If You Are Using Contraception 

A Catholic Path to Openness to Life, Trust, and Marital Integrity 

This Is a Widespread and Often Unquestioned Practice 

Many couples use contraception without much reflection. 

Often it is motivated by: 

• Fear of financial strain 
• Desire to space children responsibly 
• Health concerns 
• Cultural expectation 
• Advice received long ago 

Most couples do not intend to reject God, life, or marriage. They are trying to manage real responsibilities. 

The Church speaks here not to accuse, but to reveal a deeper truth about love, trust, and human dignity. 

What the Church Means by Contraception 

Contraception is: 

Any action that deliberately prevents the procreative meaning of the sexual act. 

This includes: 

• Barrier methods 
• Hormonal contraception 
• Sterilization 
• Any act that intentionally closes the sexual act to life 

The issue is not effectiveness, but meaning. 

Why the Church Takes This Seriously 

The Church teaches that the marital act has two inseparable meanings: 

• Unitive — expressing total self-gift and love 
• Procreative — openness to the creation of new life 

These meanings belong together. 

When contraception is used: 

• The body says, “I give myself to you” 
• But the act adds a condition: “…except my fertility.” 

This introduces a reservation into what is meant to be a total gift. 

Love that withholds fertility withholds part of the self. 

This Is Not About Having as Many Children as Possible 

The Church does not teach that couples must seek pregnancy at all times. 

Responsible parenthood is real and necessary. 

The Church distinguishes clearly between: 

• Avoiding pregnancy for serious reasons, and 
• Contracepting the sexual act itself 

Choosing not to engage in sex during fertile times respects the integrity of the act. Altering the act so it cannot give life does not. 

Why Natural Family Planning Is Morally Different 

Natural Family Planning (NFP): 

• Observes the body as it is 
• Respects fertility rather than suppressing it 
• Requires communication, self-control, and shared responsibility 

NFP does not say: 

“I give myself — except my fertility.” 

It says: 

“I give myself as I am, at this time.” 

This difference is moral and anthropological, not merely biological. 

An Important Clarification: Some Contraceptives Can Be Abortifacient 

Not all methods labeled “contraception” work in the same way. 

Some methods do more than prevent conception. They can also: 

• Prevent a newly conceived human life from implanting in the womb 
• Cause the loss of a very early pregnancy 

When this occurs, the effect is abortifacient, even if abortion is not intended. 

How This Can Happen 

Certain hormonal contraceptives and devices may work through multiple mechanisms, including: 

• Suppressing ovulation 
• Thickening cervical mucus 
• Altering the uterine lining so implantation is unlikely 

If conception occurs but implantation is prevented, a human life that has already begun is lost. 

This is not speculative. It is acknowledged in medical literature and prescribing information. 

Why This Matters Morally 

From the Church’s perspective: 

• Human life begins at conception 
• Any action that intentionally or foreseeably ends that life is gravely wrong 

Even when the intention is not abortion, choosing a method that can act abortifaciently introduces a serious moral concern. 

Many people were never told this information. 

Culpability and Responsibility 

The Church carefully distinguishes between: 

• Objective moral reality, and 
• Personal culpability 

A person who was unaware of abortifacient effects may have little or no moral guilt. 

But once the truth is known, love of life calls for a response. 

Truth does not condemn — it invites conversion. 

Why the Church Rejects Contraception Altogether 

The Church’s teaching is not based on a single concern. 

Contraception: 

• Separates sex from responsibility 
• Weakens reverence for fertility 
• Often places the burden on one spouse (usually the woman) 
• Encourages a mentality of control rather than trust 

Over time, this reshapes how love, marriage, and even persons are viewed. 

Practicing the Opposite Virtues: Openness to Life and Trust 

Contraception is not healed by guilt or fear. It is healed by forming the opposite virtues. 

Openness to Life 

• Recognizing fertility as a gift, not a problem 
• Receiving children as blessings, not burdens 
• Allowing God a place in marital love 

Openness does not mean recklessness. It means refusing to deliberately close the door to life. 

Trust 

• Trust in God’s providence 
• Trust between spouses 
• Trust that sacrifice strengthens love 

Love grows when control gives way to trust. 

When There Are Serious Reasons to Avoid Pregnancy 

The Church recognizes that serious reasons may exist: 

• Physical or mental health concerns 
• Grave financial hardship 
• Serious family responsibilities 

In these cases, couples may: 

• Practice periodic abstinence 
• Use Natural Family Planning responsibly 
• Discern prayerfully and honestly 

What matters is that the marital act itself remains truthful. 

Contraception and the Sacraments 

Because contraception deliberately alters the meaning of the marital act, it affects one’s moral life and relationship with God. 

If contraception has been used: 

• Bring it honestly to confession 
• Avoid rationalization or minimization 
• Be open to conversion 

Confession does not humiliate. It re-orders love and restores peace. 

A Prophetic Teaching 

In Humanae Vitae, St. Paul VI warned that widespread contraception would lead to: 

• Breakdown of marital fidelity 
• Increased objectification of persons 
• Pressure placed on women 
• Expansion of state control over reproduction 

History has largely confirmed these warnings. 

There Is Peace in Living Openness 

Couples who embrace openness to life often discover: 

• Deeper communication 
• Greater mutual respect 
• Renewed tenderness 
• A stronger sense of God’s presence 

The path is demanding — but it is not empty. 

A Line Worth Remembering 

When we alter the act that gives life, we alter how we understand love itself. 

Closing Prayer 

Lord God, You are the author of life and love. Teach us to trust You with our marriage, our fertility, and our future. Give us generous hearts, disciplined love, and the courage to live according to Your design. Bless our sacrifices, strengthen our union, and make our love fruitful in Your way. Amen.