Aren’t NFP and Contraception the Same? Church critics say that artificial contraception is no different from Natural Family Planning. They are wrong. First of all they forget that Natural Family Planning is equally effective for achieving pregnancy as for avoiding it. But more importantly, artificial contraception treats fertility like a disease instead of a gift from God; it treats new life like a consumer product, not as a natural, Goddesigned and given fruit of spousal love. It does not respect God‟s vision for human sexuality; it does not respect oneself as a sexual person; it does not respect the other person. But Natural Family Planning respects them all. It maintains openness and communication between spouses, fosters charity, self-control and mutual esteem, and joyfully reveres in its entirety the wonderful gift of human life and sexuality.
The Proof is in the Pudding It is no coincidence that among couples who use Natural Family Planning, divorce and separation rates tend to be well below the average.1 God invented sexuality; when we respect his plan for it, we are healthier and happier not only in the life to come, but even here on this earth. The Church‟s condemnation of artificial contraception is neither irrational nor prudish; it is the application of Christ‟s own vision of sexuality to an age-old temptation that modern technology has made much more tempting. Artificial contraception is one of many sexual disorders that tend to offer temporary and superficial satisfaction in exchange for long-lasting frustration and broken relationships. Perhaps it‟s unfair to refer to them as “disorders.” “Disorder” implies a lack of personal responsibility. It may be more accurate to call them what the Church has always called them: sins. That‟s an uncomfortable word, true, but in a world where sexual “disorders” are the “order” of the day, maybe we need someone to jostle us out of our comfort zone. 1
See the summary of Dr Robert Lerner‟s study on couples using NFP here: http://www.physiciansforlife.org/content/view/193/36/