RUNNING HEAD: CONTRACEPTION AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH 1

Contraception and the Catholic Church

Idael Hernandez

Rhetoric & Composition 1301

Brenda Gallardo

November 19, 2017

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Abstract

The purpose of this research paper is to explain why contraception seems so wrong in the eyes of

the Catholic Church and how does the use of contraception affects the spiritual relationship

between God and a human being. This research will also explain the effects of the use of

contraception in the life of a couple and how it can have multiple effects in their future. This

research discusses the text known as the “Humanae Vitae” written by Pope Paul VI. This

encyclical text explains how contraception is detrimental to a human being and how is it

considered as a mortal sin in the Catholic Church. It also explains why people deice to use these

methods in their daily lives, instead of following the church’s rules. This research is informative

in order for people to know and understand how contraception affects their lives and how it

disrupted the church’s teachings by using these methods that stop the procreation of a human

being. This research will provide a better understandment of this controversial topic in our

society.
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The role that the Catholic Church plays in the use of contraception, is that the Catholic

Church prohibits the use of contraception between couples that have sexual intercourses, the

reason the church it’s so against it, it’s because using contraception methods to avoid an

unwanted pregnancy goes against the natural law and the natural law is the procreation of a

human being. This is why the Catholic Church is so against it, because they see it more as an

abortion method rather than protection method to avoid pregnancies.

When it comes to the opinion of the Church about contraception, they do not support at

all, this quote explains to detail why is so wrong to use contraception, “Contraception is wrong

because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race” (Catholic

Answers). When humans decide to use these birth control methods they go against God’s design

and the actual meaning of having sexual intercourses with your couple which is the procreation

of the human being.

The Church also teaches why is marriage so important and how contraception should not

be involved between couples that are married. Sex should only happen between couples that are

married, but another important thing about sexual intercourses is that the true meaning of having

sex is for precreation not for pleasure, when it’s used for pleasure then this destroys the bond of

marriage.

The church also teaches that the sexual union between a couple strengthens the love

between the husband and the wife, and from that love comes the creation of a new life. This

quote from a priest explains how sexuality is important in the human lives, “Our church teaches

that sexuality, being a gift from God, is designed with two ends in mind within marriage: unitive

and procreative. Whenever our sexuality is separated from these two ends, we no longer use it in

the way that it was intended” (Northwest Catholic). Just like the quote said when humans use
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sexuality for lust rather than for love, then the true meaning of God’s design is taken for granted.

The role that the Catholic Church plays in contraception is simple they influence they’re people

to not use contraception because it simply destroys God’s natural law of procreation.

The way the Roman Catholic people participate in the use of contraception varies in

certain forms and this is because they have their own reasons to use birth control methods. This

quote from The Washington Post gives an exact percentage of the Catholic women that have

used contraception, “Data shows that 98 percent of sexually experienced women of child-bearing

age and who identify themselves as Catholic. Have used a method of contraception at some point

in their lives” (The Washington Post). This percentage it’s pretty high and yet the interesting

thing from this percentage is that these women have identified themselves as Catholics. Catholic

women know that using birth control methods is wrong but yet they have reasons that leads them

to the use of contraception in their lives.

This quote shows the percentages and the reason of why women decide to use birth

control methods. “Most participants said that contraception has allowed them to take better care

of themselves or their families (63%), support themselves financially (56%), complete their

education (51%), or keep or get a job (50%)” (Intra Health). As explained above the reasons vary

of why they use contraception, one of the biggest reasons women decide to use contraceptive

methods it’s because they’re not able to support themselves or a baby financially, and that

frightens them because now a day’s life is way more expensive and they’re not willing to bring a

child into this world if they do not even can sustain themselves financially.

A baby needs all the attention and love possible from its mother or father but it’s almost

impossible to do this because most of them need to complete their education or need to get a job,

and with a baby they do not have the time to achieve all the things they want to complete in their
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lives. Even though the know the Church’s teaching, they first think in their own and all the

efforts they will have to do in order to sustain a child.

The perceptions and beliefs about contraception affect the Catholic Church and its people

because all these contemporary beliefs about birth control methods are making people to forget

the true meaning of marriage and the bond of marital sex between a husband and a wife.

The way contraception destroys lives and love is very simple. As explained above in the

research paper the Catholic Church sees contraceptive methods as an abortion method and this is

because you are preventing for a new life to be born into this world, and that’s not how sex

should work, but rather it should be fruitful in order to create a beautiful family. Contraception

has become so normal that people use it only for pleasure just like explained in this quote, "I

want the sensual pleasure from this act, but I reject the possibility of becoming a parent with

you” (Catholic Education Resource Center). This is an example of how contraception destroys

love, because you’re not with the person for love but for lust, and that’s a sin and it’s not the way

it’s supposed to be. Just like contraception destroys love and lives, it also destroys the beliefs of

the Catholic Church because it goes against God’s will, which it is the Natural Law.

These artificial methods have make men irresponsible in the way that they do not want to

be responsible for his wife and his children, this quote shows men’s modern way of thinking,

“Fatherhood is no longer an obligation, thanks to contraception and loose social norms” (Return

of Kings). These artificial methods are destroying families and the true meaning of love, this is

why the Catholic Church it’s so against because with those artificial methods they avoid their

responsibilities as a man and like as a father. This quote is an example of how men used to be in

the past when contraception was not so common in the daily lives of people, “Men were often

more invested in the women by the time they had sex, and felt a sense of responsibility and
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obligation to both the woman and child” (Return of Kings). All those perceptions and beliefs has

affected families, love and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The social and religious implications on the use of contraception varies in certain ways,

one of them is the way contraception affects society. It has affected society in the way that

couples do not take marriage as a responsibility but rather as a joke, that’s why there’s so many

divorces in our society because there’s no commitment. Another problem is infidelity, because

couples see sex more as a pleasure rather than seeing it as a way of being fruitful to procreate a

family. This quote is a good example of how contraception has converted people to be more

selfish, “The point of considering a woman as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment and no

longer as his respected and beloved companion” (The Daily Cardinal). Now they only care for

their own pleasures, and they forget about their companion’s feelings, but the sad part of this is

that they forget what truly love is because they only feel lust for their companion.

The way contraception affects the spiritual relationship with God with a human being is

going against his will, which is getting married with the person you love and procreate a family.

When a person decides to sin which in this case is using contraception or having sex for pleasure,

little by little the person gets away of God’s spiritual relationship. Contraception affects Catholic

Church by letting people to choose the easy way out, instead of being responsible. All these

contemporary beliefs are responsible of making people sinners, because they think that using

contraception is not bad and it helps help to prevent unwanted pregnancies, the thing is that

many teachings have been forgotten and they have been taken for granted, and people have

separated a lot of their religious beliefs and teachings. People have to realize that contraception

should not be used, because sex is only between a husband and a wife and the real meaning to

have sex is in order to be fruitful and to create a beautiful family.

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References

Berne, R. (2016, May 14). How Abortion and Birth Control Destroyed Traditional

Families. Return of Kings. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from

http://www.returnofkings.com/86740/how-abortion-and-birth-control-destroyed-traditional-

families

Birth Control. (n.d). Catholic Answers. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from

https://www.catholic.com/tract/birth-control

Christiansen, F.C. (n.d.). Why does the church say birth control is wrong? Northwest

Catholic. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from https://www.nwcatholic.org/spirituality/ask-

father/why-does-the-church-say-birth-control-is-wrong

Hoemeke, L. (2016, October 24). Why Does a Woman Use Contraception? For a Better

Life. Intra Health. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from https://www.intrahealth.org/vital/why-

does-woman-use-contraception-better-life

Kessler, G. (2012, February 17). The claim that 98 percent of Catholic Women use

contraception: a media foul. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-claim-that-98-percent-of-catholic-

women-use-contraception-a-media-foul/2012/02/16/gIQAkPeqIR_blog.html

Miller, B. (2016, February 2). The Social Impact of Contraception. The Daily Cardinal.
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Retrieved November 19, 2017, from http://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2016/02/the-social-

impact-of-contraception

Sri, E. (2006, September). How Contraception Destroys Love. Catholic Education

Resource Center. Retrieved November 19, 2017, from

https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/marriage/how-contraception-destroys-

love.html