Were you aware that next week (July 22-28, 2012) is Natural Family Planning Awareness Week?
Probably not; you're not likely to find it listed alongside National Amelia Earhart Day and Hot Dog Month. But every year, the Natural Family Planning Program of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) sponsors an NFP Awareness Week to coincide with the anniversary of the promulgation of Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI's encyclical reaffirming the traditional Catholic teaching on birth control, on July 25, 1968.
If you've ever thought about investigating NFP, this is the perfect week to do so! As the BBC reported, a German study in 2007 found that the sympto-thermal method, the most common method of NFP in use today, is 99.4 percent effective when practiced correctly. Of course, unlike other methods of regulating birth, Natural Family Planning is not "set it and forget it." But with a little bit of research, study, and training, you can enjoy the many benefits of NFP--including easier conception when you decide that the time is right to start or expand your family.
If you would like to learn more about NFP, you can start with this summary of what Natural Family Planning is and why couples choose to practice it. Then, check out these links to online Natural Family Planning Resources. Finally, to understand better the Catholic teaching behind the rejection of artificial birth control and the embrace of natural methods, read my summary of Humanae Vitae itself.
When you're ready to move on, you can find the entire text of Humanae Vitae on the Vatican's website (I've linked to it from my summary), and the USCCB's Natural Family Planning Awareness Week website includes a wealth of resources on NFP for both the laity and those in the ministry.
And if you already practice NFP, you can help others understand the benefits so that they can feel more comfortable choosing Natural Family Planning. Just share your story in Why I Decided to Use Natural Family Planning (for in-depth responses) or in How Has Using Natural Family Planning Changed Your Life? (for shorter responses).
(Two young Richerts camp out under the loveseat. Photo © Amy J. Richert)
More on Natural Family Planning (NFP):
- Humanae Vitae
- What Is Natural Family Planning?
- Natural Family Planning Resources
- Natural Family Planning: A Personal Perspective
- Reader Question: Is NFP Really Effective in Avoiding Pregnancy?
- Reader Question: Why Don't Priests Preach About Birth Control?
- Notes on the Guttmacher Institute's "Facts on Contraceptive Use in the United States"
- Reader Stories: Why I Decided to Use Natural Family Planning (NFP)
- Readers Respond: How Has Using Natural Family Planning (NFP) Changed Your Life?
- Forum Friday: NFP
- Forum Friday: NFP Revisited
After a lot of prayer and discussion, my husband and I are starting to use NFP.
We have always said we are open to as many children the Lord blesses us with, so it would only make sense for us to use NFP. We truly believe this is the Lord’s plan for our family.
I think a lot of people don’t use NFP because they don’t understand it, so they assume NFP means lots of kids spaced closely together. I hope people will take this next week as an opportunity to learn about NFP and pray about using it in their own families.
Scott, Thank you for posting this. I recently heard of Natural Family Planning. I didn’t know that its use is approved by the Catholic Church.
i had no idea there was such an awareness week. my wife and i practice NFP, from day one of our marriage [9+years]. we were intoduced to it during our UNITAS marriage prep course thru our parish. we enjoy the commication it allows us to have about our thoughts and her body and how much of a miracle God has blessed us with thru the woman’s body. we have 4 children, all planned thru NFP. thank you for posting this article. Have a blessed day.
Had no idea, either, and the only UNITAS I’ve every heard of had the first name of Johnny.
Thank you so much for posting on this. The unity of the family is central to the renewal of the Church and the renewal of society. People need to know the beauty behind the reasons for rejecting contraception and embracing the culture of Humanae Vitae.
For more last minute ideas for NFP Awareness Week in your communities, check the NFP Awareness Week Tag on my blog. Peace.
And think about this:
Birth control pills are powerful toxic drugs, which is a recipe for negative and even dangerous side effects. And, take any drug long enough, eventually the bad effects occur in your body.
Ask any “good honest” doctor who isn’t simply a pill pusher.
NFP is probably great if you are absolutely regular in your cycle and/or are not embroiled in an abusive marriage situation. Not so great if you are and can’t escape either your biology or your situation. No divorce and remarriage or no sacraments doesn’t work so well after four little children and nowhere to go.