| Catholic PRWire
My friend Emily, the new Family Planning Coordinator in the Diocese of Madison, just emailed the link to this commentary on the TIME article and a little bit about my work in Madison. It was posted on Catholic.org by Catholic PRWire, which found it through a press release from Chicago CCL (promoting its classes). Thanks Chicago CCL for the mention! While I don’t exclusively endorse CCL, this is a great example of harnessing buzz about NFP to promote classes. Well done, Chi-CCLers.
Time Magazine Notes Another NFP Benefit: It Keeps the Rivers Clean
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY
Catholic PRWire
GLENVIEW, IL (November 10, 2009) – Sexual morality isn’t the only attraction to draw couples to Natural Family Planning (NFP) these days. Those concerned with the environment are finding that NFP doesn’t pollute the waterways with synthetic hormones and other chemicals.
A recent Time magazine author related how NFP rates high for such reasons. “Like all good Catholics, my husband and I had to attend church-run marriage prep before we tied the knot last year,” wrote Kathleen Kingsbury in Time’s Oct. 26 issue.
“I was surprised, however, during the hard sell on natural family-planning, that this updated version of the rhythm method was being advertised not only as morally correct but also as ‘organic’ and ‘green.’ I was even more surprised when I found out that some of the most popular instructors of NFP — known in secular circles as the Fertility Awareness Method — are non-Catholics who praise it as a means of avoiding both ingesting chemicals and excreting them into rivers and streams.”
The article, sprinkled with terms such as phthalates and bisphenol, also looks into the use of chemicals in the makeup of sex toys and tracks a trend of earth-friendly production materials in these products.
The article also says that the Catholic Church is catching on to the organic trend. “People pay $32 for eye cream because they’re told it is good for them and the planet,” says Jessica Marie Smith, whom Time says repackaged the NFP program at the diocese of Madison, WI. “We figured we could do the same with NFP.”
Ingest, Poke and Patch
In an article on the Madison diocese’s website, “Green is the New Black: How NFP is good for your soul and the earth,” Smith, the diocese’s [former] family planning coordinator, says, “Doesn’t it seem interesting that we’ll go to great lengths to ensure our meat, dairy and other grocery products are ‘all natural’ and hormone free, but then we’ll turn around and ingest, poke or patch our bodies with all sorts of synthetic hormones, the ramifications of which we’re still discovering?”
Nicholas said,
November 12, 2009 at 7:30 am
How effective is the “green” angle, really? Do people latch on and stick it out just for that reason? Does it change peoples’ hearts beyond the green factor to the spiritual benefits? Because isn’t that the true reason most NFP methods exist because it is what God intends for sexuality? If a mass of people move towards NFP solely for the greenness of it, are we truly successful in our methods? If you’re moving over for the greenness only, you’ll be using NFP as a contraceptive only, which is not the intention of the methods.
Nicholas said,
November 12, 2009 at 9:57 am
I think I answered my own question while reading a post on EngagedMarriage.com. In the words of CCL: Fertility Awareness is just that, the awareness of one’s fertility cycles. Responsible Parenting on the other hand is putting into practice fertility awareness in all its glory. Can one practice fertility awareness without practicing responsible parenthood? Are they one in the same? Am I over-analyzing this?
Nicole said,
November 12, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Nicholas, its me again.
Good questions. I can only speak from experience. While what you saw can be true – we are still called to teach. I have had a handful of non catholic couples come to me bc they dont want their wife on the BCP.
In the end.. there hearts are soften and they see how this is good for marriage and good for how God wants us to live out lives.
So while the first attempt at viewing it as green may seem opposite… its about teaching them. What they do with the knowledge is between them and God.
Carol said,
November 13, 2009 at 8:50 am
Hi, when I got married I would have described myself as an al a carte catholic when it came to the NFP rules. Thankfully my friend who has now 4 children spoke openly about using the billings ovulation method and I was intrigued. I knew nobody that used NFP and at our Catholic marriage course children were not even discussed.
At that time my hubbie and I could not differentiate between the barrier method and NFP. Using times that one was infertile surely the same? Anyway, the green consciousness grabbed me as I thought of the plastic laying in some landfill for millions of years and how the spermicide would or could be effecting our health or that of a child if we did conceive, which is possible with any method i.e. contraception.
I am pleased to say with prayer and openness I learned the method from Naomi the billings ovulation teachers and we fully engaged with the knowledge. My husband was supportive and we had fun and enjoyed the abstinence time – honey moon period. I was breastfeeding my baby at that time so we had desired and felt it Gods plan to space our next child. The language changed to postponing from contracepting and subtly our relationship began to deepen and our love grew. I think that being available 100% of the time was not as exciting. My husband compares the abstinence time like lent, “the chocolate tastes so much nicer on Easter Sunday”. During that time it was fun cuddling and holding hands feeling close and bonding. As each month passed and I was not pregnant I marvelled at Gods creation. I realised that God created the female body so beautifully and to have conscious awareness of our fertility. I had my menstruation cycle after her first birthday. As each month passed we talked about and had a conversation about when we would conceive, our longing grew and so with the 2nd month of being open to a conception we conceived. Of course if we did conceive before this we would love and embrace this pregnancy regardless and thank God for the gift of this life.
I was still breast feeding when my daughter was 18 months and we conceived our 2nd baby. With only 2 or 3 short feeds a day at that stage my ovulation had returned. I weaned her when I was 6 weeks pregnant as I was feeling very tired. She adjusted with no problems.
What I notice is that I feel absolute love from my husband as a whole human being and I know that this is God’s plan for women. My husband says that he was socialised from a young age on objectifying women – with daily tabloid papers being bought by his dad, those which have a topless model on page 3 and his dad being quiet misogynist. He knew there was another way and he is very respectful and appreciates women a million times more then when he was the chivalrous man before we married. That is because of NFP and being a wonderful birth partner twice. Our last birth was a home birth so he was a marvellous help and a rock through every surge.
Anyway, when I reflect on NFP I think my husband’s love for me as a woman has grown too. It was as if he treated me like a precious gem back then but now it is as if I am a diamond. Not to say we don’t have our moments mainly due to tiredness being the norm with two little ones but NFP has brought us a togetherness that is part of God’s plan. So from an interest in the environment has brought me and my husband a deeper understanding of the Catholic Church teaching and the theology of the body.
Well done for this blog.
Nicholas said,
November 13, 2009 at 11:52 am
Thanks, Carol, for your witness. A very inspiring story indeed. If the eco-factor brings them in and some have a change in heart, then it’s God’s work.