Faith has always seemed to be contrary to science. One seems to be based on hope alone, whereas the other seems to be based on evidence. How can the two live in harmony side by side? Isn’t one contrary to the other? It is useful to remember that science also involves an element of faith, especially when we put all our hopes in it being correct. And nothing illustrates this more perfectly than our faith in contraception.

Medical contraception blasted onto the scene in the 1960’s. Though to be fair, women have been coming up with ways of managing their fertility for millennia. However in the 1960’s the Pill was heralded as sexual freedom for women, allowing them to effectively manage their fertility through medical intervention. Chemical contraception remains to this day the contraception of choice for many women, however there are others who are alert to the negative impacts of these contraceptive methods on their own bodies. The faith they had in chemical contraceptives as good for them, and the science involved, is waning.

Science can also work with our faith. For many Catholics, using chemical contraceptives is contrary to the vision of sexual intimacy in marriage, which is open to life. Contraceptives remove the possibility of the woman falling pregnant and can also be abortive, allowing conception but preventing implantation. The scientific here collides with faith. However, science can confirm what many cultures and belief systems have known, which is that women’s bodies have an inbuilt fertile and infertile time. This inbuilt system provides a natural way of managing fertility, both for those who would prefer to avoid the science of chemical contraceptives, and those who want to comply with the teachings of their faith.

Science in this case has been able to support the choice of women to manage timing, spacing and number of children they would like to have in a natural and life affirming way. They are able to ask themselves “How many children should we have?” and be confident that naturally managing their fertility will help them achieve their fertility goals. At CatholicCare Sydney, we support and teach the Sympto-Thermal method of natural family planning, which has been scientifically proven to be as effective as the contraceptive pill in managing fertility. This method brings both science and faith together in unity.

Perhaps your reasons for considering natural family planning has nothing to do with your faith, but rather a lack of faith in modern science. There is a growing movement of women who are rejecting modern scientific ways of managing fertility, who are opting for natural methods. It can reassuring to know that natural methods of family planning are not just based on hope and faith, but on evidence based science.

Whatever your reasons for considering natural family planning, it is an area where faith and science collide. If you would like to explore this area of your relationship, CatholicCare has experienced and qualified clinicians who can work with you on your fertility goals naturally. Why not give them a call today.