Clarifying Catholicism Clarifying Catholicism

"But do these treatments work? Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh write 'Adolescents with gender identity disorder have poor anxiety tolerance. Seeking sex reassignment surgery is a defensive solution and a mechanism for control of anxiety. The thought of not having a solution for their distress increases their anxiety, thus making it very difficult to achieve a therapeutic alliance.' Basically, this means, according to their analysis, that giving adolescents a sex change doesn’t actually treat their underlying anxieties or depression, rather it sweeps their emotional distress under the rug by providing a temporary bandage that makes them FEEL like they are in control."

Studies Mentioned:
Alexander Danvers, “Serotonin Imbalance Found Not to Be Linked to Depression,” https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-do-you-know/202207/serotonin-imbalance-found-not-be-linked-depression#:~:text=New%20research%2C%20reviewing%20huge%20bodies,SSRIs%2C%20remain%20an%20effective%20treatment.
Darlynne Gehring and Gail Knudson, “Prevalence of Childhood Trauma in a Clinical Population of Transsexual People,” https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-05206-002
Kenneth Zucker and Susan Bradley, “Gender Identity Disorder and Psychological Problems in Children and Adolescents,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697020/#:~:text=Gender%20identity%20disorders%20(GID)%20can,clinical%20course%20is%20highly%20variable.
Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh, “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/executive-summary-sexuality-and-gender
Lawrence Mayer and Paul McHugh, “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/executive-summary-sexuality-and-gender
Paul McHugh, “Transgenderism: A Pathogenic Meme,” https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2015/06/15145/
Giulia Giacomelli, “Bone Health in Transgenderism: A Review,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9150228/
Janella Hudson, Leena Nahata, Elizabeth Dietz, and Gwendolyn P. Quinn, “Fertility Counseling for Transgender AYAs” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5979264/#:~:text=Cross%2Dsex%20hormones%20have%20many,which%20can%20lead%20to%20azoospermia.
Jennifer Block, “Gender dysphoria in young people is rising—and so is professional disagreement,” https://www.bmj.com/content/380/bmj.p382

"Today’s media makes pornography one of the most difficult addictions to break. Even scrolling through social media surrounds us viewers in temptation. There is nothing liberating about being trapped by our base sexual desires. If anything, containing sex to marriage actually liberates us, as it helps us appreciate the more fulfilling aspects of sex and helps us love our partners more."

"There’s something beautiful, almost magical about the realization that what you are doing is participating in a procreative action. That is something that same sex intercourse cannot do. The point of this episode isn’t to say that people with same-sex attraction should be demonized, hated, or unjustly treated. Rather, the point is that awareness needs to be raised of the health risks, both psychologically and biologically, that are associated with homosexual and bisexual lifestyles. There are people who are born with same-sex attraction and can live holy and healthy lives. If we love them, then we ought to help them, not by forcing them to do anything, but by providing resources and information that they could willingly choose to accept or reject."

Studies Mentioned: Sara Reardon, “Massive Study Finds No Single Genetic Cause of Same-Sex Sexual Behavior,” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/massive-study-finds-no-single-genetic-cause-of-same-sex-sexual-behavior/

Andrea L. Roberts, M. Maria Glymour, and Karestan Koenen, “Does Maltreatment in Childhood Affect Sexual Orientation in Adulthood?” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3535560/

Richard Fitzgibbons, Phillip Sutton, Dale O’Leary, “The Psycopathology of ‘Sex Reassignment Surgery: Assessing its Medical, Psychological, and Ethical Appropriateness,” http://www.laityfamilylife.va/content/dam/laityfamilylife/Documenti/donna/culturasocieta/english/psychopathology-of-sex-reassignment-surgery.pdf

Ron de Graaf, Theo Sandfort, Magreet ten Have, “Suicidality and Sexual Orientation: Differences between Mena and Women in a General Population Based Sample from the Netherlands,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16799841/

Kevin Heslin, Johanna Alfier, “Sexual Orientation Differences in Access to Care and Health Status, Behaviors, and Beliefs: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Survey of Family Growth, and National Health Interview Survey,” https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr171.pdf

Stephen Russell, Jessica Fish, “Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4887282/

Kevin Heslin, Johanna Alfier, “Sexual Orientation Differences in Access to Care and Health Status, Behaviors, and Beliefs: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, National Survey of Family Growth, and National Health Interview Survey,” https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr171.pdf

Jeffrey Parsons, T. Starks, K. Gamaarel, C. Grov, “Non-monogamy and Sexual Relationship Quality among Same-Sex Male Couples,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22906124/ Center for Disease Control, “Sexually Transmitted Diseases,” https://www.cdc.gov/msmhealth/STD.htm#:~:text=the%20United%20States.-,Gay%2C%20bisexual%2C%20and%20other%20men%20who%20have%20sex%20with%20men,who%20have%20sex%20with%20men.

"More sexual partners seems to correlate with higher divorce ratings. In 2000, the Center for Disease Control began tracking women who had reported different numbers of extramarital partners. Within five years, only 5% of women with 0 sexual partners before marriage had divorced. Women who had reported just one single sexual partner before marriage jumped up to a 22% divorce rate. That’s a 17% increase due to just one partner. The average for 2-9 partners was 30%, and above 10 partners was 35%."

Studies Mentioned:
Mary Eberstadt, “Adam and Eve After the Pill,” https://www.amazon.com/Adam-Eve-After-Pill-Revolution/dp/1586178229
Nicholas H. Wolfinger, “Counterintuitive Trends in the Link between Premarital Sex and Marital Stability,” https://ifstudies.org/blog/counterintuitive-trends-in-the-link-between-premarital-sex-and-marital-stability
“Sexually Transmitted Diseases — Reported Cases and Rates of Reported Cases*, United States, 1941–2021,” https://www.cdc.gov/std/statistics/2021/tables/1.htm
“Reported STDs in the United States,” https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/fact-sheets/std/std-us-2021.html
Scott Stanley and Galena Rhoades, “Premarital Cohabitation is Still Associated with Greater Odds of Divorce,” https://ifstudies.org/blog/premarital-cohabitation-is-still-associated-with-greater-odds-of-divorce
Michael J. Rosenfeld and Katharina Roesler, “Cohabitation Experience and Cohabitation’s Association with Marital Dissolution,” https://web.stanford.edu/~mrosenfe/Rosenfeld_and_Roesler_Cohabitation_Experience_NSFG.pdf
Colleen N. Nugent and Jill Daughtery, “A Demographic, Attitudinal, and Behavioral Profile of Cohabitating Adults in the United States,” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29874161/
Meg Jay, “Downside of Cohabitating before Marriage” https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/opinion/sunday/the-downside-of-cohabiting-before-marriage.html

"The problem with introducing sex into stages one or two is that we still view others as tools for pleasure. The purpose of Christian marriage is to provide a guide and framework for sex to occur appropriately. Marriage, in the Church’s eyes, ensures that sex is a mutual expression of self-sacrifice that culminates in the creation of children. Throughout this series, we will explore how the Christian paradigm of marriage really does lead to the healthiest and most fulfilling expressions of sexuality."

Studies Cited:
“United States Population and Number of Crimes 1960-2019,” https://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
Lizzie Crocker, “There’s Been a Huge Increase in Campus Sex Assaults. Why?” https://www.thedailybeast.com/theres-been-a-huge-increase-in-campus-sex-assaults-why
National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “Statistics about Sexual Violence,” https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics/statistics-depth#:~:text=Both%20female%20and%20male%20youth,rape%20prior%20to%20age%2018
Lauren R. Taylor, “Has Rape Reporting Increased Over Time?” https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/has-rape-reporting-increased-over-time
Ana Swanson, “144 Years of Marriage and Divorce in the United States, in One Chart,” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/23/144-years-of-marriage-and-divorce-in-the-united-states-in-one-chart/
Zach Schonfeld, “Wives are Cheating 40% More Than They Used to, but Still 70% as Much as Men,” https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/07/wives-cheating-vs-men/313704/
Rebecca Lake, “Infidelity Statistics: 23 Eye-Opening Truths,” https://www.creditdonkey.com/infidelity-statistics.html
David Atkins and Elizabeth Allen, “The Association of Divorce and Extramarital Sex in a Representative U.S. Sample,” https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0192513X12439692

"In having relations with someone of the opposite sex, you are 1) admitting you desire them, 2) admitting they can fulfill you in a way you cannot fulfill yourself, 3) renouncing the possibility of having sex with anyone else and giving yourself to them and your children, and 4) imitating God’s creativity by participating in the creation of new life. Thus, a good marriage engages all four levels that Spitzer describes."

Studies Cited:

David Briggs, “5 Ways Faith Contributes to Strong Marriages, New Studies Suggest,” https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-ways-faith-contributes_b_6294716