The "book report" below comes from Fr. Phil Bloom  who also has a nice Catholic apologetics website. A large chunk of it, minus the nice color artwork, can be seen at Domestic Church. We called Wendy, who lives about 10 miles from us, and she sent us some of these pamphlets, and we were impressed, as was John Kippley from CCL. You may blush at the "anatomical correctness" of some of it, but it needs to be said. She is still waiting for an imprimatur from the Syracuse Diocese, but it turns out nobody does that here. You can try to e-mail Wendy, but they change their addresses a lot to avoid hate mail from "Pro-Choice"ers, so try to find an address from their website.
---Jim

With that starting point she gives short responses to questions many married couples have: Is refusal of marital relations wrong? Is oral stimulation forbidden? Clitoral stimulation? Anal sex? Sex toys? Reading or viewing erotic materials? Every confessor has heard these questions, especially the first one. But he also knows that many married people never bring them up either because of embarrassment or because they have somehow separated their "spiritual life" from their "flesh" or bodily existence. Wendy's book joins them nicely back together.

The most terrible area of that separation (which Pope John Paul calls a "New Manicheism") is "birth control." It is amazing that so many couples consider it a "non-issue" or one they want their doctor to decide for them. But is there a greater choice a married couple can face? This one after all involves the very meaning of their self-giving to each other. And that self-giving has the potential for calling a new human life into this world. Could any moral decision be more momentous? Yet I assure you that for many engaged couples the selection of the wedding dress and suit receives more attention. For those who see something wrong with that picture, Wendy's booklet is a nice place to start.

Once again using the question and answer format, she briefly explains what the Bible and Church teach about birth control, why it is a moral evil. She then explains the difference between contraceptives and abortifacients--and why the IUD, Norplant, Depo Provera and even the Pill are potential abortifacients. The booklet describes what is involved in tubal ligation and vasectomy--and why they are "intrinsically evil." She concludes with a question on "withdrawal" which besides being forbidden is "highly ineffective." This not a medical treatise, but what Wendy writes is well documented scientifically.

The same can be said for the final section which discusses Natural Family Planning. She explains what NFP is, how it differs from calendar rhythm method. The various signs of fertility are mentioned and how they can be effectively used to postpone or acheive a pregnancy. The benefits for marriage are layed out, including the almost non-existent divorce rate among NFP users. A common question is not avoided: If it works so well, "how come most couples who use NFP have large families?" Finally she talks about "creative continence" and how it can put "S.P.I.C.E." into a marriage relationship.

This booklet is still waiting the "Imprimatur," official approval by a Catholic bishop. It does have a warm endorsement from Wendy's own pastor, Fr. Edwin Comeskey, STL. I also consider "What Every Catholic Couple Should Know" to be an accurate presentation of our Church's teaching in this delicate and vitally important area.

Copy(s) of What Every Catholic Couple Should Know may be obtained by writing to Wendy at the above address. She also has available rosaries and devotional materials available for a small donation.