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BISHOPS-CONTRACEPTION (SECOND UPDATE) Nov-16-2006 (620 words) With photo posted Nov. 14. xxxn
Bishops call for greater knowledge, use of natural family planning
By Nancy Frazier O'Brien
Catholic News Service
BALTIMORE (CNS) -- The U.S. bishops Nov. 14 overwhelmingly approved a document that encourages married couples who use artificial contraception to return to church teaching and learn how natural family planning can benefit the marital relationship.
"Our goal has been to produce a document especially for engaged and young married couples, presenting the church's teaching on respect for the gift of procreation in the context of their hopes for a happy and fulfilled married life," said Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore as he introduced the document Nov. 13 as chairman of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
Titled "Married Love and the Gift of Life," the document was approved on a 220-11 vote, with one abstention.
Contraception introduces "a false note" that disturbs marital intimacy and contributes to a decline in society's respect for marriage and for life, said the document, written in question-and-answer form and intended for use as a brochure.
Natural family planning -- which describes several methods of family planning based on the woman's menstrual cycle -- "enables couples to cooperate with the body as God designed it," the bishops said.
On the other hand, "suppressing fertility by using contraception denies part of the inherent meaning of married sexuality and does harm to the couple's unity," they added.
Cardinal Keeler said the document was developed in collaboration with the bishops' committees on Doctrine and on Marriage and Family Life and had received positive feedback from the National Advisory Council, natural family planning instructors and participants in marriage preparation programs in four U.S. dioceses.
"This is the first document in many years in which the U.S. bishops are collectively addressing a message on contraception directly to engaged and married couples," the cardinal said, adding that "this is our first word on the subject in a long time and not our last word."
In the document, the bishops disputed the view that the church's opposition to contraception means that Catholic couples must "leave their family size entirely to chance."
"In married life, serious circumstances -- financial, physical, psychological or those involving responsibilities to other family members -- may arise to make an increase in family size untimely," they said. "The church understands this, while encouraging couples to take a generous view of children."
That's where natural family planning comes in, the bishops said. The method helps couples avoid pregnancy by refraining from intercourse for the few fertile days around the time of the woman's ovulation.
"A couple need not desire or seek to have a child in each and every act of intercourse," the document said. "And it is not wrong for couples to have intercourse even when they know the wife is naturally infertile. ...
"But they should never act to suppress or curtail the life-giving power given by God that is an integral part of what they pledged to each other in their marriage vows," the bishops added.
Recalling warnings from Popes Paul VI and John Paul II that a "contraceptive mentality" would lead to more abortions and other evils, the bishops said, "These predictions have come true.
"Today we see a pandemic of sexually transmitted diseases, an enormous rise in cohabitation, one in three children born outside of marriage, and abortion used by many when contraception fails," the document said. "A failure to respect married love's power to help create new life has eroded respect for life and for the sanctity of marriage."
The bishops also cautioned Catholics that newer forms of contraception, such as the "morning-after pill," may cause an abortion if taken after a sperm and egg have joined.
END
Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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