The Rhythm Method

Shortly after Roscoe Bartlett was born, Dr. John Smulders created a calendar based method of avoiding pregnancy called the Rhythm Method. In 1930, Pope Pius XI, while still maintaining that the primary purpose of sexual intercourse was procreation, allowed that marital sex was still permissible even though the woman could not conceive. The failure rate of the rhythm method is about 25%. Roscoe has ten children.