In defense of the Catholic Church

 

By Sara Perla

The Washington Post

 

Among many mistaken claims that have been made in the last few weeks, one is that according to many in the media, I do not exist.  Nor do many of my friends.

Who am I?  A single, chaste, Catholic woman who has studied to understand church teaching on contraception, and finds herself happy as she freely lives out that teaching.

Who are many of my friends?  Catholic parents who use natural family planning to space their children or avoid pregnancy altogether at times for good reasons. They claim— it seems justifiably—that self-control is their birth control. These men and women never claim that it is easy to raise a family in today’s world, but they do so with love.  Most of the critics of natural family planning have never tried it.  Others have tried it and found it difficult.

Jon O’Brien’s recent piece entitled, “Did the bishops forget about women?” was particularly striking.  They have not forgotten me, Mr. O’Brien.
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