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View Poll Results: Is it moral to use artificial contraception (condoms, The Pill, etc.) to prevent birth?
Yes, it's perfectly OK 78 90.70%
It's ethical in most cases 3 3.49%
It's ethical only in cases where non-use would cause a serious decline in the family's living standard or quality of life 0 0%
It's ethical only when having more children would put the family in extreme poverty 0 0%
It's never morally acceptable 5 5.81%
Voters: 86. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 09-20-2009, 02:55 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
8,998 posts, read 14,754,452 times
Reputation: 3550

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Quote:
Originally Posted by azriverfan. View Post
1. What about the overpopulation in countries like India and China which is due in large part to a lack of contraception. Many children die from poverty and disease as a result

2. The spread of HIV has occurred in third world countries at higher rates than western countries due to the lack of contraception use in those countries.

3. What about the moral responsibility to orphaned children in the United States. Many of these children never find homes. Contraception prohibits unplanned children in many teenagers and young adults who are not prepared to raise children.

4. "Natural Planning Methods" such as the rhythm method and withrdawl technique have far less effectiveness that IUD, oral contraceptives and barrier methods.

5. Promiscuity is multifactorial. It is a result of several factors including our culture and society's views toward sex, parenting, religion/faith, access to contraception, support system, education and the individual's own attitude or desire to have sex. It's inaccurate to blame one factor like contraceptives for promiscuity.

6. Is there a study that conclusively shows a relationship between lower divorce rates and the number of children? Otherwise, how can you conclude that a couple is less likely to divorce the more children they have?

I love point #3
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Old 09-20-2009, 03:06 PM
 
Location: Louisiana
1,768 posts, read 3,403,288 times
Reputation: 604
For that very small minority who claim that it's never moral to exercise birth control, let me ask you if you think it's immoral to practice the rhythm method as many devout Catholics do?

IMO birth control should be a requirement for any parent who doesn't have the means to support his/her child without public assistance. Moreover, any woman who seeks public assistance for more than one child (many make a career out of it) should be required to be sterilized.
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Old 09-20-2009, 03:21 PM
 
21,026 posts, read 22,098,045 times
Reputation: 5941
Quote:
Originally Posted by msina View Post
Pull out and pray
You made me snort through my nose!!! LOL!
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Old 09-20-2009, 03:25 PM
 
21,026 posts, read 22,098,045 times
Reputation: 5941
Quote:
Originally Posted by ArizonaBear View Post
Let the Vatican decide what is moral or immoral in the eyes of their faith; obviously, artificial contraception must be OK or there would be mass excommunications in 'Catholic' countries with low birthrates.
And they wouldn't do that and have to watch those church bank accounts drop....


I wonder how shocked some of these devout perfect Catholics would be to know how many of them had abortions?
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Old 09-20-2009, 03:38 PM
 
Location: here
24,873 posts, read 36,075,868 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zz4guy View Post
I am Catholic and as such it is immoral. End of story.
for you. Not for me.
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Old 09-20-2009, 03:54 PM
 
Location: The Silver State (from the UK)
4,664 posts, read 8,226,900 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer View Post
Is it?

Personally, I believe artificial contraception (not natural family planning) is always immoral.

Our pastor gave an excellent (and brave!) homily on the sinfulness of artificial contraception and the damaging effects it has had on society today at mass. And while he could have done a better job presenting, he really struck the point home. The promiscuity that is so widespread today (the culture of "hooking up", serial sexual relationships, etc.) is largely facilitated by contraceptives. Divorce rates would likely be lower if couples had more children to act as an disincentive. And while I don't buy the whole "contraception causes abortion" spiel just yet, you have to admit that a lot of the time abortion is used as a "backup" to contraception, both psychologically and in reality. In addition, couples who have good reasons to limit the size of their family can use NFP (Natural Family Planning).


Your pastor is a moron. Whilst your definition of what is moral may differ from mine, contraception prevents both unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmited diseases. It doesn't take a genius to acknowledge the damage and suffering caused in many parts of the world because of the crazy and dangerous message that contraception is bad, and to abstain is the only answer.

Oh, and I have NEVER once in my life anywhere met a woman who has thought of abortion as a method of contracepton - rediculous
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Old 09-20-2009, 04:03 PM
 
20,187 posts, read 23,780,739 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tvdxer View Post
Is it?

Personally, I believe artificial contraception (not natural family planning) is always immoral.

Our pastor gave an excellent (and brave!) homily on the sinfulness of artificial contraception and the damaging effects it has had on society today at mass. And while he could have done a better job presenting, he really struck the point home. The promiscuity that is so widespread today (the culture of "hooking up", serial sexual relationships, etc.) is largely facilitated by contraceptives. Divorce rates would likely be lower if couples had more children to act as an disincentive. And while I don't buy the whole "contraception causes abortion" spiel just yet, you have to admit that a lot of the time abortion is used as a "backup" to contraception, both psychologically and in reality. In addition, couples who have good reasons to limit the size of their family can use NFP (Natural Family Planning).
I understand the thinking behind that but to be honest, promiscuity is GOING to happen regardless of whether there is contraception devices or not... knowing that, it is better to be safe than sorry... divorce do not get less because there are children... problems in marriages do not fix themselves because children are involved... its a fallacy to attribute blame towards an object for your own failures... If your pastor was serious then he should get a job and stop collecting money, cause then it infers he was greedy... You see, you can't say one thing and avoid all the others, that's called being a hypocrite... His belief is not Catholic belief, rather its a personal belief and like all personal beliefs, they do better if you keep to yourself instead of forcing it on others...
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Old 09-20-2009, 07:36 PM
 
Location: Duluth, Minnesota, USA
7,641 posts, read 18,072,016 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rosinante View Post
For that very small minority who claim that it's never moral to exercise birth control, let me ask you if you think it's immoral to practice the rhythm method as many devout Catholics do?

IMO birth control should be a requirement for any parent who doesn't have the means to support his/her child without public assistance. Moreover, any woman who seeks public assistance for more than one child (many make a career out of it) should be required to be sterilized.
(Responding to your posts and others which demonstrate a lack of knowledge about NFP)

There's a lot of ignorance about the NFP, the "rhythm method", and what's acceptable (and why) when it comes to Catholic family planning. Let me dispell a few things first:

1. The "Rhythm Method" refers to an out-of-date family planning technique (which enjoyed the church's approbation in certain circumstances) from the 1950's that has been superseded by much more effective methods.

2. "Pulling out" (coitus interruptus) has absolutely nothing to do with Natural Family Planning. In fact, in Catholic moral teaching coitus interruptus is equivalent to any other from of artificial contraception - a mortal sin.

The church has never outright condemned periodic abstinence - the blanket category under which Natural Family Planning and the "Rhythm Method" fall. Rather, it has stated that if couples have worthy reasons to delay having children, they may abstain from sexual activity during the wife's fertile periods. "Worthy reasons" are generally interpreted to include serious economic hardship, physical and/or psychological difficulties in bearing another child, etc.

Those "devout" Catholics who believe NFP is wrong in all cases are misinformed and probably of the obnoxious "more Catholic than the pope" category.

As for why NFP is moral when used for a just reason, but birth control is not, that's a perfectly reasonable question that requires a bit of explanation. Basically, NFP techniques allow the couple to plan their family while remaining open to life, or more specifically, do not actively impede the procreative aspect of sexual intercourse. (The Catholic Church teaches that sexual intercourse is good when performed in marriage, as long as it serves the purposes God created it for - procreation and uniting the couple). Although their is less of a chance of procreation, it is still possible, and there is nothing in the act itself that frustrates the procreative aspect of sexual intercourse.

On the other hand, with condoms, hormonal contraceptives, IUDs, etc., there's something actively militating against the procreative element of the act, in fact removing it intentionally. Ditto with coitus interruptus. (As far as sterilization is concerned, that's a little bit different, but looked on by the church as a form of mutilation and therefore mortally sinful.) Even though these methods sometimes fail, they in and of themselves do what NFP does not do - pervert the act to exclude (as much as they can) any chance of procreation. NFP does not at all modify the act of intercourse, it only attempts to have intercourse when procreation is least likely to occur (or most likely; NFP is also used to HAVE children, something little known).
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Old 09-20-2009, 07:49 PM
 
Location: Maine
7,727 posts, read 12,345,979 times
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I was child number eight, NFP isn't an effective contraceptive method. My Mum was pregnant with number eleven when she lost the pregnancy and almost died. The choices my parents had were to forego sexual relations or opt for birth control. My Dad chose to have a vasectomy.
If this is a religious choice for some people, that's their choice.
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Old 09-20-2009, 07:58 PM
 
7,380 posts, read 15,639,796 times
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tvdxer, can you be clearer about what nfp is? isn't it what i described? does nfp involve taking basal body temperatures or something?

and i agree with the poster who said it's fine if you think contraception is immoral, as long as you don't force your morality on other people.
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