The Humanae Vitae Reviewed

Someone once remarked: “When everybody is rushing headlong towards the cliff, anyone heading in the opposite direction would certainly appear to be insane.”

In July of 1968, the world at large thought Pope Paul VI had gone insane. For in that month he published his long-awaited encyclical Humanae Vitae, which reiterated the church’s age-old ban on every sort of birth control. A tidal wave of mad dissent erupted over the pope’s choice. Catholic as well as non-Catholic equally berated “the celibate old man in the Vatican” for preventing the church’s total access in to the contemporary age.

As we approach the 40 th anniversary of that historic document, I prefer to emphasize its relevance for our times. As a background for my remarks, I would like to put it in the context of its time. In the exact same age that Pope Paul gave out Humanae Vitae, yet another Paul – Paul Ehrlich – released a publication entitled, The Population Bomb. In that 1968 bestseller, Ehrlich made some stark predictions. For instance:

Comparing population explosion to a malignant lump, Ehrlich suggested “eliminating the cancer [too many individuals]” as the only treatment to save humanity. Fact: Today Europe is dying, with most of its nations barely averaging over 60 % replacement levels.

“India could not potentially feed two hundred thousand even more individuals by 1980.” Fact: Since 1968 India has actually doubled its population by half a billion, and is still self-sufficient in food production for its population.

“The war to supply humankind is over. In the1970s the globe will certainly undertake droughts … hundreds of millions of individuals (including a high percentage of Americans) are visiting deny your body food to demise …” Fact: Food processing worldwide is well ahead of population growth, as well as over weight problems are now causing the deaths of more than 300,000 Americans each year.

From this foreboding background, the reaction to Pope Paul’s encyclical came as no surprise, even though it simply reiterated what the Catholic Church has been teaching and practicing for more than 2,000 years:

“There is an inseparable url in between the two meanings of the marriage act: the unitive meaning [making love] and the procreative definition [making babies]. This truth was established by God himself, and man cannot change this to suite his own selfish motives.” (H. V, no. 12)

In Deuteronomy 18:21 we learn ways to tell an authentic prophet from an untrue one: Has the prophecy emerged or not? Judged by that bench mark, Paul Ehrlich is an untrue prophet. But what about Pope Paul VI?

Pope Paul predicted four dire repercussions from using birth control:

1. An increase in infidelity in marriage
2. An across the board lowering of moral standards
3. Instead of companions, husbands will begin to see their wives as sex objects
4. Under the guise of economic well being, governments will force birth control programs on their people

Forty ages later on the moral fabric of our society is in shambles, and we see the following facts:

1. Breakdown in marriages have more than tripled
2. Sexually transmitted diseases have risen exponentially
3. Pornography and addiction of porn is rampant, particularly on the internet, consuming millions of people each year – including an alarmingly high percentage of young people
4. Sterilization is forced on women in many third world countries, and against this background, China as we all know, abide by a one child policy.

In the latter years of his life, St. Augustine wrote The City of God where according to him, the whole world was made up of two cities: the City of God and the City of Man. Citizens of each city are established not by one’s birthplace or property, but rather by the desires of one’s heart: positioning the love of God above self, or the love of self above God.

We need not look far to realise that the two cities are still very much with us. Paul Ehrlich as well as Paul VI might well serve as icons of each area: enthroning self above God or God above self. In one situation, fatality and darkness dominate – in the other, life as well as light. In the final analysis we all have a choice – death or life? Which will you choose?

It is for the above reasons that many of our diocese have included in their marriage preparation programs, a complete course in Natural Family Planning.