Couple to Couple League
Encyclopedia
The Couple to Couple League is an international, non-profit organization based in Cincinnati, Ohio
dedicated to teaching and promoting Natural Family Planning
. Specifically, CCL promotes the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness
and also promotes exclusive and continued breastfeeding. CCL views natural family planning as "a way of life, not just a method of birth regulation," and includes moral and religious values from a Roman Catholic
point of view in their publications and classes.
, teaching the symptothermal method to almost 8,000 couples in 2004.
In addition to chapters throughout the United States, CCL has a presence in 23 other countries. CCL focuses on countries where English or Spanish is an official language.
gave CCL a 4-star (highest) rating for "organizational efficiency", but due to several years of declining programming expenditures, only 1 star for "organizational capacity".
CCL recruits married couples who are current members of the organization as teaching couples. Teaching couples undergo training and a certification process at no cost to themselves. Teaching couples are required to agree with and live by the moral and religious beliefs advocated by CCL. While teaching couples are volunteers who receive no compensation, their students are charged a fee to cover materials used in the class, and a one-year membership with the Couple to Couple League. Membership includes a subscription to CCL's bimonthly magazine and counseling or assistance in interpreting sympto-thermal charts.
Classes normally contain moral and religious content, but teachers will sometimes honor requests for private classes with no religious information.
CCL also teaches and promotes ecological breastfeeding, a stricter variant of LAM
. Like LAM, ecological breastfeeding provides guidelines for identifying and extending the natural period of infertility caused by breastfeeding. The Seven Standards of ecological breastfeeding were developed by Sheila Kippley. The first edition of her book Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing was published in 1969. CCL was recognized as an authoritative source of information on breastfeeding amenorrhea in a magazine published by La Leche League, an international breastfeeding support organization. The popular fertility awareness
writer Katie Singer has written about the important role Sheila Kippley and CCL have played in conducting and promoting research on lactational amenorrhea.
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
dedicated to teaching and promoting Natural Family Planning
Natural family planning
Natural family planning is a term referring to the family planning methods approved by the Roman Catholic Church. In accordance with the Church's requirements for sexual behavior in keeping with its philosophy of the dignity of the human person, NFP excludes the use of other methods of birth...
. Specifically, CCL promotes the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness
Fertility awareness
Fertility awareness refers to a set of practices used to determine the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Fertility awareness methods may be used to avoid pregnancy, to achieve pregnancy, or as a way to monitor gynecological health....
and also promotes exclusive and continued breastfeeding. CCL views natural family planning as "a way of life, not just a method of birth regulation," and includes moral and religious values from a Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
point of view in their publications and classes.
History
The Couple to Couple League was founded in 1971 by John and Sheila Kippley, lay Catholics, with the help of Dr. Konald Prem. The League was the first organization to teach a symptoms-based method of fertility awareness that relied on all three primary fertility signs: temperature, mucus, and also cervical position. CCL has grown to be the largest natural family planning provider in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, teaching the symptothermal method to almost 8,000 couples in 2004.
In addition to chapters throughout the United States, CCL has a presence in 23 other countries. CCL focuses on countries where English or Spanish is an official language.
Structure
CCL has 16 paid employees, all working at their headquarters building in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2006, financial rating organization Charity NavigatorCharity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
gave CCL a 4-star (highest) rating for "organizational efficiency", but due to several years of declining programming expenditures, only 1 star for "organizational capacity".
CCL recruits married couples who are current members of the organization as teaching couples. Teaching couples undergo training and a certification process at no cost to themselves. Teaching couples are required to agree with and live by the moral and religious beliefs advocated by CCL. While teaching couples are volunteers who receive no compensation, their students are charged a fee to cover materials used in the class, and a one-year membership with the Couple to Couple League. Membership includes a subscription to CCL's bimonthly magazine and counseling or assistance in interpreting sympto-thermal charts.
Classes normally contain moral and religious content, but teachers will sometimes honor requests for private classes with no religious information.
Publicity
CCL has volunteers called Promoters or Public Relations Representatives who work to increase the visibility of the organization. Like teachers, promoters are required to agree with and live by certain moral and religious requirements. Family Foundations, a bimonthly magazine, is used as both a communication tool with CCL's current supporters, and as an evangelizing tool. CCL also uses the internet as a tool for spreading its message: in addition to ccli.org, the url birthcontrol.org redirects to the organization's website.Systems taught
While CCL strongly encourages use of their symptothermal method, they also teach mucus-only and temperature-only systems. In addition, their materials contain information on a calendar-based method and a proposal for a cervical-position-only system. CCL believes that by teaching all these methods, couples have more freedom in choosing the natural method with which they feel the most comfortable.CCL also teaches and promotes ecological breastfeeding, a stricter variant of LAM
Lactational Amenorrhea Method
The lactational amenorrhea method is a method of avoiding pregnancies which is based on the natural postnatal infertility that occurs when a woman is amenorrheic and fully breastfeeding...
. Like LAM, ecological breastfeeding provides guidelines for identifying and extending the natural period of infertility caused by breastfeeding. The Seven Standards of ecological breastfeeding were developed by Sheila Kippley. The first edition of her book Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing was published in 1969. CCL was recognized as an authoritative source of information on breastfeeding amenorrhea in a magazine published by La Leche League, an international breastfeeding support organization. The popular fertility awareness
Fertility awareness
Fertility awareness refers to a set of practices used to determine the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Fertility awareness methods may be used to avoid pregnancy, to achieve pregnancy, or as a way to monitor gynecological health....
writer Katie Singer has written about the important role Sheila Kippley and CCL have played in conducting and promoting research on lactational amenorrhea.
See also
- Billings ovulation methodBillings ovulation methodThe Billings Ovulation Method is a method which women use to monitor their fertility, by identifying when they are fertile and when they are infertile during each menstrual cycle. Users pay attention to the sensation at their vulva, and the appearance of any vaginal discharge...
- Creighton Model FertilityCare System
- Fertility awarenessFertility awarenessFertility awareness refers to a set of practices used to determine the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle. Fertility awareness methods may be used to avoid pregnancy, to achieve pregnancy, or as a way to monitor gynecological health....