God designed marriage as an "intimate partnership of life and love" (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48). In God's design, marriage is a unique union of one man with one woman "for the whole of life" (see Canon 1055, The Code of Canon Law).
Marriage is oriented to the good of the spouses and to the creation and nurture of new human life (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48). Making decisions therefore, about when and how many children to have in marriage is a sacred responsibility that God has entrusted to husband and wife. This is the foundation of what the Church calls, "Responsible Parenthood," the call to discern God's will for your marriage while respecting His design for life and love.
The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. In fact, NFP represents the only authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy.
When learning about NFP, it is important to know that:
- Natural Family Planning is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid conception. These methods are based on the observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Some natural methods include use of fertility monitors to better understand the time of the wife's fertility. Married couples using NFP to postpone conception abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the wife's cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy. Married couples who use NFP to attempt a pregnancy, make use of the fertile window the optimum time when conception is likely.
- NFP reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage, NFP can enrich the bond between husband and wife. (Standards for Diocesan Natural Family Planning Ministry, p. 23)
Used with permission from the NFP Program, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. All rights reserved.
Creighton Model Natural Family Planning Information and Courses
The Creighton Model is based upon a couple's knowledge and understanding of their naturally occurring phases of fertility and infertility. This knowledge empowers the couples to make informed decisions regarding achieving or avoiding a pregnancy.
The Creighton Model also provides valuable information to address any reproductive health concerns through the revolutionary Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTECHNOLOGY).
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Couple-to-Couple League Model Natural Family Planning Information and Courses
The CCL Mission is to inspire, educate and support couples in family planning that is natural, effective, healthy and consistent with God’s plan for life, love and marriage.
Attend a three-part series of introductory classes offered by the Couple-to-Couple League to learn more about this medically safe, morally acceptable and highly effective method, both for postponing and achieving pregnancy.
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- For English: learnnfp.org/
- For Spanish: ligadepareja.org/
