The Real Feminist Revolution

It's NFP (Natural Family Planning) Awareness Week

so how I could I resist talking about it just a little.

I've talked before about why we don't use birth control.

You know, the carcinogens.

NFP has liberated many women from the chains of the pill,

but there are many like me, who through no grace of my own,

thankfully never started.

I am so grateful to be Catholic and have a Church who in Her wisdom spoke about this topic way before it was ever a widespread issue.

Because the Church says so, is really why I used NFP to start.

It was the only reason I needed.

The cost and the safety, though no small thing, were just happy side effects.

One thing I really didn't anticipate though, was how aware of my body I became.

For a culture that is all about the women's body, we are so clueless.

When I started learning how to use NFP I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard all this stuff before.

I mean, I attended public high school where we spent a whole semester in health class.

Sex ed at it's best right?

Why hadn't I learned about the fertility cycle and its signs?

Seems pretty basic.

We certainly learned about artificial contraception.

My only conclusion is the teachers and/or the people who make the curriculum either simply don't know, or don't care and are trying to push their agenda.

But I fear the problem is worse than this.

People in the medical field don't even know this stuff.

I will never forget when I realized I was pregnant (the second time).

I called the  women's clinic I was going to, to schedule an appointment.

 The conversation with the nurse went something like this:

"Hi I would like to make an appointment. I am pregnant!"

Nurse: "Okay when did you take your pregnancy test?"

Me: "I haven't taken one."

Nurse: "Well then how do you know you are pregnant?"

Me: "Well we practice NFP and after my fertile time my temperature stayed elevated for two weeks which of course means I am pregnant and also I am never late, actually my cycles are always 28 days and..."

Nurse: "Um, perhaps you should go get a pregnancy test."

Me: "No thanks, I know my body and I know I'm pregnant."

Nurse: "Okay I guess we can just do a pregnancy test when you come in."

Really?

Have we really come so far in medicine and technology that the most basic human functions and instincts don't matter any more? It's the same with childbirth (stay on topic Dacia, that's a rant for another day).

The truth of the matter is, the women's body is AWESOME.

The way everything works, the fertility cycle, hormones, labor and childbirth, breastfeeding, etc simply make me marvel

at the magnificence of the Divine Creator.

So my question is, why don't know people know about NFP?

If our society's teachers and doctors don't know (or care)

how are people going to learn?

For me, it was a Church crying out in the wilderness.

For others, it is an effort to "go green"

and remove harmful chemicals from their lives.

But one thing I do know, is that those of us who NFP need to speak about it.

Yes it is personal, but it is literally a matter of life and death here.

If you haven't heard of NFP before, look it up.

It may seem daunting, but it really is quite easy if you are dedicated.

Trust me, there is even an app for it.



Mmmm Carcinogens...

So you may have heard about this already but I would be remis if I didn't share my thoughts.  The World Health Organization has declared hormornal contraceptives (like the birth control pill) a Group 1 carcinogen.  A carcinogen is a agent directly known to cause cancer.  You may be familiar with other carcinogens such as Asbestos, Plutonium, X-Rays, or Mustard Gas to name a few. 

I have believed for sometime that the Pill is almost solely responsible for the dramatic rise in breast cancer over the years.  Now finally some doctors are brave enough to speak out against this magic Pill which has *insert sarcasm* liberated women from the chains of fertility and the bonds of domestication.  Actually this pill has been a 20th century plague devouring lives and marriages.  It boggles my mind that more people aren't talking about this, especially with the raging war against the tobacco industry.  I don't see how this is different, except for the fact that doctors are actually telling women to take it and that it is perfectly safe. Women are buying organic food, chemical free cleaners, and having natural childbirths because they are worried about all the toxins being put into their bodies, yet the same people are popping the Pill and not thinking anything of it. Anyway, if you want to read more about this, you can do so here otherwise let me take a second to share with you my experience with NOT using the birth control pill.

I have the most amazing husband in the world. He asked me to the Homecoming Dance my freshman year of highschool and we have been together ever since. We waited until marriage to be intimate, so the birth control pill was never something that I had to worry about or was pressured into in my younger days. While preparing for marriage I heard about Natural Family Planning on the Relevant Radio 930 AM and decided to look more into it. Being that it was what the Church recommended, I knew that spritually it was something we would have to learn but I had no idea how rooted in science and practicality it would be. A women's body works a certain way, whereas the birth control pill manipulates the proccess, NFP simply teaches you how to observe and work with your body. I was suprised how easy it was and how in tune with myself it brought me. It is free after the initial costs of learning (I think it was $75 for us) and it is obviously natural. Whether trying to avoid a pregnancy for serious reasons or trying to acheive it has been 100% effective for us. I could go on and on about the wonders it has done for our relationship and how amazed I am at how perfect God designed our bodies to work in accord with His plan, but for now I will just say that I can rest easy knowing that my body is safe from the carcinogen of contraceptives.

The pill just celebrated 50 yrs. I pray we will look back on those 50 yrs and say "what were we thinking?"