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Today there are many things in the world that are being abused wrongly or are being created for a wrong purpose. These include, but are not restricted to: rights for gays to marry, abortion, and euthanasia. Another hugely abused thing today is sex, or the act of conjugal love. Not only is it being used outside of marriage, but it is being used for purely desirable means. One way this is being done is by using contraceptives, or preventative measures to having children. This is wrong because it goes against one of the things that marriage really is all about. i!e in everything people do today, there are rationale, or excuses, that people tal! about so as to try and get away with using contraceptives. Two rationale are used to support contraceptive use" first, that it meets the demands of conjugal love and secondly, that it ma!es possible planned or so"called responsible parenthood#. These rationale are not bac!ed up very well. Their basis is purely on what they themselves believe to be true because they believe that truth comes from what is most pleasing to themselves or what ma!es the most sense. The $atholic $hurch, however, use reasoning that not only comes from a whole body of experts, but also from deeper meaning that comes from the true nature of human beings. As for the rationale of using contraceptives, there needs to be a better understanding of what conjugal love truly is so as to ac!nowledge why the use of contraceptives is wrong. True conjugal love has four characteristic mar!s: it is fully human, total, faithful, and fruitful%. &t is only through these four characteristics, not less, that conjugal love can be at its most true state of being. 'ut what does each of these things really mean( The first part of true conjugal love is fully human. &t is fully human in the sense that it combines one)s bodily affections and one)s spiritual free will so that spouses promise each other that their love will persevere and grow daily, carrying them toward their human perfection*. &n a

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way, conjugal love can only be true when it is intended to lead towards the perfection of both yourself and your spouse. This characteristic is not being used when the use of contraceptives are present. That is because what defines the grave sin of contraception is choosing union +pleasure and comfort, while at the same time rejecting its comitant procreative end-. 'asically, you cannot achieve human perfection if there is no promise to fulfill all of what conjugal love is about, even, and especially, if the only thing being rejected is the procreative aspects. The second characteristic of conjugal love is being total towards your spouse. This means that there is a .special friendship/ that is total, whereby the spouses share everything, loving the beloved for his or her own sa!e and joyfully enriching their beloved with their gift of self0.There cannot be a true act of conjugal love if there isn)t a complete sharing of oneself to their spouse, which is expressed by the use of contraception. This is because contraception, whether by withdrawal or by physical or chemical barriers, demonstrates a withholding of self and a rejection, a .no/ to one)s beloved, a refusal to .go all the way/ and ris! having a baby to prove your love1. &f there is any type of withholding from spouses, there cannot be a path to finding true human perfection. The third characteristic needed to be present for conjugal love to be true, is the aspect of faithfulness. $onjugal love is .faithful and exclusive until death/ and meritorious in spite of difficulties, and a source of lasting happiness2. There cannot be any form of cheating or .not giving/ of one spouse upon the other. On the innate meaning of conjugal love, .that of mutual, total donation of the partners, contraception imposes an objectively contradictory meaning, namely that of not giving oneself completely to the other/3. &t is basically through the act of not fully giving of oneself to their spouse that the couple is not completely faithful.

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The last characteristic is the fruitfulness of the act of conjugal love. $onjugal love is fruitful in that the communion of spouses is focused on raising up new lives4. This is important because it is what is the most important about conjugal love. There has to be a sort of desire or ac!nowledgment for the aspect of procreation. Also there must be a willingness to be open to children throughout the whole span of marriage. 5ertaining to the other rationale for contraception, there is a lac! of reason as to what a responsible parent is. i!e conjugal love, responsible parenthood also has four characteristics#6. The first is that spouses must honor the moral meaning inherent in the biological process of human fertility##. This means that everything about human beings was created to possess some inherent goodness. 7o, even the biological process of human fertility is inherently good. This means that, if it is inherently good, the process of stopping that good out of selfish reasons goes against the goodness, creating an act that is inherently evil. The second characteristic is that the spouses must master instinct and bodily desires by their reason and free will#%. &n other words, each of the spouses must overcome the desires of the body and simple intellect so as to become better aware of what is truly good. A person that is driven only by what is the body cannot attain the true potential that is a part of the soul , which the free will comes from. The third characteristic is that the spouses must consider their physical and psychological resources and social circumstances in prudently and generously raising a large family8 or for .serious reasons/ +.grave motives/, and .with due respect for the moral law/ postpone having children for a definite or indefinite period of time#*. This statement is what throws off many people. They see this as a loop hole and ta!e advantage of not having children. 9hat must be

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considered, though, is that a married couple must have a serious reason for not being able to have !ids, li!e a uterus problem or infertility issues arising. The last characteristic is that the spouses must reali:e that they must behave with deference to an objective moral order which imposes obligations upon them toward ;od, themselves, family and society#-. &n this, parents must come to the reali:ation that they are not just part of themselves8 they are part of a bigger picture. 'asically, there is the family level, but there is also the society level and the religious level. 5arents are called, through society, to bring up the next generation. &f they are not adhering to this they are not fulfilling their duties as a married couple. The same goes for the religious level. ;od calls each marriage in some way to bring about the upbringing of the next generation, whether through personal procreation or adoption. The difference today between society and religion +especially in the $atholic $hurch,, however, is that society is becoming indifferent to contraception, while religions, most importantly the $atholic $hurch, are standing up against contraception all the more. &n the encyclical <umanae =itae +#413,, 5aul =& wrote that the wide spread practice of contraception would wor! against the virtue of chastity and contribute to the social recognition of fornication, adultery, divorce and the culture de"legitimi:ation of marriage#0. As the years went by, this starting becoming a reality. To this day there are many problems throughout the world that are mostly accredited to the use of contraception. This widespread practice will also have serious conse>uences for morals, marriage, women and society#1. Not only did problems occur since the publishing of <umanae =itae, more problems are arising. As for the first problem, it will ma!e it easier, especially for the young, to give in to temptations to adultery and fornication#2. There seems to be this idea that having children is only

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for married couples but the act of conjugal love is for anyone possessing the ability to enact upon it. 7ince there are now ways for people to stop this procreative process, it seems that people are more able to enact in conjugal love, though it is not right for them to do so. The second problem is that husbands who use or expect contraceptives to be used will lose respect for their wives#3. <usbands will lose this respect for their wives because they !now now that there is a less li!ely chance for them to have any .side effects,/ which is having children. 7ince there can be a less li!elihood to have children, husbands will have the mindset that if their wives don)t want children they only want the act of conjugal love, which allows the husbands to loo! upon their wives as objects and not as true people. The last problem is that contraceptives will place a .dangerous weapon/ into the hands of unscrupulous political authorities#4. &n certain countries today there are regulations on how many children a family can have. This is horrible because no government should have the ability to tell any parent how many lives they are allowed to bring in. 'y having contraceptives in the hands of certain governments, there will be a major force of parents using contraceptives, with conse>uences to those not using them. This in and of itself is morally wrong. 7ince contraceptives are inherently evil, the >uestion comes up in many people)s minds, .Are there any reasons that may allow people to regulate the birth of children(/ The answer, according to many $atholic $hurch doctrines and encyclicals, is yes. The main way to regulate having children is through periodic continence. According to the $atechism of the $atholic $hurch: 5eriodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self"observance and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These

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methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encouraging tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. &n contrast, .every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural conse>uences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible/ is intrinsically evil%6. &n short, according to use periodic continence in its truest form, a couple must have the correct attitude, or intent. 'asically, the couple must have good reasons as to why to use this method, for if the intent is just to have no children, then the act will be deemed intrinsically evil. &n a way, there has to be a good motive as well for using this method, otherwise the most obvious intention will be just for the sa!e of not having children. Another >uestion that may come up pertains to the fact that some people have infertility issues due to certain medication or therapeutic measures, which are used to prevent some illness, create some sort of infertility to occur. &n short, the $hurch does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from?provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever%#. Once again, it comes directly down to the true intent of the person. &f the therapeutic means are truly necessary for the health and safety of the person and the person does not willingly want the side effect of infertility, then it is morally permissible to use the therapeutic means. On the other hand, however, it is not morally permissible for someone to ta!e certain medication or use certain therapeutic measure that instill some sort of infertility if there is another option of medication or a different therapeutic measure that will not cause any sort of infertility.

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There are many things that & learned while reading about contraception. @irstly, & reali:ed that there are many documents and encyclicals that pertain to contraception. & couldn)t believe that there were at minimum four popes that wrote about contraception, whether it is implicit or explicit. The best part, is that there are probably even more popes that wrote about contraception. The second thing that & reali:ed is that love, more specifically conjugal love, and contraception are intertwined. & always thought that the two could not be put together, but & reali:ed that & was wrong. &t is impossible to tal! about contraception without tal!ing about, or at least reali:ing, how it goes against everything that true love stands for. The use of contraceptives is not just something that is !ind of bad, but they are inherently evil since they go against everything about true love. The last thing that & learned while reading up on contraception is the actual difference between abortion and contraception. & always grouped the two of them together no matter what8 they were both evils in my mind and that was that. After reading up on contraception, & reali:ed that there is some differentiation. Aes they are both intrinsically evil, but abortion is a much greater crime. 7ince contraception is a preventative measure, it is nowhere near as bad as abortion, which is bluntly the !illing of an innocent fetus. Now & reali:e that there is so much about contraception, and anything related, that & need to read up on. & need to !now that if & want to be able to say that it is bad that & have to !now why it is bad. &n this day and age there are many things wrong with this world. One major wrong, is the use of contraceptives. Not only does it go against what the $hurch teaches, but it also goes against the true nature of human beings, which is a perfect communion of man and women in the state of marriage. 'asically, contraception goes against everything that conjugal love stands for. Bither it be from the lac! of desire of fruitfulness or the desire to not be truly faithful, a couple using contraceptives never is able to truly be a part of the reality of true conjugal love.

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Notes #. 7carnecchia, C. 'rian. @amily Datters. %662. 5ages 04"16 %. &bid. 5age 16 *. &bid. -. &bid. 5age 20. &bid. 5age 16 1. &bid. 5ages 02"03 2. &bid. 5age 16 3. &bid. 5age 14 4. &bid. 5age 16 #6. &bid. ##. &bid. #%. &bid.

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#*. &bid. #-. &bid. #0. &bid. 5age 03 #1. &bid. 5age 1# #2. &bid. #3. &bid. #4. &bid. %6. $atechism of the $atholic $hurch. ibreria Bditrice =aticana: =atican, #442. 5age 026 E%*26 %#. 5ope 5aul =&. Humanae Vitae. =atican. #414. 5aragraph #0 'ibliography Catechism of the Catholic Church. ibreria Bditrice =aticana: =atican, #442. 5age 026 E%*26. 5ope 5aul =&. Humanae Vitae. =atican. #414. 5aragraph #0 7carnecchia, C. 'rian. Family Matters. %662. 5ages 03"2-