Need help defending Pro-life issues in overpopulation discussion in school

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Ma.Eugenia

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Hi everyone!

I would like to ask if any one knows any passages in the Bible that says God does not want believers to use contraception.

At the same time, what do I reply to a classmate who says that the Catholic church does not agree with contraception because the church believes that it prevents conception and that sex should only be used for procreation purposes? Many in the group said that they did not agree with this church stand. I’d like to ask anyone here, if this is really the stand of the church?

Also, does anybody here know if too early sex education of children (grade school or high school) predisposes them to have premarital sex? Are there any internet resource you can recommend regarding this?

You see I will give a report about overpopulation in class, including the difference of the Pro-life, Responsible Parenthood and Catholic Church versus the stand of and Pro-choice gropus, the Humanists and the United Nations programs and allied organizations.

I sounded off a group of my classmates about my report and already I got a lot of reaction, including the one I mentioned above. So, I can imagine this is going to be a very lively debate and a good chance for my class to learn something.

I just returned to studying again (am taking Nursing course), and was surprised that in my school (non-Catholic) at some of the things being taught there.

Example:
  1. One teacher said that if we see a young child masturbating, the correct way to deal with it is to tell the child that some things are done privately.
  2. One classmate gave a report saying that if a woman hasn’t had sex by 30 years old, there is something wrong with her.
  3. One professor who was relating in class about the use of IUD, saying that if a baby is formed and the IUD got misplaced and is seen inside womb with baby, how do we deal with it as there is a chance the baby will be poked in the eyes (causing blindness) and other trauma that can lead to physical defect–because IUD cannot be surgically removed.
She asked me in front of the class that if it were me, will I take the chance to proceed with the pregnacy knowing I have the chance I will give birth to a defective baby or decide for abortion (though it is illegal in our country).

I said, I was pro-life in belief, so I will never use IUD, but then if hypothetically it happened, I will proceed with the pregnancy and take my chance. There was dead silence after that…as if I just gave a wrong answer. After a while the teacher said, “Well, everyone has a different opinion.”
  1. The same professor asked everyone in class to write down our choice of contraceptive method and defend our answer. I said that if I get married, it will have to be, natural family planning method.
Imagine, when she read the answer of one of the guys who answered the same, she related a story of a colleague who gave birth in a Catholic university hospital here which does not advocate artificial birth control.

She told everyone that when she saw this colleague again she had many children in tow, looked old and bent! Imagine, the young people in class were listening to this professor insinuating that the colleague looked like that because of the belief of the church against artificial contraception.
  1. In our lecture, this professor said that IUD has the best chance preventing pregnancy (98%). But, it sometimes cause ectopic pregnancy, and as I said above, if misplaced inside womb when woman gets pregnany, can cause physical injuries. Worst it can even lead to preterm birth or late abortion.
For hormones, the Estrogen-only pills (Morning-after pills, Post-coital pill, Emergency pill) has high diethylabetriol that can lead to severly defective baby because it can result from a “blighted or degenerated ova”. My professor said that if woman gets pregnant despite taking this pill , abortion is sometimes recommended. Also, a woman treated with these estrogen-only pill while pregnant, can cause problems for her child when it grows up and starts having family because what her mother took, could cause dysfunctional or Incompetent cervix on her child. This can cause premature opening of the cervix in the 2nd trimester of pregancy.

The progestin-only pill (Minipill, Depoprovera), prevents a FERTILIZED OVUM from attaching to the uterus. (Isn’t this aborting life already?) What more, can also lead to ectopic pregnancy (I suppose because the fertilized ovum couldn’t attach where it was supposed tp attach).

Given all these negatives being taught to me in school about these hormonal pills, why would I want to even recommend it to others? It seems that for others, the end (which is prevent pregnancy) is worth the risk.

Anyway, I know this is already an overly looong… thread already. 🙂 I would appreciate very much any answer to the questions I raised. Thank you. 🙂
 
With regard to Biblical references, the only one that comes to mind at the moment is in Genesis 38, regarding the sin of Onan.

For the teaching of the Church on this matter, you might start with sections 2370 and 2399 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. More detailed explanations of the teaching can be found in Pope Paul’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, and in Pope John Paul’s Evangelium Vitae.

Hope that helps.
 
Servulus said:
With regard to Biblical references, the only one that comes to mind at the moment is in Genesis 38, regarding the sin of Onan.

For the teaching of the Church on this matter, you might start with sections 2370 and 2399 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. More detailed explanations of the teaching can be found in Pope Paul’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, and in Pope John Paul’s Evangelium Vitae.

Hope that helps.
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Yes, thank you for pointing out this passage in the Bible–it is very helpful. Also, for recommending other resources I can look in to.

I am now studying in a non-Catholic school, and some of my classmates are non-Catholics with pre-conceived notions about our Church beliefs on contraception that it is all the making of Church hierarchy imposed on the masses.

My problem is I believe in the Church teaching that only natural family planning is acceptable because that is what I was taught as right by my parents but I have a difficult time defending our beliefs on this because I don’t know why we believe it. Some of my classmates are very vocally pro-Choice. I am using this oppurtunity to understand the Church position on this.

Thank you for your help.
 
Pax vobiscum!

Well, I would personally call the teacher a Nazi for recommending that you have an abortion if you had a deformed child…just kidding, but I would point out very clearly that that is something the Nazis did.

Ask her why she thinks having children is a bad thing. Obviously she didn’t think too highly of her collegue who has many children. Point out to your classmate that said there was something wrong with a woman not having sex by 30 that a woman’s body is not designed to have multiple sexual partners and with every partner after one, her risk of developing cervical cancer is raised significantly.

For some resources, get a hold of Theology of the Body for Beginners and Good News About Sex and Marriage by Christopher West. Also, listen to Jason and Chrystalina Evert’s talk here: pureloveclub.com/seminars/index.php?id=5
Take a look at the research that Jason Evert has available on his site: pureloveclub.com/research/index.php?id=41

As far as sex goes, for the Catholic Church’s stance, it is a two-fold thing. One reason for sex is that it is procreative, and the other is that it is unative. The Church does not teach that sex is only for procreation, or else there would be no such thing as NFP (which, you can be sure to point out, is more effective in spacing out children than any artificial chemicals these women are pumping into their bodies).

In Christ,
Rand
 
Ma Eugenia, You certainly have an uphill battle. Have you seen this website yet? LifeIssues has a wealth of material with data from the U.N. confirming population implosion is the major problem facing us not population explosion. Dr. Janet E. Smith recently gave a talk complete with graphics on this very subject only a couple of weeks ago. All of Janet’s resources are available on CD and MP3 download format at www.MyCatholicFaith.org

Her series is called “Sexual Common Sense”. Her forte is contraception and Natural Family Planning.

This from LifeIssues article Christian Family- Gift and Hope by Rosa Linda Valenzona:
The UN has openly admitted that population ageing is due to the drastic fall in fertility. Sub-replacement fertility has persisted in spite of the subsidies and incentives devised by European governments. UN projections also forecast that even in Less Developed Countries fertility will also fall below replacement levels by the middle of this century
Click to expand...
lifeissues.net/writers/vale/vale_02family.html

Those two resources will keep you busy. Keep us posted if you have more difficulties. One question at a time though please.:bounce:
 
Rand_Al_Thor said:
Pax vobiscum!

Well, I would personally call the teacher a Nazi for recommending that you have an abortion if you had a deformed child…just kidding, but I would point out very clearly that that is something the Nazis did.
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Hi Rand Al’Thor!

Pax vobiscum too! Don’t know what that means, but it sounds like a nice greeting. 🙂

Actually, this teacher has twin boys she’s really proud of. She, however, seems to think that deformed babies are not worth bringing into this world because of the stress it will cause family.

However, she is proudly Catholic and insists that we always pray after class that we end up good Nurses. She is by deduction from her lectures, pro-Choice.
Rand_Al_Thor said:
Obviously she didn’t think too highly of her collegue who has many children.
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Being pro-choice, I suppose, she’s trying to tell us students that that is the consequence of relying only on natural family planning which the Church taught. Meaning, it is ineffective, it will cause the woman to have more children than she can handle and therefore she will look older before her time.
Rand_Al_Thor said:
Point out to your classmate that said there was something wrong with a woman not having sex by 30 that a woman’s body is not designed to have multiple sexual partners and with every partner after one, her risk of developing cervical cancer is raised significantly.
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I think my classmate was trying to say that a woman should have sex (no excuses!–unless you want to be thought of as odd) by age 30. I wondered, what if the woman choses, by faith, to wait until marriage, even beyond thirty years old? To me that is more commendable and admirable.

Thanks for pointing out about cervical cancer…that is surely a good point for me to raise.
Rand_Al_Thor said:
As far as sex goes, for the Catholic Church’s stance, it is a two-fold thing. One reason for sex is that it is procreative, and the other is that it is unative. The Church does not teach that sex is only for procreation, or else there would be no such thing as NFP (which, you can be sure to point out, is more effective in spacing out children than any artificial chemicals these women are pumping into their bodies).
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I think I now have an answer for my classmate’s comment–thanks. I will try to read up more on this.
Rand_Al_Thor said:
For some resources, get a hold of Theology of the Body for Beginners and Good News About Sex and Marriage by Christopher West. Also, listen to Jason and Chrystalina Evert’s talk here: pureloveclub.com/seminars/index.php?id=5
Take a look at the research that Jason Evert has available on his site: pureloveclub.com/research/index.php?id=41)).
Click to expand...
Thanks for recommending these sites. You’ve been very helpful 🙂

God bless!
 
Rosalinda said:
Ma Eugenia, You certainly have an uphill battle. Have you seen this website yet? LifeIssues has a wealth of material with data from the U.N. confirming population implosion is the major problem facing us not population explosion. Dr. Janet E. Smith recently gave a talk complete with graphics on this very subject only a couple of weeks ago. All of Janet’s resources are available on CD and MP3 download format at www.MyCatholicFaith.org

Her series is called “Sexual Common Sense”. Her forte is contraception and Natural Family Planning.

This from LifeIssues article Christian Family- Gift and Hope by Rosa Linda Valenzona:
lifeissues.net/writers/vale/vale_02family.html

Those two resources will keep you busy. Keep us posted if you have more difficulties.
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Hi Rosalinda!

No I haven’t seen these sites. I will look at it and see what I can learn. from it. Thanks for recommending them.

At least, with these, I can defend my stand on Pro-life better—and not just say I am pro-Life because I am just following what others said.

Thanks for your help.
Rosalinda said:
One question at a time though please.
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I promise to keep this in mind. Thanks for the advise! 🙂

God bless!
 
Hi again!

Just want to say that I opened the internet sites you all recommended. Also researched on the encyclicals.

Really good articles! —a gold-mine for my report. Thanks for your help everyone! 🙂
 
Hi blessedtoo!

Thanks for referring me to the sites. You’ve made my research much easier for me.

I am surprised that countries that are more advanced than mine seem to have a problem getting their population to grow. I am beginning to see why it is good to have a good number of young population together with the older population. After all, the future is with the young because they will eventually take over from their elders.

If they keep on relying on immigrants to fill in the gaps in their population, wouldn’t that dilute, or alter the culture inherent in those countries in a big way?

I am glad that this assignment was given to me. I am learning a lot here.

Thanks!
 
I would like to ask if any one knows any passages in the Bible that says God does not want believers to use contraception
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Ask them to show you where the bible says not to cut off your arm.

And then tell them to hang out in Kansas to cure their overpopulation nonsense.

Seriously, though. Overpopulation is an issue because of bad governing policies and poor food distribution. Their concerns are good, but their conclusions are wrong. Instead of being dragged into a debate on keeping every human alive, start guiding them towards the truth of overpopulation issues. They won’t give into and say abortion is wrong until they can see that their initial assumption is wrong.
 
Can The Entire World Population Fit Within The Boundries of Texas?

LEGEND

1 Acre = 43,560 Square Feet

1 Square Mile = 640 Acres or 27,878,400 Square Feet (640 x 43,560)
World Population = 6,276,000,000 people

State of Texas = 268,601 Square Miles or 171,904,640 Acres (268,601 x 640) or 7,488,166,118,400 Square Feet (268,601 x 640 x 43,560)
Average Size 2-Story Home with 3-4 Bedrooms = 1,500 to 2,400 Square Feet (Thus 750 - 1,200 Square Feet is Needed on the Ground Floor).

This home would fit 5-6 people per house comfortably!

Therefore 150-240 (750 to 1,200/ 5 people per household) Square Feet of Ground Space Per Person is needed to fit 5-6 people comfortably in a 2-story home in the state of Texas.
State of Texas = 7,488,166,118,400 Square Feet/ 6,276,000,000 people in the world = 1,193 Square Feet Per Person is available for the entire world’s population to live in the state of Texas.

As noted above only 150-240 Square Feet of Ground Space is needed per person to fit 5-6 people comfortably in a 2-story home in the state of Texas!!!
You can double check my math!
OverPopulation Myth

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=58961
 
Many forms of birth control can cause chemical abortions. See American Life League’s website for more information.

Tell your class about NFP (Natural Family Planning). In America today the divorce rate is about 50% (most couples contracept). Did you know there are study’s which show the divorce rate for those who use NFP are around 2%!

God invented human sexually to have the livegiving and lovegiving component together. The fact NFP is natural and the divorce rate is virtually non-existant shows that God’s Plan is the natural way.

ccli.org/nfp/marriage/maritalduration.php
 
Myths, Lies and Straight Talk
Code: 
                                **[A List of 10 Media-Fed Myths](http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123606)**
MYTH #7 — The World Is Getting Too Crowded

We’ve heard protests about this for decades: News articles warn of “the population bomb,” and “a tidal wave of humanity,” and plead: No more babies.
The world population today is more than 6 billion. It seems like so many people. But who says it’s “too many?”
There are lots of problems all over the world caused by too many people

more…
 
Demographic ‘Bomb’ May Only Go ‘Pop’: The Population Explosion is a Myth

Remember the population bomb, the fertility explosion set to devour the world’s food and…pollute all its air and water? Over the last 30-40 years, the Malthusian bomb has fizzled. Birthrates in developed countries from Italy to Korea sank below the levels needed for their populations to replace themselves; the typical age of marriage and pregnancy has risen, and the use of birth control has soared beyond the dreams of Margaret Sanger…Ever since 1968, when the United Nations Population Division predicted that the world population, now 6.3 billion, would grow to at least 12 billion (up to 20 billion) by 2050, the agency has regularly revised its estimates downward. Now it expects world population to plateau at 9 billion. Where did those billions go? Millions of babies have died, a fraction of them from AIDS, far more from malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, even measles. More millions have been aborted, either to prevent birth or, as in China and India, to avoid giving birth to a girl. (Cheap ultrasound technology has in the last decade made it easy to determine a child’s sex…) [So much for eliminating sex discrimination…] Many are the babies who were simply never conceived.

more…
 
Population research Institute

Population Research Institute is a pro-life educational organization dedicated to protecting and defending human life, ending human rights abuses committed in the name of family planning, and dispelling the myth of overpopulation.
 
When talking about contraceptives women need to know the facts. Did you know?
Human embryologist Bruce Carlson, in his 1994 textbook: “Human Embryology and Developmental Biology,” states in his opening sentence: “Human pregnancy begins with the fusion of the egg and the sperm. . .”
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As you have already correctly stated human life begins at fertilization. Do you wonder who, why and when this definition was changed?
The idea that pregnancy begins at implantation of the embryo in the uterus was generated more than 3 decades ago. At that time there were concerns about the actions of chemical contraceptives. Albert Rosenfeld wrote in his book: **“Second Genesis” (1969): **
“Because these substances do not prevent the sperm from penetrating and fertilizing the ovum - the classic definition of conception - they are not strictly contraceptives. What they do is prevent the newly fertilized egg from implanting itself in the uterus. Since the interference occurs after conception, some hold that such practice constitutes abortion. A way around this impasse has been suggested by Dr. A.S. Parkes of Cambridge: Equate conception with the time of implantation rather than the time of fertilization - a difference of only a few days”
Click to expand...
all.org/article.php?id=10325

Your teacher has a responsibility to teach you scientific fact, not the politically correct misnomers of junk science. The above quote, courtesy of C. Ward Kischer, Ph. D., an emeritus professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, specialty in Human Embryology. This article from the American Life League is entitled: When Does Human Life Begin?: The Final Answer.
 
Contraception is almost always an assault on the female sexuality. Being a woman isn’t a disease. Being a sexual female means being responsible, not just in procreating but not to use sex as a tool. Self gratification later on in life, and lead to an adult completely incapable of loving another sexually and only use another as if s/he were their hand. People who complain the world is overpopulation, never offer to sacrifice themselves for the greater good and commit suicide.

I know the Billings Ovulation Method is large in the Phillipines, I would check out their site www.woomb.org .
 
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