Catholic Churches and Natural Family Planning and Ovulation Test Kits

[HappyNewMom]

I started visiting a Catholic Church recently. During the weekly devotions, I often hear petitions/prayers from church members praying to have a baby. I shared with some sisters an innovative AI ovulation tracker using saliva as I find it highly accurate in tracking and predicting ovulation cycle. However, I was told by a senior member of the church that this is not allowed as Catholic Churches only encourage national family planning without any drugs or IVF procedures. I’m puzzled as the saliva test kit, which I am familiar with, is not invasive, hence it’s safe, and does not require medication nor does it induce ovulation or other hormonal changes to the body to achieve pregnancy.

Anyone has a similar experience, or a different one with your church, to share?

[benchwarmer]

[Replying to HappyNewMom in post #1]

I'm not a Catholic anymore, but when I was we learned about Natural Family Planning (NFP). Part of NFP was charting the woman's cycle and various indicators to determine when she is fertile and when she is not.

Using modern science as you are suggesting is no different, so I'm not sure what the problem would be. Honestly, I find NFP just 'poor mans' contraception and/or fertility indication. It can either be used to try and get pregnant or to try and NOT get pregnant. If people were really just "Let God sort it out", they wouldn't bother and just do what feels right and let the pregnancies happen or not.

In other words, if you are using NFP, you are trying to steer what happens one way or the other.

[Purple Knight]

I shared with some sisters an innovative AI ovulation tracker using saliva as I find it highly accurate in tracking and predicting ovulation cycle. However, I was told by a senior member of the church that this is not allowed as Catholic Churches only encourage national family planning without any drugs or IVF procedures. I’m puzzled as the saliva test kit, which I am familiar with, is not invasive, hence it’s safe, and does not require medication nor does it induce ovulation or other hormonal changes to the body to achieve pregnancy.

I'm puzzled too and my instinct is that they're a bunch of phonies because you are supposed to be fruitful and multiply and I don't see anything in the Bible where God told anyone not to spit on a test strip.

The best Christian debater here is JW. He knows the Bible in and out, and he's quite good at constructing cogent, logical, and convincing arguments. He'd be the one to ask as far as finding some reference that might help you out here. I'm going to PM him, hopefully he agrees with me about God never telling anyone not to spit on a strip, and hopefully he can find some reference that will be in your corner.