
carbohydrates, at least 15 vitamins, and antibodies
to protect the baby from various infections.
Breast milk even evolves its composition from
colostrum to transitional milk and then to "mature"
milk over a baby's first 15 days of postnatal life in
order to keep pace with the infant's development.
Advantages of Breastfeeding

• Breastfeeding provides bonding by
allowing extensive skin contact, which
helps children thrive physically and
emotionally.
• Breastfeeding helps the uterus to contract
after childbirth. Breastfeeding appears to
help reduce the risk of breast cancer.
• The unique "suck and swallow" reflex of
breastfeeding reduces tooth decay and
encourages optimum jaw, mouth and
speech development.

• The high level of calcium contained in
human breast milk helps an infant's bones
develop quickly and strongly.
• From an NFP standpoint, breastfeeding
helps suppress ovulation from a period of
three months (if the mother feeds the baby
supplements) to as long as 1½ years (in
the case of ecological breastfeeding).

If NFP is So Great, Why
Don’t More Couples Use It?
Three Reasons:
• Ignorance
• Laziness
• Profit

Brian Clowes
Human Life International
4 Family Life Lane
Front Royal, Virginia USA 22630
E-mail address: bclowes@hli.org

Facts 22

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