The Roman Catholic Church and Family Planning. Time for a change?

By William LeMaire

The Roman Catholic Church has always been opposed to the use of artificial methods of contraception. Only the so called Natural Methods of Family Planning (also called the Fertility Awareness Methods) are allowed. The author argues that these natural methods are satisfying and effective under ideal circumstances and when practiced by educated and dedicated couples. However under less than ideal circumstances, especially in developing countries and for those people living under dismal and dangerous conditions, the natural methods have a high and unacceptable failure rate. There are many effective methods of contraception available but they are banned by the Catholic Church. The author is a practicing obstetrician and gynecologist with broad cross cultural experience. He argues not from a theological perspective but from his practical viewpoint and experience that the time is overdue for the Catholic Church to change its teaching and allow the use of artifice methods family planning.

He also argues that in the Western World this issue may seem "passé" as many catholics have already decided to ignore their Church's directive and are waiting for the hierarchy to catch up.Theologians and practicing catholics in the Western World have no longer an interest in pursuing the hierarchy of their Church for a change. That seems a selfish attitude as in developing countries and for millions of people living under dismal and dangerous conditions, making up their own minds and ignoring the teaching of their Church about Family Planning, or alternatively to go elsewhere is not an option.This exposes them to unplanned pregnancies with all its consequences.

The author opines that therefor the issue is not passé and that a continuing effort by catholics everywhere is a must, to hopefully pressure the Church's Hierarchy to come around, change the teaching of the Church about Family Planning and allow effective and safe methods of contraception. Such a decision by the Church would benefit everyone, but especially those catholics around the world who may have no other option than to follow the official teaching of their Church as it pertains to planning their families.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William LeMaire
• Release date: Nov 30, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370461547

William LeMaire

I was born on November 3, 1933 in a small town close the major port of Antwerp in Belgium. All of my primary and high school education was in Antwerp. I lived through WW II and the German occupation. I went to medical school at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium, where I graduated in 1958. My internship was in Schenectady, New York. When I finished the internship, Belgium still had an obligatory military service. Instead I signed up with the Belgian colonial health service and was assigned to a government hospital in the interior of the former Belgian Congo, now called, after their independence from Belgium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I left there in the middle of 1960 shortly after that country obtained its independence. After completing a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Miami in 1965, I completed a two year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology in Miami and then joined the faculty of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the UM. I rose rapidly in the academic ranks and was promoted to full professor in 1974. Wanting to retire early from my academic position, I left the full time practice there at the end of 1989 at the age of 55. However I remained in the faculty and to date I am an Emeritus Clinical Professor of the University of Miami. After leaving the University of Miami, I worked for various lengths of time as an obstetrician and gynecologist in a number of locations around the world and and in the USA. These locations include : Okinawa Japan; Karachi, Pakistan; Sitka, Alaska, Queensland, Australia; Tasmania, Australia; New Zealand; St Lucia in the Caribbean; Chiapas, Mexico. Many of my assignments were organized through an organization out of Salt Lake City in Utah, called Global Medical Staffing. This organization recently ran an article about our travels and experiences in their newsletter. the link is : http://www.gmedical.com/newsletter/LeMaire Currently (2017), I am retired from clinical practice and am Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. I am also voluntary professor at the Florida International University, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, where I am member of the Medical College Admissions Committee and interview medical school applicants. I am board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and maintain a li...

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