Church and Contraception: The History

Michie · Jun 3, 2024

The real story of how Pope Paul VI rejected contraception deserves a fair hearing.

Critics who reject the Catholic Church’s teaching on contraception often cite the 1966 “Pontifical Commission on Birth Control” to justify their dissent. They say Pope Paul VI ignored the research of the commission he directed to determine if contraception is immoral. According to Celia Wexler, author of Catholic Women Confront Their Church,

the commission, which included Catholic married couples and physicians, reportedly voted overwhelmingly to lift the Vatican’s blanket ban on artificial birth control, and to permit married couples to prudently plan their families. But that hope was dashed in 1968, when Paul VI, writing in his encyclical, Humanae Vitae, once more declared artificial contraception “intrinsically wrong.”

Critics like Wexler say the faithful were harmed by the pope’s fear of rejecting tradition when he should have listened to “the best theological minds” in the Church. Catholics for Choice puts it this way:

“Humanae Vitae marked a turning point for the Catholic church, as Pope Paul rejected the theologically sound findings of his own Papal Birth Control Commission in favor of a turn to rigid orthodoxy.”

For many Catholics, Pope Pius XI’s 1930 encyclical Casti Connubii laid the issue of contraception to rest. Pope Pius XII said his predecessor’s condemnation of acts done to hinder the procreation of new life within the conjugal union “is in full force today, as it was in the past and so it will be in the future.” But by the 1960s, millions of American women, including many Catholics, were using the new FDA-approved birth control pill.

Continued below.

Church and Contraception: The History

The common story of the Church's revisitation of, and ultimate re-rejection of, contraception in the 1960s has a few misconceptions to correct.

www.catholic.com

chevyontheriver · Jun 3, 2024

Michie said:
Critics like Wexler say the faithful were harmed by the pope’s fear of rejecting tradition when he should have listened to “the best theological minds” in the Church. Catholics for Choice puts it this way:

But pope Paul VI DID listen to the best theological mind of the Church when Karol Wojtyla explained it to him.

OK. Maybe the second best theological mind after Josef Ratzinger. But head and shoulders above those others.

Cosmic Charlie · Jun 4, 2024

Not for nothing, but you'd think "The best mind ever" could explain the underpinnings of the case better.

I mean, as it is, Paul took a middle road anyway -

- under Casti Connubii so-called Natural Family Planning shouldn't be allowed as a moral form of birth control.

Humane Vitae allows it almost like a Dox Machina and without explanation.

People can make these extravagant claims about the brilliance of this these men that lived 70 years all they want.

The proof is in the documents they wrote.

....and it's not there.

Sorry

chevyontheriver · Jun 4, 2024

Cosmic Charlie said:
Not for nothing, but you'd think "The best mind ever" could explain the underpinnings of the case better.

I mean, as it is, Paul took a middle road anyway -

- under Casti Connubii so-called Natural Family Planning shouldn't be allowed as a moral form of birth control.

Humane Vitae allows it almost like a Dox Machina and without explanation.

People can make these extravagant claims about the brilliance of this these men that lived 70 years all they want.

The proof is in the documents they wrote.

....and it's not there.

Sorry

Nobody is pretending that pope Paul VI was anywhere near the best mind ever. And his explanation was wimpy at best, and actually I think it was just plain lacking. I, at least, am not claiming pope Paul VI was at all brilliant. He muddled. That was his MO.

Cosmic Charlie · Jun 4, 2024

chevyontheriver said:
But pope Paul VI DID listen to the best theological mind of the Church when Karol Wojtyla explained it to him.

OK. Maybe the second best theological mind after Josef Ratzinger. But head and shoulders above those others.

Well -

Then what does THIS mean ?

Karol Wotyla didn't do any better in "Theology of the Body" as Pope. I mean, okay, 120 lectures on love, marriage and reproduction from the point of view every Western thinker in the last 400 years is nice, but it really doesn't answer the fundamental issues of Humane Vitae nor answer the simple question: "What was wrong, exactly, with the majority report back in '67?"

Nothing personal Chev, but JPII and Bene, I'll grant that they have great theological minds for this conversation, but they don't see any great thinking when it comes to the management or reproduction by married couples in any document they created.

chevyontheriver · Jun 4, 2024

Cosmic Charlie said:
Well -

Then what does THIS mean ?

Karol Wotyla didn't do any better in "Theology of the Body" as Pope. I mean, okay, 120 lectures on love, marriage and reproduction from the point of view every Western thinker in the last 400 years is nice, but it really doesn't answer the fundamental issues of Humane Vitae nor answer the simple question: "What was wrong, exactly, with the majority report back in '67?"

Nothing personal Chev, but JPII and Bene, I'll grant that they have great theological minds for this conversation, but they don't see any great thinking when it comes to the management or reproduction by married couples in any document they created.

One might see it if one believed it, but it helps in that regard to try it. The theologians who protested Humanae vitae in the New York Times in 1968 launched their attack before the complete text was even available to them. Lots of people have auto-rejected Humanae vitae and are very keen to explain why contraception is a great idea.

Have you ever heard of Janet Smith?

Cosmic Charlie · Jun 4, 2024

chevyontheriver said:
One might see it if one believed it, but it helps in that regard to try it. The theologians who protested Humanae vitae in the New York Times in 1968 launched their attack before the complete text was even available to them. Lots of people have auto-rejected Humanae vitae and are very keen to explain why contraception is a great idea.

yeah Chev I’m not lots of people.

I Never attacked jack and didn’t even start looking at the documents until, like ’76. I also not keen to explain anything I just have about 5 questions on the subject No one seems to be able to answer. All I get is mostly people who don't even seem to understand the issues involved.

chevyontheriver said:
Have you ever heard of Janet Smith?

Another Catholic Traditionalist with a long distracting line of logic having nothing to do with questions involved?

please, I beg you , no more.

Diamond72 · Jun 10, 2024

Michie said:
Critics who reject the Catholic Church’s teaching on contraception

Catholics can use natural family planning (NFP) methods of birth control, which the Catholic Church supports and approves of.

Michie · Jun 10, 2024

Diamond7 said:
Catholics can use natural family planning (NFP) methods of birth control, which the Catholic Church supports and approves of.

Yes I know. I’ve read it. But there is more to it than that as far as circumstances. The whole point is the marital union must always be open to life and never do anything to unnaturally block it.

Diamond72 · Jun 10, 2024

Michie said:
The whole point is the marital union must always be open to life and never do anything to unnaturally block it.

We wanted that daughter. We already had a son, but I wanted her to finish college first and then we would have the daughter. I sent her to a doctor to get whatever he recommended. I did not know an IUD can cause an abortion like that. I was very surprised and 50 years later I am still upset about that whole thing. Or else I would not be talking about it here. The mother said she forgot and does not remember, which concerns me. She claims to be a catholic.

chevyontheriver · Jun 10, 2024

Diamond7 said:
We wanted that daughter. We already had a son, but I wanted her to finish college first and then we would have the daughter. I sent her to a doctor to get whatever he recommended. I did not know an IUD can cause an abortion like that. I was very surprised and 50 years later I am still upset about that whole thing. Or else I would not be talking about it here. The mother said she forgot and does not remember, which concerns me. She claims to be a catholic.

As far as not knowing, well it wasn't always explained as much as just prescribed. We trust experts. Maybe too much.

Diamond72 · Jun 10, 2024

chevyontheriver said:
As far as not knowing, well it wasn't always explained as much as just prescribed. We trust experts. Maybe too much.

Maybe we should trust the experts in the Church that advise to avoid contraceptives for a good reason. Esp now with smart watches so that a women knows when she is futile to get pregnant or avoid getting pregnant. So called natural birth control.

chevyontheriver · Jun 10, 2024

Diamond7 said:
Maybe we should trust the experts in the Church that advise to avoid contraceptives for a good reason. Esp now with smart watches so that a women knows when she is futile to get pregnant or avoid getting pregnant. So called natural birth control.

I'm not that prone to trust experts, whether medical or theological or otherwise.

Avoiding contraceptives has always been a good thing to avoid. Some of them are nasty. All of them set us up for moral compromise. And none of them are necessary or all that effective either. I am glad that my wife and I finally had the sense (through grace) to give that stuff up.

Diamond72 · Jun 10, 2024

chevyontheriver said:
I'm not that prone to trust experts,

That is what my brother does for a living. He makes $500 an hour as a expert witness in court.
He has to put up with a lot of abuse so he is not willing to testify for any lesser amount.

Church and Contraception: The History

Well-Known Member

The real story of how Pope Paul VI rejected contraception deserves a fair hearing.​

Well-Known Member

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated

Well-Known Member

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated

Well-Known Member

The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated

Dispensationalist 72

Well-Known Member

Dispensationalist 72

Well-Known Member

Dispensationalist 72

Well-Known Member

Dispensationalist 72

Similar threads

The real story of how Pope Paul VI rejected contraception deserves a fair hearing.