Every married couple has the responsibility to prayerfully practice what the Catholic Church calls “responsible parenthood” as it pertains to the number and spacing of children. Spouses are to exercise this responsibility with generosity in receiving the gift of life, and with prudence, while avoiding selfishness and carelessness. Although children are the supreme gift of…
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Previous articles in this series: Part I: Introduction to Humanae Vitae Part II: The Predictions of Humanae Vitae Part III: The First Prophecy Part IV: The Second Prophecy Part V: The Third Prophecy Part VI: The Fourth Prophecy Part VII: Modernity’s Challenges to Humanae Vitae Part VIII: The Church’s Right to Teach on Birth Control Part IX: The Church’s Teaching Authority In our previous…
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Natural family planning has helped thousands of couples conceive a baby. In addition, it’s a natural and moral method of spacing children. Unfortunately, many people decide against using NFP without knowing or understanding the facts. They may think NFP doesn’t work. They may have looked into it but assumed it to be too difficult. Or…
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Any fair analysis of how well the Catholic Church has done in educating Catholics about – let alone convincing them of – the Church’s teaching on contraception, would have to conclude that the Church’s ministers have failed quite spectacularly. One much-cited poll from 2016 found that only 13% of weekly Mass-going Catholics agreed with the…
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In the US, we value our freedom. The developers of the birth control pill capitalized on this desire. They claim the pill gives women freedom to control their bodies and their reproduction. When you tell a lie often enough, people begin to believe it. In this case, they literally swallow it. But freedom doesn’t come…
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Previous articles in this series: What Is the Theology of the Body? Human Dignity and the Conjugal Meaning of the Body The Beginning: The Original Unity of Man and Woman Purity of Heart Resurrection of the Body Christian Virginity and Celibacy for the Kingdom of God The Sacrament of Marriage In our previous article…
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What is NFP? Natural family planning (NFP), often referred to as fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs), is based upon pinpointing the fertile times in a woman’s body by observing and charting the natural signs in her menstrual cycle. There are several different ways to classify the primary methods of natural family planning. Some of these definitions…
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Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) is Pope Paul VI’s famed 1968 encyclical on contraception and reproductive ethics. Written in light of a study commissioned by the Vatican on modern reproductive issues, its timing coincided with the sudden prevalence of contraception and concerns about overpopulation in society at large. Pope Paul VI’s writings reaffirmed long-held Church…
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In 1996 Pope St. John Paul II, speaking to a group of teachers of Natural Family Planning (NFP), boldly declared: “The moment has come for every parish and every structure of consultation and assistance to the family and to the defense of life to have personnel available who can teach married couples how to use…
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“[U]sing the natural [family planning] methods requires and strengthens the harmony of the married couple, it helps and confirms the rediscovery of the marvelous gift of parenthood, it involves respect for nature and demands the responsibility of the individuals. According to many authoritative opinions, they also foster more completely that human ecology which is the…
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