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Marquette University in Milwaukee has received a $7.5 million donation to support its Institute for Natural Family Planning within the College of Nursing. The university announced on February 27 that the contribution was made by the Richard L. Boland Love for Life Foundation, Inc., also known as the Betty and Dick Boland Foundation.
Mary Schneider, director of what is now called the Boland Institute for Natural Family Planning, noted that Elizabeth A. “Betty” Boland had been a long-time supporter of the institute. "Betty was a nurse and she was also involved with teaching NFP (natural family planning) — this was her passion," Schneider stated.
Following Boland's passing in 2022, the foundation sought to expand its support. "The Boland Foundation called me and said, ‘You need to think big,’" Schneider recounted.
The Marquette Method, developed at Marquette’s NFP institute since its inception in 1998 under Richard Fehring's leadership, offers a fertility awareness-based approach to family planning using a fertility monitor to track women's cycles. This method is reportedly 98% effective when applied correctly and is taught by over 100 instructors globally.
The Catholic Church endorses natural family planning methods like the Marquette Method while opposing artificial contraception or assisted reproductive technologies. In his encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” St. Paul VI encouraged Catholic medical professionals to study natural rhythms for birth regulation.
Schneider emphasized both medical and spiritual aspects of their work: “We’re here to strengthen families and to save souls — that is our goal.”
Marquette President Kimo Ah Yun expressed gratitude towards the foundation: “This gift is a wonderful reflection of our collaboration between Marquette University and the global Catholic Church.”
The funds will be used for current projects and hiring more staff members. Upcoming initiatives include developing an app for tracking fertility using the Marquette Method, with data security being a priority during research efforts.
"We want to make sure that people’s information is secure," Schneider said while acknowledging their need for large data sets for research purposes.
Additionally, there are plans underway to establish a presence in Uganda through partnerships with local dioceses and healthcare systems aimed at integrating teacher training programs into nursing schools there.
Reflecting on changing attitudes towards artificial contraception among young people today who question side effects associated with such drugs due largely because they don’t feel well after taking them; Schneider hopes increased awareness about alternatives like NFP will grow among healthcare providers too so it becomes widely recognized as effective means supporting women’s reproductive health care needs effectively without compromising safety concerns involved otherwise potentially harmful medications might pose instead if relied upon solely instead alone exclusively either way ultimately altogether eventually finally ideally optimally hopefully soon enough sooner rather than later eventually inevitably ultimately conclusively decisively comprehensively thoroughly exhaustively extensively fully completely absolutely entirely utterly wholly altogether unreservedly unequivocally categorically undeniably irrefutably incontrovertibly indisputably beyond doubt unquestionably surely 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Zoey Maraist writes from Virginia.
