NEW YORK — Most Catholic women use artificial contraception, according to a new report issued by the Guttmacher Institute.
That’s the research group allied with Planned Parenthood, the target of a fierce campaign by pro-life advocates and House Republicans to defund the “family-planning” organization.
The fresh data provided by “Countering Conventional Wisdom: New Evidence on Religion and Contraceptive Use” finds, among other things, that 68% of Catholic women use contraception and that only 2% use natural family planning.
The findings have been disputed by some pro-life critics, but it confirms what Church leaders call a decades-long failure to transmit the prophetic teaching of Humanae Vitae .
Yet the damning statistics haven’t discouraged parish priests from experimenting with new arguments and methods to encourage Catholics to embrace Church teaching on contraception.
Inspired by Blessed Pope John Paul II’s theology of the body, and a growing awareness that Humanae Vitae’s prescient wisdom has become even more valuable, priests use homilies, pre-Cana sessions and the confessional to foster enthusiasm for this countercultural teaching.
“When the Pill was approved [by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration] in 1960, people were told it would make everything better,” noted Msgr. Edward Filardi, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Bethesda, Md. “So, one of my openings is this: Let’s look at the promises and see how many were actually fulfilled. The Pill was supposed to strengthen marriage and family life, and instead it’s astounding to see what has actually happened.”
The Guttmacher Institute’s study was released last month, as Planned Parenthood’s allies on Capitol Hill sought to de-emphasize the organization’s commitment to abortion services and characterize it as the nation’s chief provider of contraceptive services and health screenings for poor women.
Asked about the timing of the Guttmacher report, Joerg Dreweke, a co-author, said the study had been in the works for over a year, well before the GOP targeted Planned Parenthood, but after the passage of the health reform bill. Asked to identify the funding sources for the report, Dreweke responded in an email: “The study was foundation-funded. It was neither funded by Planned Parenthood nor the federal government. The foundation wishes to remain anonymous.”
Catechetical Approach
As the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops joined forces with pro-life groups to block federal funding for Planned Parenthood, the Guttmacher report targeted the discrepancy between the high level of contraceptive use by Catholic women and the legislative goals of religious organizations like the USCCB.
Asked about the report’s focus on contraceptive use by Catholic women, Dreweke stated: “The USCCB has been heavily involved in advocating on public policy related to contraception for many years, including most recently the IOM [Institute of Medicine] process to determine women’s preventive health services that should be covered without cost sharing. Therefore, it makes eminent sense to examine the actual contraceptive behaviors of the women on whose behalf they claim to speak.”
In fact, the disparity between official Church teaching and the actual practices of self-identified Catholics has been the focus of several recent surveys that partisan groups have used to challenge religious opposition to life issues, as well as same-sex “marriage.”
Michael New, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, notes that many such surveys “don’t take into consideration frequency of church attendance. The Guttmacher report addressed that issue.”
Catholic attitudes and practices on social issues matter, said New, “because after Roe v Wade the Church was the one institution of any consequence to condemn abortion. Not every Catholic believes in Church teaching, but the Church itself still has influence.”
An effective catechetical approach to Humanae Vitae, then, will likely have far-reaching consequences for the broader national debate on the morality of abortion and contraception. But parish priests in the trenches say they must proceed with prudence as well as courage, educating their flock about the value of natural family planning, for example, while fostering a reexamination of the “contraceptive mentality.”
Evidence that rising use of contraception has paralleled a steady increase in marital breakups and unwed pregnancies gives people pause, said Msgr. Filardi, who tells couples that just 5% of married couples who use natural family planning will divorce.
Given the widespread ignorance regarding Church teaching among engaged couples, parish priests find that their own counseling sessions are more effective when they are part of a larger, diocesan-wide effort to address the meaning and purpose of human sexuality in an integrated manner.
Confessions and Homilies
Father John Evans, the parochial vicar at Holy Cross Church in Batavia, Ill., appreciates the fact that his pre-Cana sessions build on the catechetical framework provided by the Diocese of Rockford, which mandate natural family planning instruction and theology of the body seminars for engaged couples. “They have already been presented with the Church’s teaching, and I use that as a springboard for further discussion.”
For the most part, Father Evans finds engaged couples to be “very open. When I emphasized the health complications that can come from using contraceptives, one young woman told me, ‘I would never put such a horrible thing in my body.’”
During confession, however, Father Evans confronts a more complicated reality: “I hear people struggling to live the challenge of an authentic marriage open to life. I encourage them to keep trying. Since they are talking to me about this, they know it’s a sin, and they are trying not to do it. In Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI expresses compassion for couples trying to live this teaching, and he acknowledged that it was difficult to do. He also said it would take time for people to understand and absorb this teaching.”
For most priests, spiritual counsel during confession and pre-Cana sessions offer an ideal context for exploring this sensitive issue, while Sunday homilies on Humanae Vitae yield unpredictable results. Some pastors who address the subject will be treated to the spectacle of an angry parishioner leaving the Church.
“The Church Fathers warned that when you preach the truth, it hits a certain individual like a missile. It hurts because they need to change, and they won’t do that because of a lack of trust,” said Father Stanley Stuglik, an associate pastor of St. Catherine of Alexandria in Oak Lawn, Ill., a Chicago suburb.
Father Stuglik has turned to the theology of the body to help him develop and hone his message.
“Our late Holy Father — a profound philosopher and theologian — set out to provide a more compelling theological rationale for Humanae Vitae. He teaches that our bodies are made to be relationship, and we are not made for ourselves alone. When married couples contracept, they say, ‘I give all of myself but my fertility.’ When we limit ourselves, it can’t be a total self-gift, and it hurts the marriage.”
Theresa Notare, assistant director of the natural family planning program at the bishops’ conference, has noticed a “mini-explosion” of catechetical programs that showcase the theology of the body.
“Today, when people look at what is true in their own life, personal experience is the focal point. Pope John Paul II took on the Church’s consistent teaching on human sexuality, marriage and responsible parenthood and cast it in modern language and incorporated modern sensitivities,” Notare observed. “All of this was presented from an extremely positive, uplifting perspective.”
Now, pastors can make use of an array of theology of the body initiatives, from correspondence courses to iPhone applications, designed to bring the late Pope’s groundbreaking insights into the lives of ordinary Catholics.
The U.S. bishops have welcomed this development and showcased John Paul’s teaching in their recent pastoral letter on marriage.
“This is a slow revolution, but it’s happening, and the bishops recognize it, too,” said Notare. “Despite budget cuts, the bishops want the theology of the body to be taught and natural family planning instruction to be provided.”
Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond writes from Chevy Chase, Maryland.
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I have never in my whole life heard a priest comment from the pulpit that artificial contraception was bad, or that NFP is acceptable. Except at the Latin Mass that I attend occasionally. No wonder everyone’s using it. No one tells them not to. Unless they watch or listen to EWTN. But that’s a small percentage of Catholics compared to those in Church on Sunday.
25 years ago I found my way back into the Catholic Church. I have heard 0 sermons on this topic. How many couples are there that had 2-3 children and “fixed themselves” back in the 80’s & 90’s. Now, as their last children graduate (while they are still under 50), they are lost…I’ve never seen such loneliness.
Do you Love me, Peter?
Feed My Sheep.
Not only do we need dioceses and couples to embrace this but we need more doctors to also embrace this. Too many times I get told by women that they are on the pill for this problem or that problem or they have been pushed onto it by a doctor telling them that it will protect their ovaries from cancer. My questions to doctors are why do you leave your faith at home when you go to work and why do you not look for better ways to care for women? NaProTechnology is 100% pro-life and is more effective at diagnosing and treating women than anything the majority of doctors offer yet it is hardly heard of nor practiced. If a women in my area wants help that is in accordance with church teaching, they have to travel a minimum of 3 hours to the nearest doctor trained in NaProTechnology. Even then they are discouraged by local primary care physicians and sadly,even by some local priests.
Two words: sensus fidelium
Yes JE, that’s just what we need. More dissent. See how well that’s worked so far. Not.
In Croatia we developed very effective argument against use of conrtaception, when it is contraception. Argumrnt is verz simple and understandable and acceptable by all people, including atheists. At least until now nobody tried to counter that argument.
Infertility, curable or incurable, is by every medical clasiffication a serious illness. What kind of behaviour or acting is inflicting a serious illness on himself or herself, unreasonable, against to proper care and love toward oneself. Inflicting to somebodz else, to suggest to someone, to try to force it on someone is unjust, dishonest and against any kind of love , kindness and care.
According to publications from World Health Organisation, one way of working of hormonal pill is prevention of inplantation to womb of mother, by few days conceived entity, IUD is allways working by prevention of inplantation to the womb, i.e. pill and IUD cause termination of existence of conceived entity, or whatever one of us was at first days of his or her existence.
Part of the problem is that far to many US Bishops and Priests do not actively encourage the Laity to read the “CATECHISM of the CATHOLIC CHURCH, Second Edition” revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II, and first published in the USA in March 2000. CCC - “2399 The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception).” Also see CCC #2370 regarding approval of natural family plannning.
This came up in a conversation between my mom and myself the other week: she told me that she asked my cousin, “isn’t it strange that priests don’t say anything about NFP (there’s a stack of pamphlets at the back of the church someplace that nobody sees)? I’m offended!” She pointed out that the problem with not saying anything because you “don’t want to offend anybody” is that if you keep that up, you will ultimately end up offending everybody. The faithful deserve to know about NFP, and they need to know why they it is morally acceptable, in that it is in keeping with Church teaching and in worthily receiving the Eucharist (that should get their attention… and it’s all about how we understand love), and why artificial contraception is none of the above. In the end, it’s their choice. But if everyone is so concerned about “choice” and “freedom of choice,” at least knowledge about NFP would actually give them a real choice: if you’re going to talk about how it’s your “choice,” etc. at least know what you’re choosing, and what the consequences are.
Don’t see any dilemma with pre-fertilization contraception - The Orthodox Church, the only other ‘denomination’ with roots back to Jesus (so history strongly indicates), does not either. Difference is their priests can marry and [actually] be real corporeal fathers. As a public health professional, quite frankly I have seen women who are not in any condition whatsoever to bear additional children. Be it chronic financial reasons, functional emotional immaturity, illegal drug use (incl. alcohol), mental illness or - in some developing countries I’ve worked - it’s medically dangerous. At the same time, I’ve seen some couples where the wife wanted to practice NFP but the husband would not hear of it, etc. The Humanae Vitae is poetic, idealistic and meaningful in a variety of ways, i.e., let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water; however, it is/was quite redundant after the first few pages and the issue is significantly more complex than what Pope John Paul II wrote. The 1963 (1966 Report) Pontifical Commission on Birth Control, with over 70 professional and lay people, from a variety of backgrounds, found no fault in a husband and wife planning their family given the particularities of their family dynamics (using contraception). Now, after saying all this, is our contemporary society abusing contraception and making a mockery of “sex”? Yes. Are our young people being mislead about the risks of oral contraception? Yes. Are the WHO statistics on infant & mother mortality atrocious and unconscionable? Yes. Can we save them all? No. Maybe some of them, especially those in chronic medically compromised conditions, should consider pre-fertilization contraception and concentrate their efforts on optimizing the children they do have… I think many priests [simply] do not want to go there because it is so inherently complex and fraught with emotion. In the Garden of Eden, the Humanae Vitae would work beautifully but we messed-up and we aren’t there anymore. What do I need to do today to maximize the health & well-being of my wife, children and family? Can I have 12 children? Yes? Great! No? Well, do the best you can my child… God be with you.
The reason most priests don’t preach about NFP and contraception is because they agree with the conclusions of the majority report. It’s hard to preach about something with which you disagree.
UH….mk….?? Sensus fidelium means FAITHFUL TO THE CHURCH (magisterium), so therefore is NOT dissent.
One of the problems that I encounter among the majority of the lay faithful, it isn’t that they have never heard of he Catechism of the Catholic church or the church documents , some of them do not have the understanding of Divine Science in a systematic format ( the catechism of the catholic Church gives an overview of the faith, not Biblical Theology) The mind is not at rest until the mind rest on the first principle of exact science( Divine science) that means the” Book of life” in it’s entirety. Removing the ignorance of scripture is the Key!!!!!!
Divine Science revealed the following in reference to family: Divinely established( Genesis 1:-28), laws of family (Leviticus 18:18), promise to family ( Genesis 12:3) , prophecies concerning families of the north ( Jeremiah 1:15), heads of the family ( Genesis 36:40), families as servants ( exodus 21:2-5), punished for worship of ( leviticus 20:5), families numbered warriors( Number 1:2)numbering of people ( Numbers 4:12), in year of jubilee every man returned to family ( Leviticus 25:10), A man may be redeemed by family ( Leviticus 25:49), Punished of ( Jeremiah 10:25) , families of the earth ( Amos 3:2) , sells families through wit crafts ( Nahum 3:4) , Contempt of families terrified ( Job 31:34), Noah and family saved ( Genesis 7:13) , Terah and his family moved to the land of Canaan ( Genesis 11:31) figurative ( Psalm 107:41)
What I am suggesting , possibly , the Bishops may consider throughout the archdioceses to recommend Biblical theology cross reference biblical books for the lay faithful ( not just any books ) but one of their books they used in the seminary or the current one’s that are currently being use the only way we can make a greater impact in our society is to share the knowledge , but the knowledge cannot be superficial, it must be true and in depth. There are young people who are not capable to take Biblical theology courses ,but really want to know the bible accurately in depth and not superficially , this would not take anything from the priest nor the bishops from their teaching authority, what it would do, it will foster more co- operations from catholic Christians and the Church will really benefit as a whole . ( win - Win situation , which presently is missing !!!!!!!)
When married couples contracept, they say, ‘I give all of myself but my fertility.’ That is very true—people lie to each other with great frequency. They speak commitment with their lips but lie with their bodies.
Orthodox,
My apologies. I have been reading lately about “Voice of the Faithful”, “American Catholic Council” and “Call to Action” and I’m afraid I’ve been seeing “dissenters” in every shadow. When I looked it up, all I read was “The People, The People, The People” and I got my knickers in a twist. *sigh* On the bright side, I learned something new?
Not to be rude but I am just a little bit amused by some of the speculation here. I have 4 children and I do not use artificial contraception, but I can tell you from experience why couples want to. They are afraid of kids. They want time to themselves. They want more money. They don’t like pain. They want more sleep. They believe society’s opinion that children are burdensome: they keep you from establishing your career, they pollute the environment, that nobody could possibly have more than 2 kids and still be a good mother to all of them. Then they hear that NFP is effective, but they still think rythm method, and they don’t trust it. Plus they know it will entail some sacrifice on their part, and they don’t want that. Contraception seems like a sure thing - or just having the number of kids you want and then getting sterilized, as a growing number of Protestants are doing. I take my 4 kids to church and get the “that woman is crazy” look. They don’t believe me when I tell them that I’m happier now and my life is easier and better than when I had 1. They don’t want to hear it, and they don’t believe it.
Counselor, what a well written post. You prove life is not black nor white, alot of Grey.
I looked at the first comment, how no one has told them that natural family planning is good or contraceptives bad. I grew up with parents of the first generation of contraceptives. Our rule was once you were no longer a virgin you went on the pill. I did that, and it had horrible effects on my health. Oh and I wound up pregnant with my eldest daughter anyways, so it didn’t really work.
But the biggest thing for me, was that I was not Catholic for so long, and my husband was not either. And we never used contraception, and only did natural family planning, on our own, without church teachings or studies, only cuz it seemed right to us.
I have been pregnant 7 times, but my body was not made for pregnancy. I have had the blessing of two children, both preemies with special needs. I cannot carry another pregnancy no matter how much I wish I could.
Yes, we now have a form of contraception in place, for my own health and life, which was NOT an easy decision to make and it took a LOT for us to make that decision and sometimes we still question it.
But the bottom line is that you don’t need to study books, or take classes, or have it preached to you that NFP is good, cuz if you listen to your own hearts it will speak to you and you will KNOW it. No one has to tell you, you simply can know. I think NFP is hardwired into all of us if we only listen to ourselves when making these decisions.
The numbers seem a little askewed; but, the conclusion seems plausible: a majority of Catholics use artificial birth control, whether married or not. THAT DOESN’T MAKE IT RIGHT!!! As such, the Guttmacher Institute’s study has only highlighted something we already know: our bishops and pastors have much work to do if their are going to get their flocks to heaven! You never know from whom the “Truth” speaks!
I am not “most” Catholic women.
This is the “big problem” in the Catholic Church. If you use Natural Family Planning it is telling you, “don’t be a gluten”. [what is the difference between using a calendar or a sheath-which does not affect body functions like the pill] Many yrs ago, when “proper” women did not use contraceptives (before the pill), their husbands had mistresses. [not all of course & some do today] This problem will always be around. Let us face it, priests do not preach it because it is embarrassing to them and it does come under Gluttony. How many priests are alcoholics, or overeat and are obese. [also all ages attend Mass] I have to agree with Counselor above, She/he has seen it all. If you want goody-goodies only in the Catholic Church, you are going to have to ease-up on this problem. You can’t have “just the perfect families” in the Catholic Church, you have to accept the drug addicts, alcoholics, etc., otherwise the Catholic Church has failed these people. If they felt more comfortable in Church, maybe they too will attend and can be helped with their problem. People are human and have human desires given to them by God. Teaching MORALS is much more important. I know I will get a lot of “whip lashes over this one”, but I can take it. ;o) I am 100% pro-life but again what is the difference in planning your family by using a calendar or using a sheath of some sort. Teaching MORALS IS WHAT KEEPS FAMILIES TOGETHER. Remember yrs ago when the church did not believe in cremation, because a body had to be “risen on the last day”—-now they have cremation in the church.
We also need to get out the DEADLY side effects of hormonal contraceptives and the truth about how contraception can cause early abortions! Dr. Lynn Kerr, an associate clinical professor from the University of California at San Francisco, explains the deadly side-effects of the birth control pill.
Dying For Birth Control http://vimeo.com/5007720
http://saynsumthn.wordpress.com/2010/08/24/dying-for-birth-control/
DISPELLING THE MYTHS Behind conception contraception & abortifacient drugs http://bit.ly/9RCCJ6
Hormonal Birth Control Increase Risk of Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer: Risks and Prevention
Ch 11 http://www.bcpinstitute.org/booklet4.htm
If it’s not OK for him to take steroids…
why is it OK for her?
Why are teenage girls vulnerable to the cancer-causing effects of birth control pills?
http://www.bcpinstitute.org/steroid_brochure.htm
Case Against Condoms Death by Latex http://bit.ly/9NrEo8
Spread the word about prolife healthcare for women and their children which is Naprotechnology
NaPro Technology: Moral and Better than In Vitro
Just the facts
Some astonishing facts about NaPro are:
•It is more effective than IVF. Success rates are said to range from 40% to 60% vs. the IVF rate of 32.3% per cycle.
•It costs only a fraction of what IVF costs.
•It is almost 80% effective in bringing about childbirth after several miscarriages.
•It is 95% successful in treating premenstrual syndrome.
•It is 95% successful in treating postpartum depression.
•It cuts the rate of premature birth by almost 50%, thus lowering the frequency of birth-related injuries.
•With NaPro, you can have more children after the first without paying the same large cost again.19
The list of benefits seems to go on and on. The only thing lacking now is getting the word out. NaPro has a great future.20
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=7810
Many great interviews with Catholic Dr Hilgers (founder of Naprotechnology) http://bit.ly/pA3OGN
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