Principles of The Couple to Couple League

The Creator of the universe and the Lord of Life has created marriage for love and life.

The Catholic Church provides the basis for our understanding of Christian marriage.

• We are each created in the image and likeness of God to love as such, and are called to act as God acts.
• The marital act is a gift of one spouse to the other for the sake for the other; as such it builds up marital love and marriages.
• The love-life bond of a sacramental marriage allows a couple to love children into existence.
• Children are to be accepted as a gift from God—whether asked for or not—and are to be loved for their own sake.
  • Married couples are called to be generous in the service of life.
  • Married couples are not required to have as many children as may be physically possible.
• Certain acts are inherently contrary to marriage and the plan of the Creator. These include:
• The use of drugs and devices that abort a newly conceived life, which is an attack against the mother, father, and the new life.
• Any action which damages or frustrates the normal function of a healthy, reproductive or other functioning part of the body. Such actions are contrary to the dignity of the human person and include, but are not limited to, abortion, sterilization, or contraceptive behavior, e.g. using anti-conception or anti-implantation drugs, chemicals and devices or behaviors such as withdrawal, masturbation, or sodomy.
• Adultery, fornication, pornography and homosexual acts, which are contrary to the dignity of the human person.
• Technological reproduction, which is contrary to the dignity of the human person and the family.

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the understanding of the fertility of the male and female.

• When Christian prudence leads a couple to conclude that they should postpone a pregnancy, they should abstain from marital relations during the fertile times.
• Anyone can learn NFP.
• NFP allows well-instructed couples, with proper use, to achieve the same effectiveness of spacing babies as artificial birth control.
• Responsible parenthood is the virtuous application of NFP within this marriage. The right of the couple to exercise responsible parenthood within their marriage must be respected.

Marital relations can become habit forming; couples need to turn to prayer and sacrifice in placing the sexual drive at the service of authentic married love.

Teachers shall respect the appropriate autonomy of learning couples to determine the size of their own families based on their own physical, economic, psychological and social conditions.

Exclusive and continued breastfeeding is an art that is normally best for baby’s care and development. Normally, mothers will breastfeed until baby-led weaning occurs.

Whenever teachers engage in any form of chastity education or marriage preparation, they must respect the teachings of the Catholic Church and use age-appropriate language.

Involvement in our apostolate should always respect the priorities within the family.