WASHINGTON, DC-Thirty-five years ago this week, the Catholic Church warned that widespread acceptance of artificial contraception would have profound and negative consequences for the entire world. “Far from being THE instrument of liberation for women, the pill enslaved women and brainwashed an entire generation into thinking that sex is simply a recreational activity devoid of any consequences and responsibility,” said Judie Brown, president of American Life League. When Pope Paul VI released the Catholic Church's official stance on artificial birth control in the encyclical HUMANAE VITAE, he warned of an increase in “conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality.” He also said that the dignity of women in society would be reduced and that men would “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.” Even the most fervent feminist would have difficulty claiming that this objectification of women has NOT occurred in the last 35 years.
When HUMANAE VITAE was released in 1968, most of those who rejected its message never bothered to read the document. “A growing number of young Catholics (and some Protestants) have studied Humanae Vitae, have found it to be a wellspring of truth and have incorporated it into their lives,” said Joseph Starrs, director of American Life League's Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church. “Humane Vitae is not just a prohibition against artificial birth control. At its core it is an affirmation of the beauty and mystery of the sexual union between husband and wife. I firmly believe that if people actually read the document, many preconceived notions about sex and the Catholic Church would disappear,” said Starrs.
“At the heart of Humane Vitae,” said Brown, “is a recognition that sex is not simply a physical act, it is an act of love and of life. Once you separate the unitive (love) end from the procreative (life) end, you fundamentally change the very nature of sex. This is precisely what our culture has done and the tragic results of divorce, infidelity, pornography, and the ultimate crime against life – abortion – are what we have to show for it. Society would do well to revisit Humanae Vitae with open hearts. We impoverish ourselves and those we love by ignoring it,” she said.
This update courtesy of American Life League. ALL, with more than 375,000 supporting families, is the nation's largest pro-life educational organization. STOPP • P.O. Box 1350 • Stafford, VA 22555 • 540-659-4171.
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