Some things you should know before you decide... Natural Family Planning is the healthy choice for family planning. It does nothing to destroy the health or fertility of either the wife or husband. Natural Family Planning brings many blessings by following God’s Plan for married life.
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING CAN LEAD TO: Accepting personal responsibility for sexual behavior An increase of romance and courtship in marriage Greater sexual fulfillment and personal dignity Cooperation, reverence and respect for your spouse Enhanced teamwork and communication between husband and wife An increase of faith and trust in God and in your spouse The oneness that God meant for husband and wife Sanctification of heart and soul for both partners Time and freedom not to have sex A greater fostering of family life and love for children Freedom to wait until you are ready for children Money saved - no need for purchase of contraceptives Avoidance of harmful side effects of contraceptives Credibility and confidence in teaching abstinence to your teenage children Personal responsibility for physical health A fostering of vocations to the priesthood and religious life within the family A deeper appreciation of the sacraments Greater stewardship over all God has given you Peace and joy of mind and soul A willingness to share with others what God has blessed you with A greater capacity to surrender control over situations A greater trust and confidence in the Lord’s providence The fruits of perseverance,tolerance, faithfulness, self-control, diligence, joy, faith, and commitment Can Natural Family Planning do all this foryou? It can, because God blesses those who follow His plan for life. Natural Family Planning embraces His plan as it has been revealed through the teachings of His Church. The gifts of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, assist us in our time of need. Contraception and sterilization will block if not destroy these blessings.
CONTRACEPTION/STERILIZATION CAN LEAD TO: A loss of sexual desire Questioning your love for your spouse Physical sickness, such as blood clots, strokes, heart attacks, blindness and even death. Mental and emotional instability Divorce Irresponsibility in other areas of life Early abortions caused by the use of the pill, IUD, Norplant, and Ru 486 Pressure to have sex Destruction of faith and a rejection of God and the church Dislike for children Disrespect of women Disrespect of men Guilt and blame Resentment, bitterness and the feeling of being used Isolation in one’s relationship with spouse and family Destruction of family life Birth defects Sexual addiction which makes you more vulnerable to promiscuous behavior Abusive sexual behavior and selfish sexual behavior It is a matter of history that up until 1930, all Christian Churches agreed that contraception was wrong. Since the acceptance of contraception, the divorce rate has risen 500%. While the overall national divorce rate began to escalate during the 1920’s, then again after World War II, and again in the 1960’s, the Catholic divorce rate remained generally low. However, after 1968, the Catholic divorce rate skyrocketed as millions of Catholic couples rebelled and joined the search for personal fulfillment and unlimited sex through unnatural forms of birth control. Priest dealing with broken marriages say at least 95% of such couples have been using unnatural forms of birth control and/or started having sex before marriage. The divorce rate among Natural Family Planning couples is well under 5%, probably under 2%, compared to the 50% rate among the general contracepting public. History has already proven contraception and sterilization are not the answer. Vocations? Out of two-hundred and fifty families attending a 1992 Couple to Couple League-Natural Family Planning National Convention, there were five vocations to the priesthood. That is one vocation out of every 50 families. It is evident that using Natural Family Planning fosters vocations. With the Church’s focus on evangelization, vocations and preparing for the year 2000, Our Holy Father asks us to examine ourselves and ask forgiveness where we have not followed Christ’s teachings through His Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2370)(Pg. 570) states: “Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.(1) These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, ”every 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:.... (2) ** Contraception and sterilization are evils that affect the body, soul, the mind, our relationships, family and society in a negative way. Natural Family Planning leads to life. Heavenly Father grant us the grace to follow your plan for married life. q **Excerpt from the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of American. Copyright 1994 United State Catholic Conference - Libreria Editrice Vaticana are used with permission. All rights reserved. A copy of the Catechism may be ordered from Publishing Services, USCC, (800)235-8722.** (1)HV 16. (2)HV 1
From Contraception to Natural Family Planning - One Woman's Experience
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