Vatican family council goes on the offensive.ROME -- In a document marking its 25th anniversary, the Pontifical Council on the Family issued a scathing condemnation of artificial birth control and alternatives to the traditional form of marriage, according to Zenit News Agency. "Never before has the natural institution of matrimony and family been the victim of such violent attacks," reads the document, Family and Human Procreation procreation /pro·cre·a·tion/ (-kre-a´shun) reproduction (def. 1).pro´creative, issued in Italian on June 6. The document goes on to lament couples "willingly made sterile" through the use of artificial means of birth control birth control, practice of contraception for the purpose of limiting reproduction. Methods of Birth ControlMale birth control methods include withdrawal of the male before ejaculation (the oldest contraceptive technique) and use of the condom, a rubber sheath covering the penis. The condom, because of its use as a protection against sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, has become a frequently used birth control device. and to condemn attempts by same-sex couples to marry and have children through adoption or in vitro fertilization in vitro fertilization (vē`trō, vĭ`trō), technique for conception of a human embryo outside the mother's body. Several ova, or eggs, are removed from the mother's body and placed in special laboratory culture dishes (Petri dishes); sperm from the father are then added, or in many cases a sperm is injected directly into. The document permits the use of Natural Family Planning but strongly criticizes couples who use the method to limit the number of children to one or two. |
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