Tyler Catholic hospital sterilizations

I didn't say that I supported laws banning contraception. But, as long as you brought it up, contraceptives were illegal up until about the middle of the last century. Moreover, almost all of the Protestant churches opposed the use of contraceptives until the Anglican Church OK'd them at its Lambeth Conference in the 1930s (I think it was 1935). At that point, public opinion, which had always opposed them, began to change until it reached the point where today almost everyone approves of their use.

But the simple fact of the matter is that the contraceptive mentality leads directly to the abortion mentality because abortion is the back-up when birth control fails. If you accept the premise that people should be able to have sex without any "unwanted" consequences, that the sexual act should be separated from its natural end, which is procreation, then it is logical to accept that if procreation "accidentally" occurs, it is OK to end the pregnancy by abortion. Moreover, it is the people who accept contraception who also accept the notion that there is such a thing as an "unwanted baby."

When Pope Paul VI condemned the birth control pill in his encyclical, "Humanae vitae," he made several predictions about what would happen if the use of contraceptives became widespread and all of his predictions came true. He wrote that the use of contraceptives would cause an increase in illegitimacy, in abortions and in divorce and it would contribute to a lowering of respect for women, who would be increasingly seen as sex objects.

Also, natural family planning is an ethical alternative to using contraception or resorting to sterilization procedures. The Catholic Church has never taught that women must remain perpetually pregnant.

But I will add this: it is those of us who choose to have more than one or two children, who will end up shaping the future of society. Those who choose to severely limit the number of children they have won't leave anything to the next generation but their own selfishness.

But the simple fact of the matter is that the contraceptive mentality leads directly to the abortion mentality because abortion is the back-up when birth control fails. If you accept the premise that people should be able to have sex without any "unwanted" consequences, that the sexual act should be separated from its natural end, which is procreation, then it is logical to accept that if procreation "accidentally" occurs, it is OK to end the pregnancy by abortion.

By your logic then, there shouldn't be any distinction made between natural contraception and modern contraception, since both seek to separate sex from its natural end. You also condemn a husband who has a visectomy after he's fathered three kids with the same brush as a woman who has an abortion because she sees a baby as inconvenient. You'll have to forgive me if I find such charges ridiculous.

Moreover, it is the people who accept contraception who also accept the notion that there is such a thing as an "unwanted baby."

Wrong again. Many people who are pro-life have no problem with contraception.

But I will add this: it is those of us who choose to have more than one or two children, who will end up shaping the future of society. Those who choose to severely limit the number of children they have won't leave anything to the next generation but their own selfishness.

Not much to argue there with the first sentence, but believe your wrong on the "selfishness" accusation. I'm glad that many people choose to not have children; not everyone is cut out for parenthood. I don't view it as selfish if someone chooses not to have kids. The last thing we need is more lousy parents.

No there is self control, but if you haven’t noted, this country has become morally bankrupt!

First of all I am not “old” as you put it. I was born and raised Catholic and attened Catholic schools for 12 years.
I have seen the complete loss of morals in this country and I would rather see a form of birth control then the killing of babies. And yes, they are unwanted, I worked for an OB-Gyn for years and watched women come and go who used abortion as birth control!
As for children, I have four of my own, if you believe in having endless children, that is your right, but do not expect the rest of the people in this country to follow your beliefs because the majority will not.

Comparing abortion and contraception is appalling, and no one who does so should ever be taken seriously

You should never take the SCOTUS seriously, then, because their argument in Roe v. Wade was precisely that the "right to privacy" they'd invented in Griswold v. Connecticut (which struck down all state laws prohibiting contraceptive sales) also protected a right to abortion.

this country has become morally bankrupt

Sterilization will fix sexual immorality just as well as gun control will end crime.

Well, it looks like you didn’t learn anything about Church teaching during the twelve years that you spent in Catholic schools. It’s too bad because you obviously have no understanding or appreciation of the Church’s teaching on sexuality.

The widespread practice of artificial birth control has led to an increase in illegitimacy, abortion, and divorce as well as to the steep decline in this country’s morals. You yourself pointed out that many women use abortion as a method of birth control and the reason that they do so is precisely because artificial birth control is socially acceptable. And, of course, some methods of birth control, such as the pill, not only act to prevent conception but also act as abortifacients, which prevent the implantation of the early embryo if conception does occur.

The simple fact of the matter is that you can’t separate contraception from abortion because they are two sides of the same coin. It’s no accident that the nation’s biggest chain of abortion clinics, Planned Parenthood, is also a big distributor of contraceptives.

Finally, when you call someone “unwanted,” you dehumanize and devalue that person. There is no such thing as an “unwanted baby.” There are just selfish parents who put their own self-gratification and pleasure ahead of the welfare their own children.

It certainly won’t but it certainly will stop those who should not have children from having more.

I agree, but they are still “unwanted” no matter how you want to see it. As for Catholic teaching, I left the church because I see no sense in many of its teachings.
A good example was that of Mother Teresa who was against birth control but then tried to feed the starving masses. Sorry but I am practical and the church is not. Just witness the starving children in Africa and India, do you prefer starving children to birth control? I don’t.