The Church teaches that artificial birth control is wrong. Here are three reasons for this teaching.
First, artificial birth control limits the charity (self-giving love) of the conjugal act. It eliminates or attempts to eliminate fertility. In some cases such as sterilization, it completely eliminates fertility. As a result, one is not giving fully and therefore not loving completely as God intended but rather withholding a significant, if not the most significant part of the conjugal act.
Secondly, the conjugal act must be open to life. After all, sexual intercourse is an expression of a life-giving love. The purpose of the conjugal act is to produce semen in an attempt to find an ovum thereby creating life. This is a wonderful gift from God, i.e. that humanity can participate in “creation.” So, the second significant reason artificial birth control is wrong is that it is used to prevent this creation of life, i.e. it indicates one is not open to life during the conjugal act.
Thirdly, artificial birth control interferes with one of the most significant biological aspects of the body. Basically, it violates the body and what the body is trying to do through sex. The reason sex usually “feels good” is because the body is inclined to procreate, to have the semen produced so that it tries to find the ovum. Artificial birth control is an attempt to violate what the body is biologically trying to do. God made the bodies of man and woman to have and desire sex. Artificial birth control changes all this. Sex now becomes something else, i.e. a way to use sex primarily for pleasure.
From Lisa Damiani:
ReplyDeleteBlessed John Paul II had a beautiful vision that the human body speaks a language - (we interpret body language before any other words first like a kiss or hug). This is known as Theology of the Body (study of God using our bodies). The most intimate language we speak is with our sexual powers....the language of love! How does a married couple consummate their marriage? After the vows - on the wedding night - when they give themselves totally to one another and show that person I am yours and you are mine forever and I love you.
If a couple wants to express this language most perfectly, then they wait until the wedding night for any intercourse and they do not use any barriers to that love. Even before marriage, if they love their future spouse then they will say no to any other sexual act with anyone else because one or more of the 5 characteristics of love will not be present, so it will not be love (namely permanence and usually self-giving and life-giving). They must think - how would I feel if my future spouse gave themselves to someone else before they married me?
Also, if a married couple wants to make their marital act true love (and not use because you can either have one or the other), then they must have all the characteristics of love. They must give themselves completely (no holding back!) to their spouse (no condoms), it must be open to life (life of a possible child and giving life to each other and the world), and finally it must be in a permanent commitment (within confines of marriage).
See: http://www.ewtn.com/vondemand/audio/seriessearchprog.asp?seriesID=7064
Check out Fr. Hogan's reflections on Humanae Vitae toward the bottom - great! And he explains the characteristics of married love there.