Church Teaching On Contraceptives

[zabbazooey]

So I was chatting with the deacon of my parish yesterday, and I flat out asked 'Is the use of contraceptives (primarily birth control) a mortal sin?'

His answer was that it was not a papally infallible teaching, although the Pope (JP II) spoke out against it. He said it was up to each individual married couple to make the decision for themselves.

He was basically implying that it's not really sinful. I even asked 'Well shouldn't the Church be against it because, intrinsically, the idea behind contraceptives is that they are not procreative and open to the Will of God by being open to life?'

He said no.

What is official Church teaching? I am really confused now.

[StColette]

[quote name='zabbazooey' post='1663528' date='Sep 25 2008, 01:31 PM']So I was chatting with the deacon of my parish yesterday, and I flat out asked 'Is the use of contraceptives (primarily birth control) a mortal sin?'

His answer was that it was not a papally infallible teaching, although the Pope (JP II) spoke out against it. He said it was up to each individual married couple to make the decision for themselves.

He was basically implying that it's not really sinful. I even asked 'Well shouldn't the Church be against it because, intrinsically, the idea behind contraceptives is that they are not procreative and open to the Will of God by being open to life?'

He said no.

What is official Church teaching? I am really confused now.[/quote]

Humanae Vitae speaks very clearly on this matter.

Unlawful Birth Control Methods

14. Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. (14) Equally to be condemned, as the magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary. (15)

Similarly excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means. (16)

Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that such intercourse would merge with procreative acts of past and future to form a single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these. Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general. Consequently, it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.

[url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html"]http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/...e-vitae_en.html[/url]

The problem with a lot of contraceptives is not only do they try to avoid conception many of them also act as abortifacients. Birth control is an abortifacient, because it causes the lining of the woman's uterus to be very thin. If an embryo were to attach it is highly unlikely that it would survive because of the birth controls effects on the uterus, thus it acts as an abortifacient.

I hate to speak this way of any deacon or priest, but he's definitely mistaken. It is infallible teaching of the Church that use of contraceptives for the purpose of avoiding conception of a child is gravely wrong. Sometimes birth control is used to treat things like endometriosis, and if there is no other treatment it can be used, though there are many other treatments that can be tried first! Please, keep in mind that Deacons are not required to go through a lot or if any Theological training, but more pastoral training and how to assist at Mass. He may have never read Humanae Vitae, but that does not excuse him from his error. He should definitely be aware of this teaching of the Church especially since as a Deacon people may come to him, as you did, with questions on this matter.

Stand firm in the fact that the Church teaches definitively that the use of contraceptives for the means of avoiding conception of a child is gravely wrong. And yes using contraceptives does put a barrier in the way that a married couple is procreative and unitive with God in their marriage. This is a very tough subject and one sadly many of the clergy have become complacent about.

For a great source on the teachings of the Church look for anything by Janet Smith. I would really recommend listening to her talk called "Contraception: Why Not?" some of the statistics she gives will blow you away.

God Bless,
Jennie