Explaining Church's Stance on Contraception

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Hi everyone! I’m currently dating a girl from my college that happens to be a Methodist. We were talking one day, and she asked if I believed the Catholic Church’s stance on contraception and I said yes. Well, she (and I suppose I am too) are products of the 20th-21st century. So, she’s having a really hard time wrapping her head around it/understanding NFP.

So, does anyone have any way to explain this to her in the best way? If it was written by a woman, i think that would make her feel a lot better.

Thanks all!
 
Life Giving Love by Kimerly Hahn (Catholic convert)
The Bible and Birth Control by Charles Provan (non-Catholic)
 
Dr. Janet Smith’s Contraception: Why Not? is pretty popular. I have heard some people say they prefer the original talk (the above is a link to a transcript of a revised version of the talk), but I’m not sure why. In any case, you can read through it and decide for yourself if you think it would resonate with her.
 
“Taking Charge of Your Fertility” was written by a nonCatholic woman. It doesn’t really discuss the morality of NFP, but shows the science of how it really works. The author just got tired of the doctor pushing birth control pills on her for every womanly problem. She also sees NFP as more natural than drugs or props. This book really made me love and appreciate my female body so much more. Instead of the term “Natural Family Planning” she uses the term “fertility awareness.” In a day and age when we are all searching for things to be more natural, so many women are popping BC pills when they don’t have clear knowledge of how their bodies work.

amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909

interesting site:
1flesh.org/
 
As well as the above suggestions which are all great, I think you should get her to read “Love and Responsibility” by Blessed John Paul II. It is a little bit more difficult reading, but it talks about so much more than just the issue of NFP/ABC and really helps to try and explain the Catholic vision of sexuality in itss entirity. Since it is very likely that she does not understand this view of sexuality in other areas I think it would be really helpful for her (and possibly you too) to read this.
 
hannajomar said:
“Taking Charge of Your Fertility” was written by a nonCatholic woman. It doesn’t really discuss the morality of NFP, but shows the science of how it really works. The author just got tired of the doctor pushing birth control pills on her for every womanly problem. She also sees NFP as more natural than drugs or props. This book really made me love and appreciate my female body so much more. Instead of the term “Natural Family Planning” she uses the term “fertility awareness.” In a day and age when we are all searching for things to be more natural, so many women are popping BC pills when they don’t have clear knowledge of how their bodies work.

amazon.com/Taking-Charge-Your-Fertility-Anniversary/dp/0060881909

interesting site:
1flesh.org/
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TCOYF is great on the HOW, but not on the WHY, as it’s secular. I’d wait on that one unless she wants to know the how- it’s not going to give any background as to why we believe what we believe.
 
You can give her all sorts of reading material, that will give her the FACTS, but it’s much harder to fight the societal directives toward SELFISHNESS, which means we put ourselves and our own desires in front of God’s plans for us. Artificial birth control has become so mundane that it really goes without any serious scrutiny, even from many Catholics. Aren’t WE supposed to decide how many children we can handle, and when they should be born? Far from the mechanics of NFP, the discussion of just who is in control of our lives and who SHOULD BE in control of our lives needs to be undertaken. Ain’t gonna be easy to make an impact on people who have believed the lies of society their entire lives.
 
It has been a couple of years I think since I first read this lecture by Elizabeth Anscombe, but I remember thinking at the time that it was one of the clearest, most solid explanations of Catholicism’s understanding of chastity and contraception I had read.

orthodoxytoday.org/articles/AnscombeChastity.php
 
TheRealJuliane said:
You can give her all sorts of reading material, that will give her the FACTS, but it’s much harder to fight the societal directives toward SELFISHNESS, which means we put ourselves and our own desires in front of God’s plans for us. Artificial birth control has become so mundane that it really goes without any serious scrutiny, even from many Catholics. Aren’t WE supposed to decide how many children we can handle, and when they should be born? Far from the mechanics of NFP, the discussion of just who is in control of our lives and who SHOULD BE in control of our lives needs to be undertaken. Ain’t gonna be easy to make an impact on people who have believed the lies of society their entire lives.
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Actually, this statement is correct. God gave us reason and expects us to use it in determining what to do. That is why the Church promotes the use of partial or complete abstinance whenever prudence demands that a couple avoid having children. Yes, we must be carefful to avoid being selfish, but just because it is possible to act selfishly doesn’t mean we should refuse to use our reason to act prudently. The Church does not teach providentialism. 🤷
 
Aggies08 said:
TCOYF is great on the HOW, but not on the WHY, as it’s secular. I’d wait on that one unless she wants to know the how- it’s not going to give any background as to why we believe what we believe.
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In my experience, many people have a wall up against NFP because they don’t believe it’s even possible. I think this book can help with that kind of concern.
 
thewanderer said:
Actually, this statement is correct. God gave us reason and expects us to use it in determining what to do. That is why the Church promotes the use of partial or complete abstinance whenever prudence demands that a couple avoid having children. Yes, we must be carefful to avoid being selfish, but just because it is possible to act selfishly doesn’t mean we should refuse to use our reason to act prudently. The Church does not teach providentialism. 🤷
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The Church also does not teach that NFP should be used as contraception. Any abstinent periods should be carefully and prayerfully considered before refusing God’s gift of the possibility of children.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
The Church also does not teach that NFP should be used as contraception. Any abstinent periods should be carefully and prayerfully considered before refusing God’s gift of the possibility of children.
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Yes, which is why I said that people are supposed to act out of prudence taking into account the role of parenthood that comes along with marriage rather than selfishness.
 
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