Most Catholic Women In Us Use Contraceptives

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

+JMJ

[url="http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/14/us-most-catholic-women-us-use-birth-cont-idUSTRE73D4SZ20110414"]Reuters[/url]


[quote]
(Reuters Life!) - Some 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women in the United States have used contraceptive methods banned by the church, research published on Wednesday showed.

A new report from the Guttmacher Institute, the nonprofit sexual health research organization, shows that only 2 percent of Catholic women, even those who regularly attend church, rely on natural family planning.

The latest data shows practices of Catholic women are in line with women of other religious affiliations and adult American women in general.

"In real-life America, contraceptive use and strong religious beliefs are highly compatible," said the report's lead author Rachel Jones.

She said most sexually active women who do not want to become pregnant practice contraception, and most use highly effective methods like sterilization, the pill, or the intrauterine device (IUD).

"This is true for Evangelicals and Mainline Protestants, and it is true for Catholics, despite the Catholic hierarchy's strenuous opposition to contraception," Jones said.Nearly 70 percent of Catholic women use sterilization, the birth control pill or an IUD, according to the Guttmacher Institute research.

The numbers are slightly higher among women who identify as Evangelicals or Mainline Protestants, research showed.The latest data is from the 2006-2008 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG).

The findings nearly match previous NSFG data from 2002, which showed that 97 percent of Catholic women were using birth control, and are consistent with a trend tracked over the last decade by Catholics for Choice.[/quote]




I wish priests would talk about this more...

[Papist]

I'm glad I am not married to most US Catholic women!!!!

Edited April 18, 2011 by Papist

[emilier98]

I have to wonder how many of those 98% use contraceptives because of medical reasons.

[Archaeology cat]

[quote name='emilier98' timestamp='1303139703' post='2229782']
I have to wonder how many of those 98% use contraceptives because of medical reasons.
[/quote]
I'm sure that accounts for at least some. However, that is also a problem, since the pill shouldn't be prescribed like that, really. It's so overprescribed, and women think they need it for some medical reason, only to later find that the pill didn't fix or treat the problem, just masked it (I'm saying this from my personal experience). There are hormonal problems, of course, but it seems to me that the better option in that case would be for the doc to measure the actual hormone levels and tailor treatment accordingly. My sister's doctor does this, from what I've heard, instead of giving her some prefab concoction.

[Tally Marx]

Theology of the Body

Contraception was the reason it was written.

[Ed Normile]

I am wary of any study that claims to have evidence that 98% of any group does whatever. That is a extremely broad claim, I wonder if its just another attempt to discredit the Catholic Church? Just break this down for a moment, considering that there are 68503456 catholics in the U.S. according to the U.S.C.C.B., and I could not find how many are women, but I would assume that its conservatively speaking, bunches of them, did they poll each U.S. catholic woman to find out that this amazing number of them use contraception. I wonder if they polled some far out wacko group of catholic women, or maybe some liberal parish to get these statistic?

Under abortion statistics they say that in the U.S. according to The Center for Bio-Ethical reform that 31.9% of abortions are done to catholic women, this is another stat I find hard to swallow. I would assume that any religious woman , catholic or any protestant christian would know abortion is wrong, now if I was say a Southern Baptist woman, and I went in for a "procedure" that I knew was against my faith and the will of God, I may just fudge a bit on any form they may present me asking what religion I am by writing in or checking a box that states I am catholic, as I know those catholics are going to hell anyway as their church is the Hoe of Babylon. I would assume that any such woman who could break a commandment not to murder would not think twice about lying. But then again, I am just a skeptical old nut anyhow.

ed

Edited April 18, 2011 by Ed Normile

[Archaeology cat]

Good points on the stats, Ed

[ardillacid]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1303139616' post='2229781']
I'm glad I am not married to most US Catholic women!!!!
[/quote]
That would be one hell of a harem

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Archaeology cat' timestamp='1303147394' post='2229817']
I'm sure that accounts for at least some. However, that is also a problem, since the pill shouldn't be prescribed like that, really. It's so overprescribed, and women think they need it for some medical reason, only to later find that the pill didn't fix or treat the problem, just masked it (I'm saying this from my personal experience). There are hormonal problems, of course, but it seems to me that the better option in that case would be for the doc to measure the actual hormone levels and tailor treatment accordingly. My sister's doctor does this, from what I've heard, instead of giving her some prefab concoction.
[/quote]

Then there is a far more dire reason: all hormonal contraception can cause an early abortion.

~Sternhauser

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='ardillacid' timestamp='1303155358' post='2229878']
That would be one hell of a harem
[/quote]

Or a herem.

~Sternhauser

[kafka]

even if the stats are off, we know this is certainly a severe problem. Sexual sins are in general one of the most severe problems in the Church at the present. Marriages need to be healed and renewed. Teaching needs to be clear and to a certain degree forceful, to help get things back on track. In this generation people do not know what God's plan is for men and women, the purpose of marriage, the purpose of the marital act, the fact that these things are primarily meant to help God create children as a special gift to Himself (and secondarily to the parents), for the increase of His kingdom, His glory, His Goodness etc.

We need to reboot everything.

Edited April 19, 2011 by kafka

[emilier98]

[quote name='kafka' timestamp='1303172694' post='2229973']
even if the stats are off, we know this is certainly a severe problem. Sexual sins are in general one of the most severe problems in the Church at the present. Marriages need to be healed and renewed. Teaching needs to be clear and to a certain degree forceful, to help get things back on track. In this generation people do not know what God's plan is for men and women, the purpose of marriage, the purpose of the marital act, the fact that these things are primarily meant to help God create children as a special gift to Himself (and secondarily to the parents), for the increase of His kingdom, His glory, His Goodness etc.

We need to reboot everything.
[/quote]

Again I still wonder how many of those women are using birth control (pills, shot, ring, and what have you) because of medical issues. I know for instance I have tried hormone therapy, ibuprofen, and other things to deal with severe cramping and the only thing that has worked is the birth control pill that I am currently on. I know several friends that have the same issue. Just because a female uses birth control does not mean she is using it to precent pregnancy.

[kafka]

[quote name='emilier98' timestamp='1303173149' post='2229977']
Again I still wonder how many of those women are using birth control (pills, shot, ring, and what have you) because of medical issues. I know for instance I have tried hormone therapy, ibuprofen, and other things to deal with severe cramping and the only thing that has worked is the birth control pill that I am currently on. I know several friends that have the same issue. Just because a female uses birth control does not mean she is using it to precent pregnancy.
[/quote]
which is why I said even if the stats are off. Still married women have to abstain for marital relations if they are using the pill for medical purposes. And the good consequences have to outweight the weighty bad consequence of not being able to fulfill the marital debt. We talked about this in great detail here:

http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=109607&st=0&p=2188995&hl=contraception&fromsearch=1&#entry2188995

still it seems that contraception is a big problem right now among Catholic men and women as well as sexual sins in general.

Edited April 19, 2011 by kafka

[Archaeology cat]

I think some of this is also a lack of education. I was speaking with a friend last year who honestly didn't know what the Church taught about contraception. When the midwives put her on the pill after the birth of her daughter, she didn't question it. She ended up going off it because of how it made her feel, but she hadn't known about NFP or anything until I told her.

[quote name='Sternhauser' timestamp='1303171640' post='2229964']
Then there is a far more dire reason: all hormonal contraception can cause an early abortion.

~Sternhauser
[/quote]
I agree. I was just speaking to the fact that it doesn't make medical sense, either, as far as I can tell.

[havok579257]

i wonder how much of the 98% have used contraceptives in the past due to ignorance of church teachings and now no longer use them once they have learned of church teachings.