Interviewed by Grace Ongey
The Roman Catholic Church disallows artificial birth control. In its place the Church encourages natural family planning as the best birth control method. The Church says contraceptives are against God’s sexuality plan and debase women. It is for this reason the Douala Archdiocesan Family Life Apostolate has embarked on a campaign against all forms of artificial birth control methods, arguing natural family planning helps to build stronger families, protect women’s health and children, and reduce spousal abuse. Douala Archdiocesan Family Life Apostolate coordinators, Aïcha Marianne and Irénée KOLA throw more light on the church’s position. Excerpts:
What is the objective of this programme?
The Archdiocesan Natural Family Planning Programme puts natural birth control methods at the disposal of couples to permit them limit the number of their children naturally. These methods respect the human person and also God’s sexuality plan as they do not dissociate the sexual act and procreation, which is what happens when contraceptives are used. Several couples want to live their sexual life according to God’s plan but do not know how to go about it. Our Archbishop, Mgr. Samuel Kléda, thinks putting in place this programme within the Family Life Apostolate framework will assist couples who want to live their sexuality in line with God’s plan.
What are some of these natural family planning methods you will be teaching in this programme?
We have the Billings, Sympto-thermal, Basal Body Temperature and Standard Day methods among others. There are others that combine two or three of these natural methods for optimal results. These methods also vary from one couple to another. Therefore each couple should understand their system and know which one is easier and more effective for them. However, we are not only going to focus our attention on techniques of natural family planning. We are also going to educate couples on family values. If we limit ourselves to birth control techniques it is not going to be different from what others are doing. We are proposing a Christian way of life for couples.
Why are you against the use of contraceptives which a majority of couples approve?
The Church is against artificial methods as they falsify God’s sexuality plan and love. The Church teaches that in the conjugal act, union and procreation should never be separated. With contraceptives we have union without procreation. Contraceptives have a lot of nefarious effects on women’s health. Those who prescribe these methods do not tell women who use them the consequences. Today many women either have cancer and/or sterile because of some of these contraceptives. Some women who have also used contraceptives for long are either depressed or have developed other complications like cardiac diseases. The condom, for example, has not proven to be 100 percent effective, reason why the Church prescribes abstinence and fidelity in marriage as the best means of fighting HIV/AIDS. Ethically, contraceptives debase women particularly. The husband sees his wife as an object of pleasure because she is available at all times. Contraceptives give the false illusion of what is usually called “Safe Sex”, but a lot of children have been born when the couple thought they had “safe sex”. Most contraceptives are abortifacient, or abortion-effective, and cause early term abortions. There is therefore a connection between contraceptives and abortion, which is murder.
Is this not a mission bound to fail considering that organisations and hospitals and even the State encourage artificial family planning methods?
(Chuckles) As Archbishop Mgr. Samuel Kléda said last July 11 during the protest march against Cameroon’s ratification of the controversial Maputo Protocol, we are neither fighting organisations nor human institutions. Our battle is spiritual. We are reawakening the consciences of God’s children to turn back to their creator. We are calling on couples not to keep God away from their sexual lives. A lot of people use contraceptives and defend these organisations out of ignorance. Once they will understand contraceptives endanger their lives, they will turn to God and use the natural methods He approves. Even international family planning bodies have natural family planning methods in their guides but do not lay emphasis on them. They instead discourage people from using them saying they are not effective. Besides, natural family planning methods encourage harmony in marriage, do not cost anything and usually have no side effects.
How many groups are involved in this programme?
For now we are not working with any particular group. However, we are open to any pro-Life organisation that wishes to work with us.
How many couples have already registered for the programme and who is eligible to register?
For now about 35 couples have already registered. Couples are the first category of people we are targeting because the Second Vatican Council teaches that procreation must take place only in marriage, not out of it. We are also targeting those who are either engaged or are planning to marry as they are also called upon to eventually control the number of children they will have naturally. Before now we have been training a limited number of couples in our centre in Douala. To make a greater impact, we are planning to extend the programme to other parts of the archdiocese.
How far will this go considering that Douala Archdiocese is one of the rare promoters of natural planning programmes?
It is already taking place in other dioceses especially in the English speaking part of the country, in Kumbo and Bamenda, for instance. We wish that with the help of different Bishops the programme be extended to all the dioceses of the country.
How do you intend to handle couples who prefer different natural family planning methods?
We shall enable couples understand why they should follow a particular method depending on their choice because once you fail to convince someone, the person cannot use what you are proposing. Some people have registered individually and need to work hard to prove the programme is effective to convince their partners to join them.
The Archdiocesan Natural Family Planning Programme puts natural birth control methods at the disposal of couples to permit them limit the number of their children naturally. These methods respect the human person and also God’s sexuality plan as they do not dissociate the sexual act and procreation, which is what happens when contraceptives are used. Several couples want to live their sexual life according to God’s plan but do not know how to go about it. Our Archbishop, Mgr. Samuel Kléda, thinks putting in place this programme within the Family Life Apostolate framework will assist couples who want to live their sexuality in line with God’s plan.
What are some of these natural family planning methods you will be teaching in this programme?
We have the Billings, Sympto-thermal, Basal Body Temperature and Standard Day methods among others. There are others that combine two or three of these natural methods for optimal results. These methods also vary from one couple to another. Therefore each couple should understand their system and know which one is easier and more effective for them. However, we are not only going to focus our attention on techniques of natural family planning. We are also going to educate couples on family values. If we limit ourselves to birth control techniques it is not going to be different from what others are doing. We are proposing a Christian way of life for couples.
Why are you against the use of contraceptives which a majority of couples approve?
The Church is against artificial methods as they falsify God’s sexuality plan and love. The Church teaches that in the conjugal act, union and procreation should never be separated. With contraceptives we have union without procreation. Contraceptives have a lot of nefarious effects on women’s health. Those who prescribe these methods do not tell women who use them the consequences. Today many women either have cancer and/or sterile because of some of these contraceptives. Some women who have also used contraceptives for long are either depressed or have developed other complications like cardiac diseases. The condom, for example, has not proven to be 100 percent effective, reason why the Church prescribes abstinence and fidelity in marriage as the best means of fighting HIV/AIDS. Ethically, contraceptives debase women particularly. The husband sees his wife as an object of pleasure because she is available at all times. Contraceptives give the false illusion of what is usually called “Safe Sex”, but a lot of children have been born when the couple thought they had “safe sex”. Most contraceptives are abortifacient, or abortion-effective, and cause early term abortions. There is therefore a connection between contraceptives and abortion, which is murder.
Is this not a mission bound to fail considering that organisations and hospitals and even the State encourage artificial family planning methods?
(Chuckles) As Archbishop Mgr. Samuel Kléda said last July 11 during the protest march against Cameroon’s ratification of the controversial Maputo Protocol, we are neither fighting organisations nor human institutions. Our battle is spiritual. We are reawakening the consciences of God’s children to turn back to their creator. We are calling on couples not to keep God away from their sexual lives. A lot of people use contraceptives and defend these organisations out of ignorance. Once they will understand contraceptives endanger their lives, they will turn to God and use the natural methods He approves. Even international family planning bodies have natural family planning methods in their guides but do not lay emphasis on them. They instead discourage people from using them saying they are not effective. Besides, natural family planning methods encourage harmony in marriage, do not cost anything and usually have no side effects.
How many groups are involved in this programme?
For now we are not working with any particular group. However, we are open to any pro-Life organisation that wishes to work with us.
How many couples have already registered for the programme and who is eligible to register?
For now about 35 couples have already registered. Couples are the first category of people we are targeting because the Second Vatican Council teaches that procreation must take place only in marriage, not out of it. We are also targeting those who are either engaged or are planning to marry as they are also called upon to eventually control the number of children they will have naturally. Before now we have been training a limited number of couples in our centre in Douala. To make a greater impact, we are planning to extend the programme to other parts of the archdiocese.
How far will this go considering that Douala Archdiocese is one of the rare promoters of natural planning programmes?
It is already taking place in other dioceses especially in the English speaking part of the country, in Kumbo and Bamenda, for instance. We wish that with the help of different Bishops the programme be extended to all the dioceses of the country.
How do you intend to handle couples who prefer different natural family planning methods?
We shall enable couples understand why they should follow a particular method depending on their choice because once you fail to convince someone, the person cannot use what you are proposing. Some people have registered individually and need to work hard to prove the programme is effective to convince their partners to join them.
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