What is a healthy and eco-friendly alternative to contraceptives that respects the dignity of the sexual act?
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CNS) -- Mark W. LeChevallier agrees with Dr. Lester Ruppersberger, a pro-life obstetrician and gynecologist, that natural family planning is safe, healthy and effective. But he would add one more characteristic: It's environmentally responsible.LeChevallier is director of innovation and environmental stewardship at American Water, the largest water and wastewater provider in North America. Along with his wife, he also has been a certified instructor of natural family planning for the past 25 years.
In separate talks July 26 to a national conference in Cherry Hill, LeChevallier and Ruppersberger approached the topic of natural family planning from very different directions but reached similarly positive conclusions.
[...]LeChevallier shared the podium with Roxana U. Barillas, a domestic policy adviser at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, for a discussion on "Toxins, the Environment and the Child in the Womb." He spoke about the drastic effects that discarded contraceptive medicines and devices have been having on the nation's water and animals, especially fish.
In a talk with the daunting title of "Endocrine Disruptions: Chemical Contraceptives in Sewage Effluents," LeChevallier explained that like secondhand smoke, "secondhand estrogens are being released into the environment," to devastating effect on fish, panthers, alligators and other wildlife.
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"the synthetic estrogen used in birth control pills can wreak havoc on the sex lives of fish," LeChevallier said, citing reduced penis size in male fish, masculinized female fish and other sex-related changes.
Because the synthetic estrogen is not absorbed well into the body, much of the drug is released into the environment through women's urine, he said. In addition, used contraceptive rings and patches are having a further polluting effect, he said.
Noting that in Europe, drug manufacturers are required to provide a bag for disposal or return of used contraceptive devices, LeChevallier recommended that the U.S. adopt the same policy. "Why do pharmaceutical companies here get a free ride?" he asked.
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Barillas' presentation focused on the "distinctly Catholic approach to environmental concerns," which she said is neither "a new message for us" nor "an issue that is out there just for people who live close to the woods."
Of special concern for Catholics is the fact that "the poor and powerless are most likely to bear the burden of our environmental carelessness," she said.
"The poor, the elderly and persons with disabilities often are exposed to multiple contaminants," Barillas said, adding that children especially are at risk because they suffer "greater exposure pound for pound" and have a "diminished ability to detoxify and excrete many chemical toxins."
Unborn children also face many environmental risks, including lead, mercury, pesticides and other chemicals, she said.
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