I accept Birth Control, and that's not gonna change!

[Syele]

Can you please site some references on your abortion claim?

health.howstuffworks.com/birth-control-ga1.htm

(snip)

Birth control pills are not recommended for women with a history of high blood pressure, blood-clotting problems, hepatitis, or cancer of the uterus or breast. A woman over age 35 who smokes is advised to stop smoking if she wants to take the pill. Birth control pills should not be taken by a woman who suspects she may be pregnant. In addition, women with diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, or thyroid disease may be advised not to take birth control pills, depending on the nature and severity of the disease.

Women should not take the pill if they suspect they are pregnant because there is a high chance the result would be an aborted pregnancy.

** Q-A5L: Is there any other new evidence that supports the argument that OCPs act by causing an early abortion? **

          Yes. In 1996 a researcher names Stephen Somkuti published an article concerning the endometrium and a group of molecules called "integrins."                      25                  Integrins are a group of adhesion molecules that have been implicated as playing an important role in the area of fertilization and implantation. There are different types of integrins and it is believed that the endometrium is most receptive to implantation when it expresses certain types of integrins. Oral contraceptive pills change the type of integrins that the endometrial lining produces theoretically making it more difficult for the unborn child to implant. In the words of Dr. Somkuti: "These alterations in epithelial and stromal integrin expression suggest that impaired uterine receptivity is one mechanism whereby OCs exert their contraceptive action." [25]

** Q-A5M: Has anyone proven that OCP use causes early abortions? **

          In order to prove if and how often women are having abortions while taking OCPs one needs to be able to measure how often women become pregnant while taking them. But early pregnancy tests are currently not accurate enough to confirm pregnancy within the first week (although some researchers have been able to detect the hormonal changes in pregnancy as early as 4 days after conception [                     26](http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/kah/kah_03howpillworks4.html#a26) [27](http://www.lifeissues.net/writers/kah/kah_03howpillworks4.html#a27)). Until a very early test is developed that can detect pregnancy in women in spite of being on OCPs, or until researchers physically measure how many abortions are occurring in women who take OCPs, one cannot state with absolute certainty how often OCPs cause early abortions. New ultrasound technology, which is capable of detecting ovulation, may give new insights in the future (see answer to question O). As of today, the most accurate description of the current evidence is as follows: 
         ** All of the evidence on a microscopic, a macroscopic and an immunological level strongly support the argument that OCP use causes an early abortion at times. Until further studies are done, we should take heed and act upon the current data.**

When doctors tell you that the pill does not cause abortions, they usually mean that they do not believe you are pregnant until after implantation. The logic goes like this:

1. A fertilized egg is not a fetus until it is implanted.
2. You are not pregnant if the fertilized egg hasn’t implanted yet.
3. The pill stops implantation.
4. Therefore it was not an aborted pregnancy.

 

[mrs_abbott]

Perhaps I misunderstood. Are you saying that you direct an RCIA group of new and incoming converts while not a Catholic in good standing and committing a sin serious in nature? If you are trying to set an example to your converts of how seriously you take the commandments of the Church, wouldn’t it be better to a. not direct the converts, or b. reconcile? I think you may be giving the wrong message to your candidates.

But if he doesn’t openly admit or claim to do what he does, I wouldn’t see the harm it would bring to the candidates he was instructing.

 

[jmcrae]

But if he doesn’t openly admit or claim to do what he does, I wouldn’t see the harm it would bring to the candidates he was instructing.

I don’t know if this is universal, but in our Diocese, we are not allowed to volunteer for catechetical or liturgical ministries if we are not in good standing with the Church.

The RCIA candidates have the right to assume that their instructor believes the faith that he is teaching.

 

[Denise_Shae]

So, even if you abstain during your fertile period and only have relations during the time you are not fertile. Using a condom is still a sin? I mean what if he feels safe by using one, so you decide ok it will be even more safe doing it when you are not even fertile. Is that still a sin?

Yes, I believe it is still a sin to use a condom or any form of ABC.

You see, if the Lord, in His Providence, wishes that I conceive, I will conceive no matter what time of the month it is.
Example: I could miscount my days, or my system could go out of whack, due to stress, etc.

It’s not a matter of “safe”. It’s a matter of obedience and not trying to stand in the way of God’s Will.

Does that make sense?

God Bless!

 

[rayne89]

Can you please site some references on your abortion claim?

health.howstuffworks.com/birth-control-ga1.htm

I don’t know where you get your information, but this is how I understand the pill to work:

Oral contraceptives, or birth control pills, are one of the most effective reversible methods of contraception. A woman taking the pill properly has less than a 1 percent chance of getting pregnant.

The pill – which is available by prescription only – uses synthetic female hormones (estrogen and progestin) to override the natural hormonal regulation that results in the release of an egg. The pill signals the pituitary gland, which directs hormonal activity in the body, not to release the hormones that would normally stimulate the ovary to release an egg.

The Pill is designed to interfere with several normal functions of fertility in order to make a woman 1) unable to conceive due to temporary sterility or sperm immobility, and/or 2) unable to carry a pregnancy to term (an early abortion).
Suppressing Ovulation:
The combination pill usually interrupts the release of these pituitary hormones resulting in no egg being released from the ovary, thus preventing pregnancy from occurring. With no egg available for fertilization, the woman is chemically sterile. The progestin-only pill, however, has a weaker effect. It generally does not suppress ovulation.
Inhibiting Implantation:
Another important aspect of fertility is the process by which the lining of the uterus is replenished and maintained. After an egg is fertilized, it normally implants in this lining.

Impeding Sperm Migration:
Preceding ovulation, a woman’s cervix produces a watery mucus through which sperm swim to meet the egg. The mucus also provides nourishment to sustain the life of the sperm cells. This mucus thickens under the influence of a progestin and so impedes sperm migration.
There are two other factors in a woman’s fertility that may be affected by the Pill. Progestins lower the efficiency with which the fallopian tubes propel eggs from the ovaries toward the uterus. This can cause the embryo not to reach the uterus in time to implant successfully. After an ovary releases an egg, the woman’s cycle is controlled by a gland that is formed from the now-empty egg sack, the corpus luteum; this normally functions long enough to give an embryo time to implant in the uterus and for the placenta to begin to support the pregnancy. However, hormones from the Pill can cause the corpus luteum to function inadequately, allowing the lining of the uterus to be shed before the embryo can successfully implant. That would be an abortion.

 

[jmcrae]

Check this out: womenshealth.about.com/od/thepill/f/howpillworks.htm

Especially:

The progestin in the Minipill may prevent ovulation; however it may not do this reliably each month. The Minipill works further by thickening the mucous around the cervix and preventing sperm from entering the uterus. The lining of the uterus is also affected in a way that prevents fertilized eggs from implanting into the wall of the uterus. The Minipill is taken every day. You may not have a period while taking the Minipill, if you do have periods that means you are still ovulating and your risk for pregnancy occuring is greater.

The bolded section shows that if a pregnancy occurs, this pill has a “back up system” that aborts the pregnancy.

 

[mark_a]

It is important for a woman taking birth control pills to report to her doctor if any of the following symptoms occur: blurred vision; severe chest pain; sudden shortness of breath; abdominal pain; unusual bleeding or bruising; breakthrough vaginal bleeding (spotting); changes in menstrual flow; pain in the calves; depression; difficult or painful urination; enlarged or tender breasts; hearing changes; increase or decrease in hair growth; migraine headaches; numbness or tingling; rash; skin color changes; swelling of the feet, ankles, or lower legs; vaginal itching; weight changes; or yellowing of the eyes or skin.

This is a joke, right???

 

[jmcrae]

This is a joke, right???

Not at all. The birth control pill is a hormonal supplement, and like any hormonal supplement (steroids, etc.), it is liable to have unwanted side effects.

 

[Tietjen]

Again, I open it up to you, as I would like to hear more. Should I continue with RCIA, do you think? Should I continue to consider myself, and to call myself, Catholic? Or, if my beliefs concerning contraception are not to change at all, would the Anglican Church be better for me?

I am interested in your views.

As I said earlier, you are still a Catholic and should consider yourself as such. You were baptized Catholic correct? I assume that you were Confirmed Catholic as you are now helping to instruct others wishing to enter the Church, right? You are Catholic then. However, you are a Catholic that is disobeying the Church in a matter considered to be grave. Like any other mortal sin, it is then required of you to abstain from Holy Communion until such time as you have willingly come into compliance with the Church and have gone to Confession.

As to the matter of whether or not you should be teaching RCIA, I suppose that would depend on you as an individual. Can you set aside your personal beliefs and ONLY instruct on those things which the Church teaches? If you can (and are) then perhaps you should continue to assist with RCIA instruction. However, if you cannot do this, then you should resign from instructing those that wish to join the Catholic Church, because those people wish to hear about the Catholic beliefs and NOT “noma’s” beliefs. So, if you find it too difficult to teach Catholic doctrine, you should not teach. If you have no problem teaching something that you yourself don’t believe, then stay and assist.

No, the Anglican Church is not the correct answer either. How is it that you can even ask this? It sounds to me as though you don’t take your religion very seriously if you are considering leaving because you disagree with something. If you disagreed with your wife on an issue, would you leave her? What if when you left the Church and became an Anglican, you discovered that there was something that you didn’t believe in. Would you continue down the path of religion hopping until such time as you found the “perfect church?” There is no such thing! All churches have human beings in them and human beings carry with them sin and imperfection. Jesus Christ gave us the Catholic Church to lead people to Him. The Church is called the “Pillar of Truth” in the book of James. The Holy Spirit protects the Church. I simply cannot understand why you would be considering leaving it in search of another religion. Do you not believe that the Catholic Church is the Church Christ founded? Do you believe that all churches/religions are equal and that a person should just “shop around” until he/she finds the one that meets their individual beliefs? If so, that is a very sad thing. It is not the Church that needs to change in order to accommodate our individual beliefs. It’s us who need to change our beliefs in order to be more inline with God’s Church. God bless.

 

[SHEMP]

Just be glad that you live in a time when NFP is so scientific and successful. Some of us had our kids when this was not the case.

Which one of your children would you rather not have had, had you known that NFP was so successful?

 

[mark_a]

Not at all. The birth control pill is a hormonal supplement, and like any hormonal supplement (steroids, etc.), it is liable to have unwanted side effects.

That was my attempt at sarcasm. With a side-effects list like that, getting pregnant should be the least of anyones’ worries.

 

[jmcrae]

That was my attempt at sarcasm. With a side-effects list like that, getting pregnant should be the least of anyones’ worries.

You’d think, wouldn’t you?

 

[zootjeff]

This is a joke, right???

A joke? No, if you followed the link to howstuffworks, you would see I copied the article and that’s what it actually says…

 

[zootjeff]

Please read this. The pill is, scientifically speaking, an abortifacient.

God Bless,
RyanL

That article says that it’s un-biased, but it is clearly biased because it fails to answer the question that it is trying to answer. They don’t actually say it causes abortions, they talk about everything else it does, and if of the small percentage of pregnancies that occur when using the pill, then we can therefore conclude that some of that small percentage must be abortions, and we’re going to conclude that because the lining of the uterus is thinner. No one needs 50 references to say what they are saying and they don’t even say what they are trying to say…

The pill works by preventing ovulation. They are saying that you don’t ovulate when on the pill, and the lining thins when your on the pill. That is pill vendors say wait 3 months when going off the pill when you want to have kids. They also said that failure rate is 3%, but it’s closer to 7%. But they fail to mention that the reason these numbers are so high is because most people forget to regularly take the pill. When taken correctly it is 99.9%. Their whole point is, if for some reason an egg escapes and doesn’t implant, 3% of the time it results in pregnancy, and because it reduces the lining of the uterus, then it is causing abortions. I’d argue, if you don’t religiously take the pill like your suppose to and get a good doctor to recommend the correct dose for your body, you’re causing any abortions by not following the directions. It’s like holding a gun backwards and killing your friend instead of your enemy and blaming the gun manufacturer for it. Most people are not on the crummy pill (mini-pill) that has a higher rate of causing abortions, and if you ask your doctor about wanting one that won’t do that, then you can have the best of both worlds.

So IF the pill was 100% effective at preventing ovulation (which other studies show it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer) would you all still have a problem with it?

 

[jmcrae]

So IF the pill was 100% effective at preventing ovulation (which other studies show it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer) would you all still have a problem with it?

Yes, because it would still subvert one of the two purposes of sex, which is to be open to new life - a pregnancy. (The other purpose of sex is the unification of the husband and wife.)

My mother, God bless her, always said it best - if you don’t want to get pregnant, then you should not have sex, because whether you believe in God or not, and no matter which god you believe in, the usual consequence of sex is pregnancy.

It’s kind of like jumping off a cliff and not expecting to fall, or eating a lot of food and not expecting to become full - if you don’t want the consequence, then don’t do the action that leads to it - that’s the only way to keep your life neat and simple.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

This simple statement might confuse a lot of people including myself. My first reaction is that you and the priest are doing something horribly wrong.

My more charitable other side is telling me that you go through confession and that you receive communion when you are not in a state of mortal sin. You know very well when you are in a state of mortal sin. The priest has spent more time talking to you than anyone in this forum will ever do. If in his judgment you are ready to receive communion than that is fine with me. He may understand your thoughts much better than we do after a couple of posts.

Cristiano:

Or, His pastor may not accept the Church’s teaching on contraception himself. That may also explain his actions.

YBIC, Michael

 

[Traditional_Ang]

Because I do not believe that the Church’s teaching on contraception is a matter of faith and morals. I believe it to be a matter of discipline.

NOMA:

The Church teaches that it is a matter of Morals. You might wan to reread Casti Cannubii, Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae again. Please note the recourse to Scripture and the times when they state, “This is and has been the teaching of the Church since the time of the Apostles.”

Please note the Church has rejected Artificial Contraception since Apostolic Times, and that the ancient world did have Artificial Contraception as well as Abortion. What you need to ask is why the Church has maintained a “discipline” unchanged since Apostolic Times when all other disciplines have been dropped or modified.

Once you’ve done that, you need to decide if you can submit to the MORAL TEACHING of the Church on Contraception (That’s what those three Popes who wrote those Encyclicals thought they were teaching).

I’m sorry, but it really is that simple.

Your Brother in Christ, Michael

 

[tomaskovarik]

Yes, you are still Catholic. However, if you are participating in the use of contraception, you should refrain from receiving Holy Communion, until such time as you come to your senses and seek reconciliation via the Confessional. Otherwise, you’d be committing yet another mortal sin… that of receiving Holy Communion unworthily. But my question would then be why would you want to remain a Catholic? … If you did, you would realize that what YOU want should be taking a backseat to those things that God wants. But, I’m not picking on you. You’re just one more example of what soceity by enlarge encourages. I think it’s sad though. God bless.

I didn’t mean to post on this topic…but after reading this comment, I thank God that not every Catholic is like this guy…I am not picking on you, I just feel sorry for people around you

 

[tequilamac]

To all:

After serious consideration into the moral teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, I find that the only consistent position to accept is that the Church would support artificial contraception for the purposes of regulating pregnancies, even though certain papal documents, etc., declare other matters of discipline.

But to the final point: I do not, nor can I reasonably accept that artificial contraception for the sake of regulating marriages is intrinsically sinful.

I consider myself a Roman Catholic. Should I?

Am I really Catholic anymore?

Soma the confused

You cannot stop being a Catholic. Once Catholic always Catholic is what people used to say. But what degree you follow it can change.
What comes to mind is you are in a testing point:

You can submit your will to the Church even though you do not understand it and pray for understanding that might never come. God allows these moments which might take years. This is the tried and true way.

Or you can assume you know better than the Church has taught all these years which is a slippery slope to abandoning the faith altogether.

In any case, you need to stay in close consultation with your priest and not let the attitudes of others undermine your faith in his opinion. If your priest says Yes, you are a Catholic but I cannot give you absolution well there it is you see, you have your answer. If he says it is a matter of conscience, then he is leaving it entirely in God’s hands. You know you should not receive Communion when acting contrary to a serious matter in the Church. But this does not make you less of a Catholic. It means you have to pray harder and work harder than others not tempted and if you can obey God in this your reward is greater. That is what it means. Your uncertainty and your struggle is a gift from God. You can throw it away by resisting the Church or use your struggle for God’s greater glory and your greater reward.

But- I do not think it prudent that you continue to direct RCIA. It is not fair to your candidates to set this example for them.

As far as Communion goes- you must listen only to your conscience and your priest. Only you and your priest have any authority in that matter.Do whatever he tells you.
May God Bless You

 

[LittleDeb]

So IF the pill was 100% effective at preventing ovulation (which other studies show it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer) would you all still have a problem with it?

Well then it would just be called a contraceptive device and not an abortifacient too. So then one might ask, “well why haven’t they invented a pill that prevents ovulation 100% of the time? THAT would get all those pesky Catholics of our backs about abortion, right?” They did invent a pill that had almost a 100% ovulation prevention rate, back in the 1960’s. But those pesky breast cancer rates just soared with its use!

The Pill is just plain bad news. No matter how many times you tweak it, it will still cause harm to women. There is also this fabulous thing that science has discovered that naturally reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. It is a natural mechanism that prevents ovulation for months on end. It’s called pregnancy. It is then followed by another natural thing that has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It’s called breastfeeding.

The Pill and other hormonal contraceptive devices do more harm than good. It was the research into how our bodies actually work that led me back to full union with the Church. Contraception is bad for us morally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And THAT is what’s really not gonna change!