Is Birth Control Pill okay for VALID Medical (non-contraception) Reasons?

[learningmyfaith]

This makes me feel a little better…But then the Catholic Church articles and these forums shouldnt constantly be calling the pill an abortifacient…If anything they should just say its worng just liek other methods, etc…I was worried about this cause I take for endometriosis…My Dr stated that if the pill is taken all the time, at the same time everyday, it woudl be extremely rare to ovulate…So the egg woudl never be released to meet the sperm…

 

[Cojuanco]

This makes me feel a little better…But then the Catholic Church articles and these forums shouldnt constantly be calling the pill an abortifacient…If anything they should just say its worng just liek other methods, etc…I was worried about this cause I take for endometriosis…My Dr stated that if the pill is taken all the time, at the same time everyday, it woudl be extremely rare to ovulate…So the egg woudl never be released to meet the sperm…

What “Catholic Church” articles? And I’m not sure that the apologists on this board have stated that the Pill is definitely an abortifacient. Some laypeople, though, believe all sorts of things that are stricter than what Holy Mother Church requires. Also some posters here get confused sometimes between some variations of the ‘morning after pill’ and ‘The Pill’, as to how they work. That these things are already controversial topics just adds fuel to the flames.

Bottom line is, the Pill is a lot of things, but our scientific knowledge as a civilization cannot say that it is an abortifacient any more than, say, parsley would be.

 

[thewanderer]

This makes me feel a little better…But then the Catholic Church articles and these forums shouldnt constantly be calling the pill an abortifacient…If anything they should just say its worng just liek other methods, etc…I was worried about this cause I take for endometriosis…My Dr stated that if the pill is taken all the time, at the same time everyday, it woudl be extremely rare to ovulate…So the egg woudl never be released to meet the sperm…

I agree that its not the best terminology, however, there is some truth behind it. If someone uses the pill for contraceptive reasons and in doing so relies on the failure of the child to implant then they would be intending to cause the death of their child and so it would be used as an abortificient. However, it is wrong to say in all cases that that is so.

 

[learningmyfaith]

What “Catholic Church” articles? And I’m not sure that the apologists on this board have stated that the Pill is definitely an abortifacient. Some laypeople, though, believe all sorts of things that are stricter than what Holy Mother Church requires. Also some posters here get confused sometimes between some variations of the ‘morning after pill’ and ‘The Pill’, as to how they work. That these things are already controversial topics just adds fuel to the flames.

Bottom line is, the Pill is a lot of things, but our scientific knowledge as a civilization cannot say that it is an abortifacient any more than, say, parsley would be.

Thank you! I feel like everything I research online or here on the forums, thats the first thing they jump too…

 

[learningmyfaith]

I agree that its not the best terminology, however, there is some truth behind it. If someone uses the pill for contraceptive reasons and in doing so relies on the failure of the child to implant then they would be intending to cause the death of their child and so it would be used as an abortificient. However, it is wrong to say in all cases that that is so.

Thats why Im not a huge fan of the pill, but when you are on it for medical reasons, you woudl think the catholic church would then allow another method /barrier…

 

[The_Bucket]

Thats why Im not a huge fan of the pill, but when you are on it for medical reasons, you woudl think the catholic church would then allow another method /barrier…

Intention, intention, intention. That’s what matters. To the most extreme example… you kill someone in self defense? It’s morally licit.

When using the Pill for medicinal purposes, what matters is the intent. There is no intent to frustrate the procreative nature sex. There’s no intent to make a woman’s body hostile to life. And there’s certainly no intention to have a fertilized egg fail to implant.

The same goes for someone who has luteal phase deficiency. Think about that one! Whether it’s caused by breastfeeding or actual fertility issues, luteal phase deficiency can lead to implantation failure or even “chemical pregnancy.” Is this intended? No way.

What about women who are predisposed to having miscarriages? Should they use barrier methods because they know there’s a good chance if they get pregnant that they’ll miscarry and the life of their child would end? No. The point is that we must not intend to frustrate the procreative nature of sex and we must not intend to end the life of unborn children. If one or both of those things occur due to happenstance over which no one has control, then that is just part of life. And I can tack this on to men by the way in the realm of sexuality. What about those who deal with premature ejaculation and something happens during foreplay? Are they sinning even venially? Despite the procreative nature being frustrated in that case, it’s not intentional and so no harm done.

The principle of double effect is not a technicality.