American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals

SALT LAKE CITY — Health care professionals and clergy from throughout the United States will gather July 11-14 in Salt Lake City for the 31st annual meeting of the American Academy of FertilityCare Professionals, previously known as the American Academy of Natural Family Planning.

The FertilityCare System is a family planning method based on the Creighton Model.

Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae "called for men and women of science to develop methods of family planning that could use the body’s natural rhythms; that’s basically what these people have continued to do," said Veola Burchett, director of the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Office of Marriage and Family Life. "They spend their whole career doing research on this as well as treating clients."

In addition to research presentations, the meeting will include talks on topics of interest to "regular folks out there who aren’t nurses and doctors and NFP teachers," Burchett said.

Among the presentations that might be of general interest is "When does human life begin? A scientific evaluation," by Maureen Condic, PhD, an associate professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

"I think that people who are interested in the pro-life movement are always interested in these kinds of presentations," Burchett said.

The Catholic Church teaches that life begins at conception, and "it’s one thing to hear it from a theologian, it’s another thing to hear it from a scientist," Burchett said.

Other presentations include "Family priorities for parents of faith," by David Dollahite, PhD and "Early phases of the modern sexual revolution," by Theresa Notare, PhD.

Dollahite is Professor of Family Life at Brigham Young University; Notare is assistant director of the National Family Planning Program and secretariat for Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

On behalf of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, Father Ken Vialpando, pastor of Saint Joseph Parish, will welcome those attending the meeting. The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, will celebrate Mass at 5 p.m. July 14 in the Cathedral of the Madeleine; a bus will run from the hotel to the cathedral for those who wish to attend the Mass.

Application for CME credit for those attending the meeting has been filed with the American Academy of Family Physicians.

The conference will be July 11-14 at the Salt Lake City Comfort Inn Downtown. For information or to register, visit www.aafcp.org or call Sylvia Corson, 513-851-1188.