Few evils in the world affect the world so much as
genocide. There are so many different standpoints from which they begin on.
Power. Racism. Wealth. Eugenics. Over-population of areas. Economic failure.
All of these to bring forth a simple point, however. That’s the point of convenience.
Someone is inconveniencing another through their existence and for whatever reason
they are able to convince enough of a population to side with them in wiping
them off of the planet. Those responsible are often referred to as monsters.
Yet a monster hides in our midst, stealing from us our very dignity as human
beings. This monster has captured many who knew the controversy and decided not
to believe the horrible truth and the prophetic words of the reigning Pope of
the time, many went as far as to decent from the Roman Catholic Church over the
issue when an Encyclical was published defending and clarifying the Church’s
position.
This monster is contraception, and the Encyclical
document to fight it is Humane Vitae, written and published by Pope Paul VI.
Contraception has a very dark history. Planned
Parenthood dates it’s beginning to 1916, when three women started their first
birth control clinic in Brooklyn, NY[i].
Maybe not all of her misgivings and desire for population control were founded
in evil; she saw much suffering, over-population in specific areas with parents
who couldn’t afford to take care of their children. However it is no secret
that Margaret Sanger was a eugenist, and more than simple population control
was on her mind.
Along came the 1960’s- a tough period in American
history. The cry for “risk free” sex became the cry of much of the generation.
No one should have to turn down momentary pleasure for the idea that a life
might be created and ruin their future. The pill was on demand, and the church
needed to make a stand. Amongst much pressure, Pope Paul VI, thankfully had the
strength of character and guts to publish Humanae Vitae.
Pope Paul VI, taking his time in forming a response after
the Papal Commission, tactfully, truthfully and scientifically made amazing points,
after much deliberation and combing through the document, published it in 1968.[ii]
It is important to note that this document covers
the whole of the issue. While it cannot get into every detail, it covers many
areas from family life, to family planning (which is not condemned), human
dignity, when life begins, the act of creating a life being a co-creating with
God. He points out the social consequences of using artificial contraception,
the highest of which being murdering of an innocent child you may never even
know existed, but he also predicts in ways people scoffed at that it would also
aid the numbers of families falling apart. Not taking sex seriously in or
outside of marriage would lead to broken homes, children growing up without
their biological parents, abuse, rape, emotional instability, rise in STD’s, as
well as the loss of dignity in the human person within the act of intercourse
which would ultimately lead to the loss of human dignity in all relations- and
so many others. All of which, in a very short time, have come to pass, allowing
us to view Pope Paul VI as a prophet of his time. In fact, the document goes as
far as to state that the acts of using artificial birth control as well as
abortion are grave sins.[iii]
He also points out the benefits and consequences of
using a natural method of birth control. The worst of which is waiting during
periods of fertility when you have good reason to avoid a pregnancy which
promotes trust, love, true embracing of all that your spouse is and never using
them toward an end in intimacy. Families are strengthen, and if for whatever
reason your method of family planning does not work the baby is much more
accepted into a loving family as opposed to the child conceived while the
parents were on contraception who were not open to life who are more likely
than the first couple to choose abortion.
Humanae Vitae encourages medical professionals to
further their study of the human body, especially in the area of fertility to
better be a steward of our fertility, making responsible choices in regards to
when we want to achieve and avoid- and this challenge was taken up by some
wonderful Dr’s who learned what was good from the methods of the time and have
advanced them to now knowing without doubt when a woman’s fertility is present
and when it is not.
One of the best things about Humanae Vitae is the
love behind it. The understanding of marital bonding and respect is nothing
short of poetic and the kind of love all couples desire on some level. The
encouragement to form a good moral conscience is a beautiful encouragement we
can also glean.
Yes, contraception is here. Yes, there are many
methods that simply do not work that have given Natural Family Planning a poor
reputation by our grandmothers. However, this is an evil that we can fight by
putting the information lovingly and factually into the hands of those around
us. Let’s teach our kids and anyone who will listen to love and respect life,
giving every life the dignity that it deserves.
If you have not read Humanae Vitae yourself, I
highly suggest it. It is a short Encyclical, will not take very long to read
through. It is posted on the Vatican website, or you can simply click here
where I have it linked to this page.
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