To the Editor:
I was surprised to hear the statistic cited in Jen Garfinkel's article ("Grabowski lectures on sexuality, Catholic doctrine," May 2) that "family planning" was 98 percent effective against unwanted pregnancies, compared with 92 percent for oral contraceptives and 80 percent for condoms.
If one examines the current publication from the World Health Organization about the failure rates of various birth control methods, one can see how Grabowski manipulates his numbers. Although it is true that for "perfect use," the sympto-thermal method of periodic abstinance can achieve success rates as high as 98 percent, it drops to 75 percent for typical use.
It appears that the statistics Grabowski cited for condoms and oral contraceptives were those for typical use, so why he was comparing these numbers to those for perfect use of the "family planning" (periodic abstinence) seems highly misleading, if not outrightly deceitful.
I think it is important for your readership to know the real facts so that they are not duped into making unwise decisions on the basis of questionably manipulated statistics.
