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cardenio
Guest
If it’s not being used as a contraceptive, it’s morally okay.
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st_felicity
Guest
Sorry–that’s just not so. The pill sometimes works to abort an embryo when the first function of supressing ovulation fails. It is **not **morally ok in every situation where contraception isn’t the intention.
On a side note—I see you’re from Lansing…I graduated from Lansing Eastern and did RCIA at Resurrection!
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cardenio
Guest
St_felicity,
Maybe I need to rephrase that. If it’s not contracepting, it’s okay. If it’s solving your problems without getting in the way of the baby-making process, then it’s okay. That’s what I meant. Sorry 'bout that.
Actually, I’m from Flint, which is about an hour away from Lansing. But the diocese is Lansing. And our bishop is about 74 years and 11 months old so he’s retiring!
Maybe I need to rephrase that. If it’s not contracepting, it’s okay. If it’s solving your problems without getting in the way of the baby-making process, then it’s okay. That’s what I meant. Sorry 'bout that.
Actually, I’m from Flint, which is about an hour away from Lansing. But the diocese is Lansing. And our bishop is about 74 years and 11 months old so he’s retiring!
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Ruthie
Guest
Arbocat,
While SummerGirl is commendable in wanting to prevent abortions, her teachings go beyond what the Church teaches. If the death of a baby occurs an unintended effect of medical treatment that is necessary to save the mother’s life, then it is not sinful. (Though it is tragic.) The line is drawn at intent. If the medical procedure uses killing the baby as the direct method of saving the mother’s life, then it is sinful.
I was once interested in competitive body building, so I understand how it works. I chose not to do it, as I didn’t want to do what it takes; to lose all my body fat in order to have good muscle definition. My choice, not a judgement!
I do question your doctor’s wisdom. I don’t know if the pill would help her have a period, since the reason she doesn’t is not an irregular cycle, but the lack of body fat. But I’m not a doctor.
He also said something about “better <can’t remember> than obesity,” didn’t he? That also makes me question him.
I’d look for a second opinion, preferably from a Catholic doctor!
While SummerGirl is commendable in wanting to prevent abortions, her teachings go beyond what the Church teaches. If the death of a baby occurs an unintended effect of medical treatment that is necessary to save the mother’s life, then it is not sinful. (Though it is tragic.) The line is drawn at intent. If the medical procedure uses killing the baby as the direct method of saving the mother’s life, then it is sinful.
I was once interested in competitive body building, so I understand how it works. I chose not to do it, as I didn’t want to do what it takes; to lose all my body fat in order to have good muscle definition. My choice, not a judgement!
I do question your doctor’s wisdom. I don’t know if the pill would help her have a period, since the reason she doesn’t is not an irregular cycle, but the lack of body fat. But I’m not a doctor.
He also said something about “better <can’t remember> than obesity,” didn’t he? That also makes me question him.
I’d look for a second opinion, preferably from a Catholic doctor!
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LittleDeb
Guest
Love your knowledge Autumn. It is so cool!
I would tend to agree. Because it is not treating the underlying condition it is sinful.
There are only three reasons to be infertile that are still a healthy body; Pregnancy, post-partum, and menopause. Any other infertility is a body telling you it is broken. While I commend the wife for her choices to be healthy, her infertility is telling her she is in fact not healthy. The female body must maintain a certain level of body fat to store estrogen. Am I right Autumn?
The Church’s teaching in this area are referring to using a medically necessary means. I have yet to find a disease that the best treatment is the contraceptive pill. There are always better treatments out there.
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Ghosty
Guest
arbocat: I’m not a doctor, but I do work in medicine, and there is something VERY fishy about the advice this doctor is giving. Your wife’s problem isn’t just a lack of estrogen, it’s a lack of very important body fat. When your period stops, you’ve gone too far as a general rule. Your body is basically saying “I don’t even have enough nutrition for myself, I can’t handle having another body to feed,” and that’s not where she should be. Putting on enough fat to get her period back is NOT going to make her obese. In fact, the advice the doctor gave in this regards sounds downright irresponsible. It sounds like they’re advocating a “0% body fat is the healthiest” idea, which is absolutely false. Most healthy, well built, and “skinny” women have regular periods. It sounds more like this doctor is treating the symptom and not the problem.
As a side note, body-building is not an espescially healthy thing for the body. It’s about tilting the body too far in a certain direction, pushing nutrients in a certain direction while neglecting other aspects of health. It can be done within reason, but hopefully your wife is being VERY careful and monitoring her nutrition carefully.
Again, all of this is said with the caveat that I’m NOT an M.D., only an EMT who is working towards an R.N. I have never heard the kind of advice this doctor is giving, and in fact in every similar case I’ve only heard the exact opposite advice. I heartily recommend a second opinion. You’re wife’s health is at stake.
As a side note, body-building is not an espescially healthy thing for the body. It’s about tilting the body too far in a certain direction, pushing nutrients in a certain direction while neglecting other aspects of health. It can be done within reason, but hopefully your wife is being VERY careful and monitoring her nutrition carefully.
Again, all of this is said with the caveat that I’m NOT an M.D., only an EMT who is working towards an R.N. I have never heard the kind of advice this doctor is giving, and in fact in every similar case I’ve only heard the exact opposite advice. I heartily recommend a second opinion. You’re wife’s health is at stake.
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UKcatholicGuy
Guest
If your wife chooses to take the pill to regulate her cycle, you must abstain from sexual intercourse for as long as she is taking the pill.
Please see more info on this situation here:
all.org/issues/hayes001.htm
(From American Life League)
God bless.
Please see more info on this situation here:
all.org/issues/hayes001.htm
(From American Life League)
God bless.
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Ghosty
Guest
There’s nothing to indicate that one has to abstain from sex because a medication might also be a contraceptive. So long as contraception isn’t the intent in any way, the medication is not a contraceptive.
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Catholic2003
Guest
To put it charitably, there is divided opinion on this among the members of this forum. See this thread for an example.
Talking to your priest about this is a good idea.
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manualman
Guest
Disclaimer: I’m also not a doctor.
Think about the glorious way in which God designed the human body! In this case, the woman’s body has been designed with an inherent mechanism to preserve the woman from self-destruction during times of severe sickness or famine. During these times her body recognizes that it cannot possibly cope with the stresses of pregnancy because the body’s health is already so marginal. Therefore, the body turns of the natural fertility to postpone a pregnancy until such time as the body is healthy enough for it.
Consider that fact that your wife’s training regimen has activated the “too sick for babies” mechanism in her body.
For a short time after college, I dated a woman who had been a nearly world class gymnast. (She went to college on a gymnastics scholarship - not too many of those out there!) Her opinion of most world class athletes is that they will have more future health issues than the average couch potato! While she loved her memories, she admitted that she would NOT allow any daughter of her own to get seriously involved in gymnastics!
Think about the glorious way in which God designed the human body! In this case, the woman’s body has been designed with an inherent mechanism to preserve the woman from self-destruction during times of severe sickness or famine. During these times her body recognizes that it cannot possibly cope with the stresses of pregnancy because the body’s health is already so marginal. Therefore, the body turns of the natural fertility to postpone a pregnancy until such time as the body is healthy enough for it.
Consider that fact that your wife’s training regimen has activated the “too sick for babies” mechanism in her body.
For a short time after college, I dated a woman who had been a nearly world class gymnast. (She went to college on a gymnastics scholarship - not too many of those out there!) Her opinion of most world class athletes is that they will have more future health issues than the average couch potato! While she loved her memories, she admitted that she would NOT allow any daughter of her own to get seriously involved in gymnastics!
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astegallrnc
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Sgt_Sweaters
Guest
I have spoken with a priest on this matter. He thought the position of abstaining while on the pill was more congruent with Church teaching than “well the Church doesn’t necessarily say to abstain!”
The argument in favor of sex while on the pill employs the principle of double effect. Since the intention is for the health of the woman, they say, and not for contraception, then all is well and good. Unfortunately, the argument breaks down when you realize that sex is not a “greater good” which is a necessary component for double effect. Sex is not a greater good than protecting life.
American Life League, as ukcatholicguy pointed out, has weighed in on this issue. Judie Brown, the President of ALL, is a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life. That’s fairly credible, no?
Christopher West, known, respected, and deferred to, has also weighed in. Both sources promote abstinence while on the pill, since it has the potential to kill babies.
Therefore, I contend that UK’s position is the correct one.
God bless.
-Joel
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JOHNYJ
Guest
Often it is a choice between evils. Taking into account human frailty and reality. I personaly believe that Birth Control is better than abortion.Thats why I support Sex Education in High schools.
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