In 1968 oral contraceptives had been on the market for eight years, and had not been banned by the Pope. Many Catholics, including influential priests, were campaigning for the Roman Catholic Church to proclaim these contraceptives as an acceptable source of birth control. Pope Paul VI boldly rebutted these demands. On the morning of July 25, 1968; Pope Paul VI released a surprising papal encyclical Humanae Vitae (“Of Human Life”), ending the speculation over contraceptives and further protecting the sanctity of life, in all forms. In honor of this anniversary, let us touch on several key points that it makes.
1. God is the Author of Life
Every life brought into this world was through God’s will and part of His plan for creation. Any attempt to end a life through abortion or contraception (which can be an abortifacient) defies God’s will, undermining God’s ultimate authority, and is strongly condemned by the Church.
2. God’s Loving Design
God created the marriage of a husband and a wife with the expectation that each person gives of oneself in an exchange of unselfish love with body, soul, and will. This kind of love is designed for procreation on both spiritual and physical levels and the outcome of this is the “supreme gift” of children. All married couples are called to be open to this gift; to do otherwise is to deny marriage’s sacramental premise. Moreover, to use the divine marital gift of sexual relations for pleasure, alone, (especially outside of marriage) destroys its purpose, contradicting the nature of man, woman, and their most intimate relationship through God’s loving design.
3. Unlawful Birth Control Methods
The Church condemns the direct interruption and/ or abortion of the human generative process. Equally, to be condemned is the direct sterilization of the human reproductive organs, whether permanent or temporary. In addition, any form of contraception to prevent the opportunity of life through sexual relations (such as condoms) is against Church teachings. Interestingly, the very root of word “contraception” derives from the Latin: contra-, meaning “against,” and -ception, meaning “creation of life.” This definition plainly illustrates the anti-life approach it creates.
4. Sexual Acts Require Responsible Parenthood
Responsible Parenthood means an awareness and respect for the procreative faculty that human biological laws have. Through your marital vows of being open to life, you must respect the laws of conception and acknowledge that you are not the master of the source of life but simply a minister of our Creator’s design.
5. The Consequences of Artificial Birth Control
The encyclical further explains that, by using birth control or undergoing abortion procedures, our culture has allowed for a drastic lowering of moral standards. Pope Paul VI outlined several of the consequences of contraception: Infidelity, general lowering of moral law, loss of respect for women and her bodily needs, reducing the human person to a mere instrument of sex, making it easier for the young to be unchaste, and finally, putting a tool into government hands that work against the freedom to procreate proper to human love.
6. Change the Culture - Not the Moral Law
As an antidote, Humanae Vitae calls for the societal promotion of true human values, responsibility, and morality. Pope Paul VI urges us all to create an atmosphere that supports a chaste lifestyle, as well as, God’s intention for the “fruits” of a Holy marriage. He summons all authorities and lay disciples to rely on the unshakable teaching of the Church and educate society in any way that they can.
Let us all step-up to this calling, protect the sanctity of life and be stewards to God’s plan!
Click HERE to read the Humane Vitae encyclical.