Sir, - As a Roman Catholic with a grown-up family of eight, I cannot in conscience let the article on contraception by Mr Frank Flanagan (Rite and Reason, November 17th) pass without some comment.
He quotes from Humanae Vitae to support his case against artificial contraception. It states that "every action which proposes, as an end, or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil."
Looking at this statement objectively, one can apply it equally to the natural method advocated by the Church, i.e. the rhythm method or "Vatican Roulette".
Let's look at married couples A and B. Couple A plan to space their family and use some method of artificial contraception. They are confident that a pregnancy will not ensue if they act responsibly with whatever devices they use. They will dispense with contraception when they agree to have a baby. Simply put, they decide at any time whether to have a baby or not. In their situation artificial contraception is the means to make procreation impossible.
Couple B, as Roman Catholics, rely on the rhythm method and use the safe period to avoid conception. If they wish to have a baby they plan it during the wife's fertile period. Like Couple A they use contraception to avoid a pregnancy. The only difference is that one is artificial, the other natural. Unfortunately, the natural method is notoriously unreliable. Irish maternity hospitals were full of rhythm babies in former years!
In both scenarios neither couple want a baby at this particular time. I suspect Mr Flanagan will use the hoary old argument that Couple B are not interfering with nature and that is possible the woman could conceive. But having a new baby is not part of their plan. Should it happen it would be contrary to their wishes.
Does the higher risk of pregnancy for them make it morally more acceptable than the method used by the other couple? I do not believe so.
If I understand Mr Flanagan correctly, the behaviour of Couple A is incompatible with Catholic teaching. It seems to me, using the same criterion, that Couple B are equally guilty. Perhaps this is why many priests today are honest enough to see the incongruity of the Church's position on contraception. - Yours, etc., Brendan M. Redmond,
Hazelbrook Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W.