Page 32 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 17

Leadership Health & Healing

CONTRACEPTION VERSUS

Natural Family Planning (NFP)

By HLI Staff | October 8, 2021 | https://www.hli.org/

very married couple How can a married couple practice pregnancy is likely. Done with the
has the responsibility to responsible parenthood? right intention, fertility awareness—
prayerfully practice what or Natural Family Planning—is fully
Ethe Catholic Church While our culture sees contraception supported by the Church, and it can
calls “responsible parenthood” as it as the best way to “plan” a family, be an effective and beautiful way for
pertains to the number and spacing the Catholic Church teaches that a married couple to embrace the gift
of children. Spouses are to exercise choosing to make oneself infertile of marriage responsibly.
this responsibility with generosity in through contraception is irresponsi-
receiving the gift of life, and with ble and an “intrinsic evil.” Married What is NFP?
prudence, while avoiding selfishness couples are called to embrace and to Natural Family Planning is an
and carelessness. Although children be open to children, who are a living umbrella term for several different
are the supreme gift of marriage, sign of their love. types of methods in which a woman
Catholic couples are not obliged to monitors and tracks the signs of fer-
have as many children as humanly Instead of using contraception, tility in her body. These can include
possible. While always remaining couples who have a serious reason her basal body temperature, the look
open to the possibility of a new life, to postpone pregnancy may use a and feel of her cervical mucus, the
couples may, when a serious rea- method based on fertility awareness placement and feel of her cervix,
son is present, choose to postpone and then choose to abstain from hormone levels, or any combination
pregnancy. intercourse when it is known that of these “markers.”

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