Susan Henry attended the July 12 UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) function to mark World Population Day at the Hyatt.Mrs Henry made an intervention on behalf of the Billings Ovulation Method. The following is the statement she prepared and presented when the floor was opened to the public.
“I am representing the Billings Ovulation Method of Natural Fertility Regulation. We operate under the umbrella of the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission, one of the commissions of the Catholic Church.
I am sure that most of you know that the Catholic Church does not give its approval to contraception or abortion. But perhaps you do not know the reasons for this, and if I may be given a few minutes I would like to try to explain why this is so.
We believe that God has created us male and female and has made us sexual beings.
We believe that sex is sacred body language which must be valued and reserved for marriage. We further believe that sexual intercourse has two ends: 1. for babies and 2. for bonding of the husband and wife. We believe that there is an inseparable connection willed by God and unable to be broken by man on his own initiative between the unitive (bonding) and procreative (babies) aspect of sexual union. Therefore what the Church proposes is natural fertility regulation, in which a woman can learn through observing certain signs in her body when she is fertile or when she is infertile. If the couple want to achieve a pregnancy they know that the fertile phase is the time to engage in sexual intercourse. If they want to postpone or prevent a pregnancy they know that they need to abstain from sexual intercourse when the woman is fertile. In this way they respect the two-fold purpose of sexual intercourse.
The Billings Ovulation Method is a very simple method of responsible family planning which has been proved to be 99% effective when the guidelines are followed. What it requires, is to learn the method through being instructed one-on-one with a teacher of the method, plus discipline to follow the rules. It has the potential to enhance couple communication and means both spouses must share the responsibility for planning their family.
We promote chaste living among our youth; that they abstain from intercourse until marriage. We believe that God’s commandments are just that, commandments to be followed and not merely suggestions that we can choose to disobey, so sex outside of marriage, fornication, adultery or homosexual acts are all contrary to God’s order, they are a disordered use of the sexual capacity.
Nevertheless we know that sex does go on outside of marriage and we know that every child conceived is precious and that no one has the right to destroy the life of the unborn regardless of the circumstances of their conception. As Pam Stenzel who was conceived through the rape of her mother has said, “I did not deserve the death penalty because of the crime of my father”.
After 50 years of promoting contraception which has separated the unitive and the procreative, sex has become a passing pleasure which tears the hearts of our young people apart. This beautiful gift, this sacred body language has the potential of healing our society if its essence is respected, if we are courageous enough to stand against the world and teach our children the beauty of God’s plan.
The Billings Ovulation Method is a gift that we offer to you. I thank you.”
