The Church and Contraception (with Dr. Sarah Denny Lorio)

What is the Church’s stance on contraception? Fr. Josh Johnson and Dr. Sarah Denny Lorio answer questions about contraception and abortion. They break down the historic Christian stance on contraception, contraception within marriage, and different types of sexual education. While the world continues to change and shift, the Church has remained steadfast in its teachings on this subject. We can benefit from continuing to learn and wrestle with these teachings in order to better understand for ourselves and future generations.

Snippet from the Show

Contraception has proven to have failed us.


Shownotes

Glory Story (1:36)
Listener Question (6:44)

I am a pro-life person but can’t come to terms with the Catholic Church’s stance on birth control even among married couples. I’ve seen many women, especially young minorities, who are disproportionately affected by unplanned teenage pregnancies through not having access to reliable contraception mostly due to cost and other hurdles. Why not teach comprehensive sex ed. which is inclusive of abstinence? I think that it is a very patriarchal viewpoint by the bishops who influence public policy for all citizens. The pill will be over the counter next year and I believe we will all see the benefits in a reduction of abortions thankfully. I believe this was the end goal of the Dobbs decision after all. Considering that over 90% of Catholic women use artificial contraception, why don’t they trust women to make informed decisions about their health and their families? 
-Anonymous

Prayer (25:29)

Litany of Reform, by Reform Wellness

Lord, I desire to be whole and holy.
From the fear that I cannot be well,
deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that I must heal myself,
deliver me, Jesus.
From the temptation to give in to discouragement,
deliver me, Jesus.
From the temptation to revert to old patterns,
deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire to overhaul my life all at once,
deliver me, Jesus.
From halfhearted devotion,
deliver me, Jesus.
From tireless labor without rest,
deliver me, Jesus.
From strain and depletion,
deliver me, Jesus.
From idleness and frailty,
deliver me, Jesus.
From gluttony and deprivation,
deliver me, Jesus.
From searching outside of You for my identity and purpose,
deliver me, Jesus.
From worldly hurry, monotony, and gloom,
deliver me, Jesus.
From selfishness and self-reliance, loneliness and isolation,
deliver me, Jesus.
From excess, distraction, and lesser attachments,
deliver me, Jesus.
To believe in Your life-giving power to restore me,
reform me, Jesus.
To humbly place my trust in You as the Divine Healer,
reform me, Jesus.
To obediently follow where You lead me,
reform me, Jesus.
To choose to move past resistance with persistence and grace,
reform me, Jesus.
To release my expectations and allow You to surprise me,
reform me, Jesus.
To let it be done unto me so that new life may be born,
reform me, Jesus.
To embrace my faith as the center of my life and whole being,
reform me, Jesus.
To surrender and sleep in Your peace,
reform me, Jesus.
To rely on and confide in You as I hand over my worries,
reform me, Jesus.
To move my body in a way that brings You glory,
reform me, Jesus.
To nourish my whole person to be fully alive in You,
reform me, Jesus.
To sanctify my humanness and strive for sainthood,
reform me, Jesus.
To playfully submit to You with childlike joy,
reform me, Jesus.
To seek communion with You and be Your light for those around me,
reform me, Jesus.
To cultivate simplicity and yield to Your abundance,
reform me, Jesus.
For my body to be transformed as Your dwelling,
reform me, Jesus.
For my mind to be raised toward heaven,
reform me, Jesus.
For my soul to be consecrated to Your care,
reform me, Jesus.
For my heart to answer Your call with my fiat,
reform me, Jesus.
For my whole person to be immersed in and reformed by Your love,
reform me, Jesus.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus,
have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary,
pray for us.
St. Teresa of Ávila, patroness of Reform,
pray for us.
Amen.

About Dr. Sarah Denny Lorio

Dr. Sarah Denny Lorio holds a PhD in Bioethics from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, and her doctoral research argued for a “third way” of sex education that teaches young people fertility awareness-based methods both as preventive medicine and as proximate vocation preparation. Throughout the last 12 years, Sarah has taught at both the university and high school levels: working as an ethics professor at Loyola University in New Orleans, teaching and coaching young women at Archbishop Chapelle High School in New Orleans, and speaking and leading international trips for college students as a campus minister at Louisiana State University. Trained in two methods of fertility awareness–Creighton Model FertilityCare System (2013) and FEMM (2024)–her passion is to empower women through a deeper knowledge of the great gift and beauty of their bodies and sexuality. In her work, she consistently seeks to integrate the demands of medicine with the dignity of womanhood and highlights the essential role of human freedom in the education of young women. She is in the process both of developing a high school curriculum that brings light to these realities as well as creating similar resources for parents. She currently lives in New Orleans, LA, and works remotely as a Personal Consultations Fellow with the National Catholic Bioethics Center. 

You can find out more on her website: What Women Are.


Resources

Meet Fr. Josh Johnson

While Fr. Josh was raised Catholic, he didn’t like the Church growing up. Then, one day in adoration, he fell in love with Jesus and received the call to become a priest.

Now, Fr. Josh is the Vocations Director of the Diocese of Baton Rouge in Louisiana. He is a presenter in four of Ascension’s programs: Altaration, YOU: Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body, The 99, and Connected: Catholic Social Teaching for This Generation, as well as the author of Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation, Pocket Guide to Adoration, and co-author of Pocket Guide to Reconciliation.

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Never Miss an Episode!

Get show notes, exclusive bonus content, and more sent straight to your inbox.