(Sept. 3, 2010) On May 3, “Time” magazine’s cover story, “The Pill at 50: Sex, Freedom, and Paradox” brought up some commonly-held misconceptions about Catholic teaching on birth control. The following article hopes to clear the air. It is from the July-August 2010 issue of “Family Foundations,” the publication of the Couple to Couple League International (CCL).

Pope Paul VI thoroughly explored the issue of contraception.

Was Pope Paul VI out of touch?

THEY SAY: When Pope Paul VI started a commission to study the Church’s position on contraception, roughly half of American Catholics were already practicing birth control, according to Gibbs. Although urged to change the Church’s position, Pope Paul VI upheld traditional teachings. Wasn’t Pope Paul VI out of touch with the issues affecting the lives of the faithful?

THE FACTS: The opening paragraphs of Humanae Vitae indicate how thoroughly Pope Paul VI explored the issue of contraception and how seriously he considered the social, scientific, and economic changes affecting family life. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Pope Paul VI decided to uphold traditional teaching - not to ignore the will of the people but rather meet their true needs. He warned that acceptance of contraception might lead to rising rates of marital infidelity, the sexual objectification of women, and government policies that seek to solve social problems through the use of contraception. While, as the Time cover story points out, contraception should not be solely blamed for these developments, the Pope did accurately anticipate the effects of the changing social climate and made his decision according to his beliefs about the moral good.

Isn’t the Pill the most convenient approach to family planning?

THEY SAY: Time source “Margaret” found the birth control pill to be “a revelation” after her experience using a diaphragm convinced her “birth control is inconvenient.” Why would anyone want the hassle of a contraceptive device - or of charting temperatures and mucus observations, for that matter - when simply taking a pill can accomplish the same purpose?

THE FACTS: Many women stop taking hormonal contraceptives because of troublesome side effects. For these women, nausea, weight gain, and mood changes could hardly be called convenient. Add the possibility of a serious side effect such as stroke or blood clot, and the birth control pill becomes even less attractive.

Natural family planning may require attention to fertility signs, but it has no physical side effects. Many couples feel that once they have become familiar with the method, charting fertility signs are not much more taxing than remembering to take a pill at the same time every day. NFP saves time and money, eliminating last-minute prescription refills and monthly co-pays.

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Sign up for a membership at Couple to Couple League International at www.ccli.org, and receive “Family Foundations.”

Natural Family Planning Classes Taught

Classes in Natural Family Planning are taught in 17 locations in the Chicago metro area, including southeast Wisconsin and northeast Indiana. The next series of classes will begin Friday, Sept. 10, 2010, at 7:00 p.m., in Elk Grove Village, taught by Steve & Sheila Nalywajko, 847-290-1206.

To register, and for a list of classes throughout the U.S., go to the CCL Central class locator. For information on the Chicago chapter of CCL, go to the Classes by Location/Maplinks.

The method taught is the Sympto-Thermal Method, which is also taught via CylePRO software.