The Impo Impor rtance of Humanae Vitae Vitae Sr.. M. Crucis Sr Cruci s fmdm
What it·s all
about«
A baby at 20 weeks in the womb.
The Role of the Family: ´By
far the most important channel of transmission of culture remains the family; and when family life fails to play its part, we must expect our culture to deteriorate.µ T.S. Eliot, ¶Notes Towards the Definition of Culture,· 1948
How did we get here? Margaret Sanger Founder of National Birth Control League Started Planned Parenthood Opened first abortion clinic in New York A proponent of Eugenics, later adopted by Nazi Germany Wrote many books to champion ´women·s liberationµ
Marie Stopes doing similar work in UK. Proponent of antianti-Semitist Nazism, Eugenics
Separation of morality from scientific discovery ´Enlightenmentµ ´Modernismµ Political agendas
Protestantism Before August 14th, 1930, no Christian churches accepted unnatural methods of birth control as morally permissible. Church of England was the first to change position (at the 7th Lambeth Conference), allowing the use of unnatural forms of birth control as morally licit. Within 30 years, most mainline Protestant Denominations allowed for contraception, and by 1995, some 88% of nonnon-Catholic Christians stated their approval of contraception as morally right.
Myths of the
Contraceptive Pill Easy to take and does not require any abstinence from sex
G Gives
the woman control over her own fertility
IIs
Enables couples to limit the size of their families Does not interfere with spontaneous lovemaking as other methods do e.g. condom the anxiety of an ¶unwanted pregnancy·
easily reversiblereversible- a woman can get pregnant anytime she wants!
No significant unpleasant ¶side effects· Enables couples to plan their families as they wish
R R e elieves lieves
R R e educes duces
the need for abortion
Secures the harmony and peace of the family and better conditions for the education of the children
Pope Paul VI PProphetic
message of Humanae Vitae, or ´Of Human Lifeµ on 25 th July 1968 R esponse to the legalisation
of abortion in many countries, as well as the development and promotion of contraceptive pill
Humanae Vitae R R e eaffirms affirms
Traditional teaching of the Church That ´contraception was a grave attack on human lifeµ PProhibits
all forms of artificial contraception
R einforces the beauty of,
and reaffirms the dignity, of the call to a vocation to married life. Offers practical guidance to
married people on how to faithfully live the Church·s teachings.
A Message of
Controversy« The publication of Humanae Vitae marks the first time in the twentieth century that open dissent about teachings of the Church was voiced widely and publicly. Criticized by development organisations and others who claimed that it limits the methods available to fight population growth and struggle against A IDS. Dissident theologians and Bishops rebelled against the teaching, issuing a statement claiming that Catholics· individual consciences should prevail in such a personal and private issue. e.g. Washington Statement (USA). Canadian ´Winnipeg Statement,µ and the Dutch and German Catechisms supported the role of individual conscience. Only support of note came from Latin America.
Prophetic Message« Pope
gave 4 predictions, regarded by many as prophetic, of the effects of artificial contraception on society: It will be easy for many to justify behaviour leading to marital infidelity and a general gradual weakening of morals Husbands will become accustomed to contraceptive practices, will lose respect for their wives, and use their wives as serving their own desires A dangerous power will be put into the hands of rulers who care little about the moral law to use contraception to solve certain problems affecting the nation Man will come to believe that he has unlimited dominion over his own body, and over the natural operations of his body.
Some facts« Increased
marital breakup
Less people getting married preference is to having a ´partnerµ Increase in STIs
including HIV/AIDS in Britain
Increased
teenage pregnancy rates
Increased
abortion rates
More violent crimes committed by young people and women Lack of parenting? Who is the father? Britain·s legislation removing father from picture completely Increased
infertility rates
What is happening? Liberalism / modernism/ relativism
Sexual Revolution ´Equal Rightsµ for Women Denies natural feminine beauty and role in favour of emasculation
Post--Christian Era Post Fueled by media, the minority can push atheistic agenda on majority Loss of sense of sin
Environmentalism Shift from care for the human person in favour of ´saving the planetµ ´Over--populationµ as a reason to ´Over promote contraceptives and abortion Reducing carbon footprint footprint² ² 1.7 children is the optimum per couple Societal Desert
Magisterial teachings on
Life« Pope Pius XI Casti ConnubiiConnubii- 1930, four months after Lambeth Conference Marriage as not only procreative, but unitive Pope John XXIII Mater et MagistraMagistra - 1961 ´Human life is sacred: from its very inceptionµ Pope Paul VI Humanae Vitaeitae- 1968 Second Vatican Council Gaudium et SpesSpes- 1965
Pope John Paul II Familiaris ConsortioConsortio-1981 Sollictudo Rei SocialisSocialis-1987 Mullieris DignitatemDignitatem-1988 Christifideles Laici Laici--1988 Centesimus AnnusAnnus-1991 Splendor -1993 Veritatis SplendorEvangelium Vitaeitae-1995 Love and ResponsibilityResponsibility-1960 (Wojtyla) ´Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Bodyµ Series of 129 Catechesis sessions delivered between September 5, 1979 and November 28, 1984
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Donum Vitaeitae-1987
Sections 27 and 51
Pope Benedict XVI Deus Caritas EstEst - 2005
The ´JP2µ Generation« Hope in the wake of liberal response to the teachings of the Successors of Peter, and the lack of correct implementation of Vatican II. Lay Theologians and Catholic Writers have picked up the banner and kept it waving: Janet E. Smith Kimberly Hahn Christopher West Mary Shivanandan Jacqueline Kasun and Others
Further Reading« Hahn, Kimberly. Life Giving Love. Kippley, John F. Sex and the Marriage Covenant: A
Basis
for Morality.
R ubio,
Julie Hanlon. Beyond the Liberal/ Conservative Divide on Contraception Sacks, Jonathan. The Politics of Hope Shivanandan, Mary. Crossing the Threshold of Love: A New Vision of Marriage. Smith, Janet. Why Humanae Vitae Was R ight: A R eader. Smith, Janet. Humanae Vitae a
Generation
Later.
West, Christopher. Theology of the
Body
for Beginners.
West, Christopher. Theology of the
Body Explained.
West, Christopher. Good News About Sex and Marriage. Wjotyla, Karol. Love and R esponsibility. Woodall, George. Humanae Vitae: Forty Years
On.
John Paul II. Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body.
