Natural Family Planning vs Contraception
Natural Family Planning is:
-
natural
-
works with the human body's natural function; it is not repressive
-
inexpensive! In fact, it's practically FREE!
-
99% effective!
-
informative - you become more knowledgeable about your (and your spouse's) body
-
may help discover underlying health issues
-
may help those who are suffering from infertility
Artificial contraceptives:
-
are NOT SAFE!!! The CDC states that 7 out of 8 STDs are NOT prevented by condoms.
-
damages the environment: condoms and wrappers add to our landfills, chemicals are excreted through human waste and enter the water supply thereby damaging the ecosystem. (In fact, fish populations are changed by the higher levels of estrogen in the water due to chemical contraceptives.)
-
have been linked to breast cancer. Read the full article here. Click here to read the article: "Race For the Truth about the Susan G. Komen Foundation: Is Abortion and Hormonal Contraception a Prescription for Breast Cancer?"
-
have been linked to cervical cancer.
-
tries to go against nature (and God's design of the body); it represses the normal bodily function.
-
expensive
-
might mask underlying health issues
"The Pill": How does it work?
Is it safe?
For the article in English
For the article in Spanish
To order brochures in English or in Spanish, go here.
top
What does the Catholic
Church say about the difference between NFP and
Contraception?
The fundamental difference between NFP and contraception involves both the methods used and the intentions of the couple.
With contraception, a couple uses a method that directly contradicts the nature of their sexual act, by deliberately making it sterile. The clearest illustration of this is the use of a condom -- the couple is not only intervening to prevent pregnancy, they are literally placing a barrier between themselves, which is contrary to the full self-giving nature of married love. Likewise, with a hormonal contraceptive (e.g., "the pill"), the couple is making their love conditional, by essentially saying that they will not give themselves to each other unless a healthy part of the woman's body is turned off. Contraception necessarily involves a rejection of the nature of who we are, and a rejection of who our spouse is.
With NFP, the couple cooperates with the nature that is written into their bodies, with the natural cycle that is a necessary part of their fertility. They accept that there are some times in their cycle that they are fertile, and others in which they are not. They are able to accept each other as they are made, and to give themselves to each other unconditionally.
In
more practical terms, as pointed out by the U.S. Bishops' NFP
Office (http://www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/myths.shtml)
:
Contraception Why Not?
Download this talk by Janet E. Smith, PHD: "Contraception: Why Not?" (New Edition)
Ready to find out more about NFP?
Natural Family Planning Coordinator
Virginia Corbett
nfpinfo@archny.org
646.794.3197
