The Catholic Debate on Contraceptives

This is not saying that contraceptives destroy human life; it is merely saying that it is preventing it. Disagreeing with contraceptives means disagreeing with more than one catholic teaching; issues like the death penalty, physician assisted suicide, abortions, and contraception all go along with the holiness of life. Note that abortions and contraception are not grouped together, this is because contraceptives and abortion are on completely separate sides of the spectrum of extremes; they are just generally grouped together. Abortion has lasting emotional and psychological effects and destroys life that already exists. Abortion is a killing of sorts where as contraception is just a cock block to having a baby at all, completely different issues. .
             People who are wishy washy with contraceptives, saying that artificial birth control is totally wrong, but that natural family planning is okay, are not going along with Catholic teaching. The use of contraceptives is defined by the Catholic Church as " 'any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act [sexual intercourse], or in its accomplishment, or in the, development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible,'" (Brom). This says that the Catholic Church deems it wrong just to think about cutting out procreation, which, the pull out method and natural family planning both do even without any birth control pills, condoms, diaphragms, vaginal rings, or other forms of artificial contraceptives. Natural family planning has the intention of controlling when life is given and that is a direct violation. There is nothing wrong as long as one is outside Catholicism.
             Early Church fathers of the Patristic Age did in fact believe that sex was to be deemed only for procreation and the pleasure was just a bonus gift from God. However, the U.S. Catholic Bishops published Marriage: Life and Love in the Divine Plan which speaks about how sex is for two purposes love and procreation which, "are inseparably connected," (Cassidy).