But as far as Catholics go, is using a condom ‘better’ than taking the pill?
No, they are both intrinsically wrong. Insofar as condoms don’t cause abortions, I suppose there is room for discussion that it is, indeed, “better” morally.
I believe that contraception, apart from NFP, is a mortal sin whichever way you do it.
Except that NFP is not contraception. :nope:
It’s no more contraception than what you are doing right now (reading this) is contraception. (IOW: You’re not doing anything to prevent a pregnancy right now, are you? That’s what NFP is. Simply doing what we typically do, except that it’s during the fertile days of the month.)
So is there any justification for checking if the rates went up or down just in regards to condoms?
Sure. It’s an interesting question, and Catholics are certainly free to entertain it in the same manner that an atheist might contemplate a question about the nature of God. We all understand that we are suspending our basic beliefs in order to engage in discussion.
In any case, we can’t uninvent contraception. It’s generally available and unless it’s made illegal, then people are going to use it to prevent unwanted pregnancies. So arguing that contraception is wrong may be OK for a Catholic (and full marks to each one that refuses to use it) but most Catholics plus everyone else is going to use it.
It’s the same argument, I suppose, with abortion, then, isn’t it?
We can’t uninvent abortion. It’s generally available and unless it’s made illegal, then people are going to use it to get ride of unwanted pregnancies.
But we still argue against abortion, like we can argue against contraception, because it’s wrong.
So the question becomes, not is contraception morally wrong – it is as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, but does easy access to it, plus education in its use, cause or prevent more abortions. And almost everything I’ve been able to find on the subject says: Yes, it does decrease the amount of abortions.
Curious, that conclusion.
Abortions were rare before contraception became readily available in the US.
Now they are common. Just like contraception.
I would conclude that abortion rates increase when contraception becomes available?
Does that not seem self-evident to you, Bradski?