Educational Resource
Life Issues Forum article by Theresa Notare (November 3, 2006)
Life Issues Forum article, "Practical Steps to a Healthier Marriage," by Theresa Notare
November 3, 2006
Many married Catholics of reproductive age are using some form of contraception. They may think they are solving a problem and being responsible, or that they are doing something healthy for their marriages. The reality, however, is that contraception is unhealthy for women and for couples’ relationships. The ability to help create another person, i.e., human fertility, is a major function of the human body. Biologically, it is both complex and delicate. Tampering with its mechanisms can lead to a host of physical problems.
Standing in contrast to the chaotic world that contraception has helped create is the truth of God’s design for life and love. The Catholic Church explains God’s design as a call for spouses to give themselves to each other completely and permanently, and to reverence God’s gift of procreation. The Church understands that for serious reasons, it is moral for husbands and wives to space and limit births in their families. But this should be done in harmony with God’s plan for married love. Natural Family Planning (NFP) can help couples identify signs of a woman’s fertility and her infertile phases.