Pope Paul VI Issues Encyclical on Birth Control
In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical "Humanae Vitae," which addressed the Roman Catholic Church's stance on birth control. This document reaffirmed the church's long-standing opposition to artificial contraception, abortion, and sterilization, maintaining that the primary purpose of sexual intercourse is procreation. The encyclical emerged in a period of significant social change, as many—including some within the Catholic community—questioned the church's strict position, particularly in light of challenges such as poverty and overpopulation. While the pope acknowledged the reality of family planning, he permitted couples to utilize natural methods, specifically suggesting that they could engage in sexual intercourse during a woman's infertile periods. Despite this allowance, Pope Paul VI firmly stated that any artificial means of preventing conception were inherently unlawful. His decision received substantial criticism, leading many Catholics to disregard this directive. The encyclical remains a pivotal document in discussions around Catholic teachings on marriage, sexuality, and reproductive rights.
Pope Paul VI Issues Encyclical on Birth Control
Pope Paul VI Issues Encyclical on Birth Control
On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclica Humanae Vitae, (Of human life). This important statement contested the recommendation of a commission of lay and theological members, begun by Pope John XXIII, that the church relax its attitude toward artificial birth control.
Historically, the Roman Catholic Church has opposed the use of abortion, contraception, and other means to prevent human reproduction. The church has usually held fast to this position even if it should have undesirable consequences, such as poverty for the parents of large families or a global population explosion. According to Catholic teaching, the purpose of sex is to have children, and to prevent childbirth by artificial means would end a life or the creation of a life that was ordained by God and nature to exist. By the 1960s, however, many people, including significant numbers of Catholics, were beginning to criticize the church's position, claiming that it was unduly harsh, especially on the impoverished peoples of many developing nations.
In this encyclical, Paul firmly rejected all forms of artificial birth control, abortion, and sterilization. However, he did permit couples to take advantage of a woman's natural cycles by having sex only during her periods of infertility, a method of natural birth control sometimes known as the rhythm method. The pope's explanation for this determination was set forth in Article 16 of the document:
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 prevent conception, even when the reasons given for the latter practice may appear to be upright and serious. In reality, these two cases are completely different. In the former the married couple rightly use a faculty provided them by nature. In the latter they obstruct the natural development of the generative process.
Paul would not go further than this concession, however. While he declared that it was permissible to take advantage of “a faculty provided by nature,” he said more could not be permitted without violating God's will. Paul was widely criticized for his decision, and many Catholics around the world have chosen to simply ignore this particular aspect of church doctrine.