NFP allows couples to honor their marriage vows

Intermountain Catholic

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Chad (left) and Kelly Rosamond are certifying to become NFP teachers. Their sons are from left, John Paul, 22 months, Isiah, 4, and Luke, 6. IC photo by Christine Young

SALT LAKE CITY — "Natural Family Planning (NFP) helps couples understand what their marriage vows mean, helps them live their marriage vows, and allows them to grow together.

NFP is an umbrella term that includes natural methods of birth regulation. The most used methods today are: the sympto-thermal method (STM) advocated by the Couple-to-Couple League, the Creighton Model method developed at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and the Billings or Ovulation Method.

Chad and Kelly Rosamond are members of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Salt Lake City. They have been married seven years and have three sons. Luke is 6, Isiah is 4, and John Paul is 22 months. Kelly said they got pregnant right away, and learned about NFP shortly after.

"It was an eye-opening experience and something all couples should practice," said Kelly.

Chad and Kelly are seeking certification in the STM model through the Couple-to-Couple League in Salt Lake City. They want to be able to teach NFP.

"My preference for newlyweds is the STM model because a couple has more choices and can either be ultraconservative or minimally conservative," said Kelly. "The STM model uses three body signs to determine a woman’s fertile time, and when abstinence is required.

"NFP refers to a system of birth regulation based on respect for the natural biorhythms of the wife," said Kelly. "With each ovulation cycle the wife has, the couple is called to discern whether or not God is calling them to try to have a child. This is a question that must be prayerfully answered each month. More often, the question is what reasons are there to not have another child, and are these reasons our own selfish ones, or are they from God. NFP is the only morally acceptable form of birth regulation for families.

"NFP is marriage building. The wife feels more respected, as the husband shows he can love and live with all of who she is, including her natural, God-given cycles," said Kelly. "Periodic abstinence helps to develop a sense of self sacrifice for the love of each other and the family."

Kelly said NFP is good for healthy marriages and therefore our society. The divorce rate among couples practicing NFP is only three percent, whereas it is frequently reported that the divorce rate in America is 50 percent.

"NFP is good for a woman’s health. They become proactive while practicing NFP," said Kelly. "As women chart their monthly cycles, they will also notice nutritional deficits, thyroid dysfunction, reproductive disorders, and cancers that may appear with symptoms on a chart before there are other bodily indicators."

Kelly said there are no side effects with NFP, it is immediately reversible, and it can help when couples are having trouble conceiving. It is cost efficient and environmentally friendly.

"Hormonal birth control is abortificient, which means when ovulation is not prevented, which occurs five percent of the time, the newly conceived life is not able to implant in the uterus lining because the lining is hostile and not adequately prepared for a fetus to develop.

"Most importantly, NFP is the only morally correct option for family planning," said Kelly. "It is in accordance with God’s plan for marriage. God calls couples to discern His will. God made the marital act to be unitive and procreative. Contraception undoes what God has joined. We are called to Christian discernment and prudence, to responsible parenthood, but to do so within God’s plan, which includes NFP.

"Our wedding vows are to freely, totally, faithfully, and fruitfully love each other until death parts us," said Kelly. "The marital act is meant to be a reflection of these vows every time. Withholding part of yourself during the marital act – your natural fertility, for example, defrauds the act and your vows. NFP practicing couples understand God is a part of their marriage, and he is always welcome at the physical renewal of their vows."