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8 The Splendor of the Human Person: A Catholic Vision of the Person and Sexuality God has established the human person and the complementarity of man and woman to reflect his own Trinitarian love as a communion of persons. Marriage itself has an objective reality that arises from the physical and spiritual part- nership that God intended for husband and wife within the family. In keeping with God's plan for marriage, therefore, every act of sexual intercourse must be open to the creation of new human life, and the generation of children must take place through the marital act. Contraception, sterilization, and in vitro fertilization procedures separate the unitive and procreative meanings of marriage, thus violating the meaning of marriage. In contrast, Natural Family Planning methods respect God's design for marriage and the family if they are guided by the virtues of chastity, justice, and conjugal charity (see CCC 2369, 2370, 2376). The flourishing of marriage and family life depends upon proper respect for the nature of human love and sexuality. The moral and spiritual strength of families relates directly to the health of society and the Church. In families, children learn to be good citizens as well as good Christians. As the foundation of the family, marriage is not merely a private institution, but is important for the common good. The Church teaches that the family is the "basic cell of society," and, therefore, "the future of hu- manity passes by way of the family." 5 It is not unjust or discriminatory to uphold the nature and meaning of marriage as a permanent, faithful and fruitful union of one man and one woman. Moreover, because same-sex relationships, including those in which one partner identifies as transgender, distort the truth and mean- ing of sexual identity by suggesting that mothers and fathers are interchange- able, it is not unjust to oppose their equation with marriage. In fact, Catholics are called to uphold the truth, not simply as an expression of personal religious belief, but as citizens concerned for the well-being of society. Accepting God's will for humanity, as expressed in his creation of the body, includes accepting the reality of sex as male and female. God has given us our bodies as a gift, which, despite any challenges, must be accepted and guarded. 5 John Paul II, "Teach Whole Truth about Family," (April 1, 1992), 42; John Paul, Familaris Consortio, 86.

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