THE QUESTION OF BIRTH CONTROL: A REVIEW ON PAUL VI’S HUMANAE VITAE
THE
QUESTION OF BIRTH CONTROL: A REVIEW ON PAUL VI’S HUMANAE VITAE
A Summary of the Teachings of Humanae
Vitae
It
was in the midst of all these looming challenges that the encyclical “Humanae
Vitae” was issued in 1968 by Pope Paul the VI as the Churches response to the
new challenges confronting marriage and the procreation of new life.
The
encyclical further calls on couples to have respect for the nature and purpose
of the marriage act. Sexual activity which unites husband and wife intimately
and through which life is transmitted is regarded as “honourable and good”,
even in cases were for no faults of theirs, it is foreseen to be infertile. It
is true that not all sexual intercourses are intended for creation. God aware
of this fact, have order the laws of nature in such a way as to allow for such
thereby giving rise to natural birth control method. In taking advantage of
these laws of nature, the Church counsels that any use whatever of marriage
must retain its natural potential to procreate human life. This teaching the
Church argues that it is in harmony with human reason. Therefore, the Church
urges man to be faithful to God’s design and respect the purpose of marriage as
ordained by God. For only in doing so will man reap the full benefits of
married life. Man must also know that he is not the source of life but its
minister and does not have unlimited control over his body.[1]
The
encyclical goes further to state the unlawful ways of regulating birth that are
against God’s design and the laws of nature. The Church therefore states
categorically that, it is unlawful to directly interrupt the generative process
already begun above all through direct abortion. The Church also condemns
direct sterilization of both couples. Included also is any action, either
before or after sexual intercourse that is aimed preventing procreation. Likewise
the use of contraceptive is condemned. However, the Church in no way regards as
unlawful therapeutic means considered necessary to cure organic diseases, even
though they also have a contraceptive effect, and this is foreseen – provided
that this contraceptive effect is not directly intended for any motive
whatsoever.[2]
The
encyclical presents the Church’s counsel of couples to have recourse to
infertile periods. This it presents by first stating the objections raised by
many today who vehemently opposes the doctrine of the Church concerning the
moral laws governing marriage. They protest that human intelligence has both
the right and the responsibility to control those forces of irrational nature
to the benefit of man. Others also ask whether it is not better to allow the
use of artificial birth control methods in some situations so as to allow the
preservation of the harmony of marriage and to maintain good standard of living
for the family. The Church acknowledges these concerns and praises human
ingenuity but she counsels that such must be in conformity with the design of
God.[3]
The
Church teaches that married people should take advantage of the natural cycles
immanent in the reproductive system and use their marriage at precisely those
times that are infertile to space and control births. The encyclical claims
that neither the Church nor her doctrine is inconsistent when she considers it
lawful for married people to take advantage of the infertile period but
condemns as always unlawful the use of means which directly exclude conception.
It further states that in reality, these two cases are completely different. In
the former the married couple rightly use a facility provided them by nature.
In the latter they obstruct the natural development of the generative process.
It cannot be denied that in each case the married couple, for acceptable
reasons, are both perfectly clear in their intention to avoid children and mean
to make sure that none will be born. But it is equally true that it is
exclusively in the former case that husband and wife are ready to abstain from
intercourse during the fertile period as often as for reasonable motives the
birth of another child is not desirable.[4]
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