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If someone had predicted 40 years ago that by the Third Millennium,
marriage and family life would be thriving, child abuse eliminated,
abortion almost nonexistent, teenage pregnancy a thing of the past,
and people in general enjoying a level of contentment and happiness
unsurpassed in human history, we would not consider this person a
very accurate social forecaster. A meteorologist, who was so
mistaken on his predictions, would be unemployed.
On the other hand, if someone 40 years ago had predicted that in the
beginning of the Third Millennium, the institution of marriage
itself would be weakened as in no other moment in the history of
Western civilization, sexual promiscuity and its related health
problems would be rampant, abortion would be both legal and common,
pornography would become culturally acceptable, and some nations
would actually force their citizens to limit family size, we would
have to acknowledge this person ’s wisdom and adeptness at
recognizing the long-term consequences of social trends.
Those who are my age and older, can remember the societal and
cultural debate initiated by the development of the so-called modern
means of contraception, popularly referred to as “The Pill.” In the
early 1960s, those advocating for widespread acceptance of oral
contraceptives argued that marriages and families would be so much
healthier if couples were relieved of the stress caused by:
1) rearing more than one or two children; and
2) the periodic abstinence from sexual intimacy required by the
natural means for the regulation of family size.
The argument was made that the widespread use of artificial
contraception would result in every child being a wanted child,
virtually eliminating child abuse and abortion. It was asserted that
easy access for adolescents to contraceptives would rid society of
teen pregnancy. Liberated from the repression of sexual activity,
caused in part by the fear of pregnancy, advocates of “The Pill”
predicted that the mental health of the general population would
improve significantly.
On the other hand, Pope Paul VI, in his much-criticized 1968
encyclical letter, “Humanae Vitae”
(“Of Human Life”), in the process of re-articulating the church’s
teaching on the nature of marriage, identifies many of the
inevitable societal consequences resulting from a redefinition of
the meaning of sexual intimacy that excludes its life-giving power.
He specifically cites: 1) “the general lowering of morality”; 2) an
increase in marital infidelity; and 3) the effect on the young,
particularly young men, encouraging a disregard for the moral law
and the treatment of women as “a mere instrument of selfish
enjoyment.”
Pope Paul VI also anticipated China’s One-Child Policy by predicting
government policies that would attempt to impose contraception on
their citizens. Pope Paul VI also foresaw that the widespread use of
the artificial means of contraception would lead to a cultural
acceptance of both abortion and pornography.
The ancient and consistent teaching of the church presented in
“Humanae Vitae” is based on a reverence for the Creator’s design of
the human person. In many ways, the embrace of artificial
contraception by our culture reflected the pride of 20th-century
man, believing he could improve upon the design of the Creator by
uncoupling the power and the responsibility to give life from the
most intimate and powerful expression of love.
In effect, God designed a balance in our physiology that provided a
natural and effective deterrent from the trivialization of sexual
intimacy. Hard-wired into every act of sexual intercourse is both
the power to create a new human life, as well as the physical
expression of the total giving and sharing of oneself with another.
This can only be completely authentic when a couple is ready, able
and willing to commit all of their lives to one another in the
marriage covenant.
Within marriage, a couple can honestly communicate to each other
physically what they have already pledged before God and their
family and friends. Within marriage, they can welcome the awesome
privilege and responsibility of being co-creators with God of a new
human life. It is in the family, founded on the faithful and
committed love of a husband and a wife, that a child is given the
best environment in which to grow and develop physically,
emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.
However, once the balance created by God is upset by negating either
the life-giving or the committed faithful love-giving dimensions of
sexual intimacy, then an essential aspect of our human ecology has
been disturbed. Casual and recreational sexual activity, resulting
from the widespread acceptance of artificial contraception, has
brought about epidemics of teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted
diseases, abortion, cohabitation and adultery. It has led to a
culture that accepts pornography as entertainment and has redefined
sexual intercourse as something trivial — stripping it of its
beauty, power and responsibility.
The message of “Humanae Vitae” was harshly criticized both outside
and inside the church when it was promulgated. Even though time has
proven wrong the premises and predictions of the Sexual Revolution,
Americans have become addicted to many of its attitudes and
behaviors. Our society has become dependent on artificial
contraception to manage the symptoms of some of the most obvious
negative consequences of the abandonment of traditional moral
values. Many Catholics do not understand the church ’s teaching
regarding artificial contraception, in part because they have not
been exposed to a convincing presentation of its rationale.
At last November’s meeting of the U. S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops, we promulgated a new document entitled, “Married Love and
the Gift of Life.” It is a re-presentation of the church’s teaching,
specifically aimed at couples preparing for marriage. However,
understanding this teaching is not just important for engaged
couples, but for all of us.
I want to spend the next few weeks reflecting on elements of this
document and the church ’s teaching about marriage and human
sexuality upon which it is premised. I ask all of us to take this
occasion to pray over our own understanding of the church ’s
teaching and to be open to its meaning and applications in our own
life.
Was “Humanae Vitae” a desperate effort to present an antiquated
morality? Or was it a prophetic statement of the truth and
consequences of abandoning our traditional morals? What does the
experience of the past 40 years teach us? Think about it!
Used by permission -
The Leaven, the newspaper for the Kansas City, KS archdiocese
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