Would you send your child to a catholic school that teaches contraception as a choice?

[ajaffres]

Last year all our children were home schooled. This September our eldest started High School in a Private Catholic School. We have had a great experience all year. Now, we are considering sending another child who is younger only to find out that they teach appropriate to their age in junior high. When I asked the question, I was actually told that the School doesn’t teach anything against the Catholic faith. Do they actually don’t know the Catholic Church’s position? What would you do?

 

[HerCrazierHalf]

I think context would be important. Are they teaching that contraception exist (the types, how they work, and why they are not viable options for Catholics) or are they advocating/recommending their use? I think it would be possible to say teach that something exist but that it is against Church teachings.

 

[EasterJoy]

I learned about different types of contraception from one of the most conservative priests you’re ever likely to meet. This was in high school, but over the course of being a pastor this priest had been shocked about the ignorance some Catholics had in the area of sex. They did not know which forms of contraception are abortifacient, for instance. Such Catholics are vulnerable to whatever other people tell them about contraception, if the Church doesn’t teach them the truth.

 

[ajaffres]

Maybe I need to dig deeper. Yet, I would of felt better if they said: “We teach the Theology of the Body for teens” for instance. They said: “simply that we inform them about contraceptive choices (i.e what the options are) and abstinence, but we do so in a manner which is appropriate to their age.”
It seems to me that they are giving the choices including abstinence and not stressing that it would be morally wrong to use any of them. As a Catholic school what other choices should a 12-15 year old have aside from abstinence? When I asked the question, I was hoping that they would reinforce what a Catholic home would teach. Sexually is a gift for marriage and that contraception is CCC2370.

 

[Celtic_Maiden]

Maybe to make sure give the Head Master a phone call and ask him exactly what they are teaching, if its not Catholic teaching, contact the Bishop and advise him of what is going on.

 

[Jon_S_1]

Maybe I need to dig deeper. Yet, I would of felt better if they said: “We teach the Theology of the Body for teens” for instance. They said: “simply that we inform them about contraceptive choices (i.e what the options are) and abstinence, but we do so in a manner which is appropriate to their age.”
It seems to me that they are giving the choices including abstinence and not stressing that it would be morally wrong to use any of them. As a Catholic school what other choices should a 12-15 year old have aside from abstinence? When I asked the question, I was hoping that they would reinforce what a Catholic home would teach. Sexually is a gift for marriage and that contraception is CCC2370.

Like others said, it is best to teach kids about what I’d out there and then the why of why it is wrong.

Otherwise they will learn about it from the people who advocate it’s use. Ie their friends.

It’s good for a kid to know about condoms and how they prevent pregnancy and STD’s. That way if he chooses mortal sin of premarital sex he can hopefully not catch aids on the process of sinning.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

Last year all our children were home schooled. This September our eldest started High School in a Private Catholic School. We have had a great experience all year. Now, we are considering sending another child who is younger only to find out that they teach appropriate to their age in junior high. When I asked the question, I was actually told that the School doesn’t teach anything against the Catholic faith. Do they actually don’t know the Catholic Church’s position? What would you do?

Ask to see the books, materials used and lesson plans. If they refuse speak to the pastor or the Bishop. If you get stone walled all around, you could Home School again or send the kids to a public school. Its a hard choice.

Linus2nd

 

[ajaffres]

I asked more questions. From what I hear they teach contraception without touching any of the catholic morals. It is taught from the Health and Safety perspective. (Answer I received). They don’t seem to believe that contraception goes against Catholic beliefs.

 

[1ke]

I asked more questions. From what I hear they teach contraception without touching any of the catholic morals. It is taught from the Health and Safety perspective. (Answer I received). They don’t seem to believe that contraception goes against Catholic beliefs.

If the facts are as you relay them, and a Catholic school is presenting contraception as you indicate above

I would remove my child, pronto, and then I would up the chain of command within the diocese very quickly, including to the bishop and on to the CDF if necessary. I would then get very vocal and very public with the issue if it wasn’t corrected (i.e. discontinued) immediately.

 

[George_Stegmeir]

I asked more questions. From what I hear they teach contraception without touching any of the catholic morals. It is taught from the Health and Safety perspective. (Answer I received). They don’t seem to believe that contraception goes against Catholic beliefs.

I realize that Catholic Schools in Canada have a unique situation because they accept funding from the Canadian Government. Even so, the Government should not be allowed to demand teaching that is contrary to the Faith in Parochial Schools.
The local Bishop should be asked to take action about this.

 

[ajaffres]

Schools in our area do not receive any funding from the government.

 

[EasterJoy]

I asked more questions. From what I hear they teach contraception without touching any of the catholic morals. It is taught from the Health and Safety perspective. (Answer I received). They don’t seem to believe that contraception goes against Catholic beliefs.

Teaching the medical facts about contraception does not go against Catholic beliefs. Even on the ethical side, Catholics need to be taught the somewhat subtle points that so often go unmentioned, such that medications with a contraceptive side effect can be morally permissible even for the married, if the side effect is unintended, provided that an acceptable treatment without that side effect is not available. After all, many Catholics, both orthodox and “progressive,” have a black-and-white understanding of the science and morals of human fertility that is incorrect because it is incomplete.

Do they teach contemporary methods of natural family planning in their health classes? This will be a telling thing! If they do not, it ought to be in the curriculum, and not in some outdated form. If they do teach natural methods of managing fertility and also let students know that an understanding of Catholic medical ethics is needed to use all this information rightly, that is more in keeping with what could be an appropriate “we teach the medical side of it in health class and the ethical side of it in religion class” policy. As long as the health teacher teaches that there are ethics and morals involved in putting the knowledge to use, those lessons can be taught elsewhere in the curriculum.

If they do not have sexual ethics in the curriculum, it is fair to ask why students who are mature enough to learn about sex in their health curriculum are not mature enough to learn about sex in their religion curriculum.

If working within the school does not work, the entity to contact is usually the superintendent of Catholic schools. You have to stick with these things, though. Central administration has so many balls in the air, individual inquiries have this way of slipping between the cracks if no one in that office takes a particular interest in shepherding the question through. You may have to be the persistent widow…in that case, be persistent not just in pressing school officials with your complaints, but in pressing heaven to give you good help.

 

[ajaffres]

I know what you mean. I asked if they use a book and they said no. I asked if as a Catholic School if they reinforced Catholic teachings such as Sex being a gift from God for marriage, responsible parenthood through NFP, life begins at conception and that sacramental marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. I received a reply stating that they do not cover any of what I just listed above and that they teach the course as Health and Safety. That ultimately it was a matter of whether or not I trusted the school and that nothing taught would denigrate Catholic teachings. It sounds like a total contradiction.

 

[EasterJoy]

I know what you mean. I asked if they use a book and they said no. I asked if as a Catholic School if they reinforced Catholic teachings such as Sex being a gift from God for marriage, responsible parenthood through NFP, life begins at conception and that sacramental marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. I received a reply stating that they do not cover any of what I just listed above and that they teach the course as Health and Safety. That ultimately it was a matter of whether or not I trusted the school and that nothing taught would denigrate Catholic teachings. It sounds like a total contradiction.

The medical side of ethical natural family planning belongs in health class. It is scientifically-based biological knowledge and practical knowledge, at that. To exclude it from a health curriculum while teaching methods of contraception has no logical basis. The only basis for such an exclusion is a prejudice in favor of contraception as a method of family planning, a prejudice which is out of place in a Catholic school.

If the medical side of natural family planning is taught with due diligence to give current knowledge, then it can be believed that the students can be told that this biological knowledge is being given to them as the basis for ethical instruction that they will receive later. With that basis, Catholic students can later learn to answer secular objections to the Church’s stance on these medical issues intelligently and correctly. It does take both: scientific knowledge and ethical formation. The ethical formation without the science is incomplete.

If the school has no one qualified to teach a contemporary understanding of the science of natural family planning, it is usually possible to find NFP instructors to come to the school. This is how our Catholic high school handled it way back when, because of course the secular health textbooks were incompetent guides, having the prejudice against NFP built into them. There is no excuse for excluding the topic from the curriculum.

 

[Avocadomom]

If I thought that my children’s school taught that contraception was acceptable, then I would have a meeting with the principal immediately to discuss (for clarity.) I have no problem with my children knowing what contraception is, in the same way I have no problem with my kids knowing what homosexuality is. It’s the context that matters.

If that was indeed what was being taught (that contraception was okay), I would immediately contact department of Catholic Schools for my diocese.

 

[mdgspencer]

Pope John Paul once said using contraception a barrier to receiving communion.

The teaching of the teachers of this school, if they simply inform the students about forms of contraception that people can use, is an aberration. This would be to inform them without any moral guidance what forms of contraception they can use themselves. This is a serious problem. I would presume that their teaching has gone over the edge when it comes to other serious aspects of Catholic doctrine and morals. Under such a regime, many students when they graduate, it can be expected, will have lost their adherence to Catholicism.

Bishop Sheen once said it is better to send your children to a public school where they have to fight for their faith than to a Catholic school where they will lose it.