Father Ryan Erlenbush has written an article for Crisis Magazine entitledNFP: The Myth of the “Contraceptive Mentality”where he maintains that NFP can be used with a “selfish” mentality, and even a “sinful” mentality but that it isn’t possible for NFP to be used with a “contraceptive” mentality. Father notes that contraception means “Any action which either before, at the moment of, or after marital intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation, whether as an end or as a means” is contraceptive (Humanae Vitae, 14). Contraceptive means just that: against conception.
Keeping the definition in mind do you think it is possible to misuse NFP or practice it with a contraceptive mentality? I would think that if NFP is used with either a “sinful” mentality or a “selfish” mentality that could also necessarily coincide with NFP being used with a contraceptive mentality.
Filed under: Catholicism, Morality Tagged: birth control, contraception, contraceptive mentality, NFP, sinful