The Prophetic Voice of Humanae Vitae

Watching the folks from NARAL flip out over the Doritos commercial during the Super Bowl is a sure sign that the pro-life message is being heard and that the scientific proof offered by an ultrasound machine is indisputable. Who could have known that a commercial for a snack would evoke such a visceral response? NARAL has accused Doritos of humanizing the fetus. What has become of our culture?

Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and similar groups claim to stand up for women and women’s health care. If contraception and abortion are the only keys to standing up for women I guess these organizations are doing a good job. However, a little review of Church teaching reveals that this faulty premise leads to a disastrous conclusion.

The Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae, issued by Pope Paul VI on July 25, 1968, was widely rejected and ridiculed by prominent theologians and clerics through the years. Now, after more than 47 years since the letter was promulgated, we have witnessed many of the concerns expressed by Pope Paul VI come to fruition. One would think that this hindsight would prompt us to double our efforts in getting the message out. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case. Women’s health care has been wrapped up in contraception and abortion by the organizations destined to gain from this packaging. Society is reaping what has been sown.

Let me demonstrate the point by quoting extensively from Humanae Vitae. Section 17 of the letter states that artificial birth control “could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards.”

One does not have to look too far to see evidence of this statement. Divorce statistics reveal the immense heartache experienced by many in the last five decades. Addiction to pornography has skyrocketed. Websites exist to help you have an extra-marital affair without getting caught. I would say that qualifies for a general lowering of moral standards.

Section 17 continues, “Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.”

Do you think this has happened to many men in the last 50 years? What has been the emotional toll taken on women who have been subjected to this type of treatment?
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Still more in section 17, “Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective?”

As we look at the abortion industry, funded by our tax dollars, is it not true that this one question posed by the pope has come fully into fruition here in the United States? The government in 1973, through the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court, became the public authorities to dictate to us that abortion was an acceptable contraceptive method.

How about the HHS Mandate requiring religious organizations to provide contraceptives despite their moral objections? It is an agency of the government dictating to us what is acceptable through a regulation issued by the Department of Health and Human Services. This has resulted in numerous lawsuits against the government. Apparently, the pope knew what he was talking about many years prior to this moral travesty being forced upon us.

Section 18 says, “It is to be anticipated that perhaps not everyone will easily accept this particular teaching. There is too much clamorous outcry against the voice of the Church, and this is intensified by modern means of communication. But it comes as no surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder, is destined to be a ‘sign of contradiction.’”

Please keep in mind that this was written long before the internet. Think of how the outcry has been intensified in recent years with the world-wide web and a great deal of anonymity when posting outrageous comments. There is definitely a clamorous outcry against the voice of the Church. How frequently has the Church been told to get with the times and lose these antiquated ideas about contraception?

Section 18 continues, “The Church has the duty imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical. Since the Church did not make either of these laws, she cannot be their arbiter—only their guardian and interpreter. It could never be right for her to declare lawful what is in fact unlawful, since that, by its very nature, is always opposed to the true good of man.”

The teaching of the Church has been striving to uplift women and hold men accountable. Sadly, the prophetic voice of the Church has been ignored, ridiculed, and rejected. The devastating consequences are being realized in our day. While the Church serves to be a beacon of light guiding us toward a culture of life, much of society has a preference for darkness and death. How will you and I combat these forces and strive to nurture a culture of life?