LETTER- Natural birth control saves marriages

I never implied that I used the "rhythm method" for family planning ["Picket payday: Planned Parenthood one-ups protesters," March 1. The rhythm method has been shown to be only 30 percent effective. Natural family planning uses the sympto-thermal method which has demonstrated

• 99 percent level of effectiveness (see 1981 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and others)

• women better understand their bodies and can identify other serious health issues in the early stages.

• less than five percent of married couples using this method have a divorce– some studies show less than 2 percent! (Compared to 70-80 percent of married ministers whose marriages end in divorce.)

Modern NFP is truly a scientific method of family planning in which four objective signs of fertility are observed. Contact the Couple to Couple League at 513–471-2000 or ccli.org.

The truly sad story is that due to all the health issues associated with birth control, medical malpractice insurance has skyrocketed, and there are fewer doctors of obstetrics available. Secondly, each year there are more babies unknowingly aborted due to use of birth control– once every third or fourth month (see above reference) more than the number of surgical abortions performed annually in the world. When birth control fails, abortion is the answer because the mentality is that I/we are not open to life. 

Life is a wonder, families are the building blocks of society, children are our hope for tomorrow. Natural family planning simply is an organic part of a healthy lifestyle. And yes, a non-Catholic naturopathic doctor I know did have only two children using NFP as this was their choice.

I personally do not know of anyone who uses NFP who is divorced.

Mary Ann Heerschap
Mt. Solon

The Hook inadvertently mischaracterized Ms. Heerschap's family planning method–editor.

#