Being Catholic, I don't see a reason for me to really need birth control if/when I have sex.
I took a Biology class last year and my professor would say, in order to avoid getting HIV, "Always wear a condom! Because every person you had sex with is going to be present with whoever you're having sex with now, and vice-versa. Know your partner's history." He meant in spreading germs, of course. So he didn't even say, "Wear a condom!" in terms of actual birth control, but rather as a way to decrease your chances of getting HIV.
To my surprise, towards the end of the semester when we were talking about the female reproductive system, he encouraged us to use the rhythm method (or Natural Family Planning, as Catholics like to call it) after we're clear that your partner either hasn't had sex with anyone before or your partner got tested for STDs and none came up. He essentially said that if a woman takes her temperature everyday for 9 months and is healthy enough for regular periods and you mark your dates on your calendar, you're guaranteed to know exactly when you should/shouldn't have sex. Plus, you can also use this method if you WANT to get pregnant. Unlike other forms of birth control, you can use this to help determine when to have sex so that you can have a baby, while the other ones are for purely avoiding pregnancies.
It's something that isn't really taught all that well, even in anti-contraception classes or whatever.
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