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Who
Uses NFP and Why Should We?
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All major
religions, including the Catholic Church,
accept the use of natural family planning
when couples have a sufficiently serious
reason for spacing babies or family
limitation. On the other hand, some Orthodox
churches, some parts of Judaism, and an
increasing number of Protestants are opposed
to sterilization and the use of
contraceptive or abortificient drugs and
devices. It should be noted that both
intrauterine devices and birth control drugs
(both the pill and implants) can cause very
early abortions. |
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In NFP both spouses are taught to understand the nature
of fertility and work with it, either to
plan a pregnancy or to postpone one. Couples
who use NFP soon learn that they have a
shared responsibility for family planning.
Husbands are encouraged to “tune into”
their wives’ cycles and both spouses are
encouraged to speak openly and frankly about
their sexual desires and their ideas on
family size.
Is it natural for a married couple to practice sexual
self-control? Yes! No one denies that at
times this is difficult, but such
difficulties to not make periodic abstinence
“unnatural”. “Natural” means living
up to the demands of our human nature, a
nature “created in the image and likeness
of God”. All of the Ten Commandments are
sometimes difficult to follow, but all of
them spell out the challenge of being true
to our own nature.
Sexual self-control can help build the marital
relationship, and therefore most couples
report that NFP has a positive effect on
their marriages. They find that period
abstinence helps keep their sexual
relationship fresh, improves their
communication, and gives them a deeper
respect for each other. In addition, the
practice of NFP helps to develop the same
strength of character that is necessary for
marital fidelity and lifelong marriage. NFP
couples have an extremely low divorce rate.
This makes sense because couples who respect
the natural moral law, God’s order of
creation, can expect to enjoy its
benefits.
Couples rarely begin practicing NFP out of a desire to
improve their marital relationship. However,
if they are going to practice NFP
harmoniously, they soon find that they have
to communicate more fully and creatively
with each other. Couples do not ignore each
other at times when they choose to avoid
sexual relations; rather they develop
non-genital ways of expressing their love
and affection, which is the art of marital
courtship.
For further information on moral teachings of NFP and
Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the
Body, visit Resources & Links
and Church Teachings on Human Life.
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