Catholic scholar Cormac Burke has written an anthropological (non-religious) evaluation of the effect of contraception on marital love, "Married Love and Contraception", to argue that "contraception does in fact denaturalize the conjugal act, to the extent that, far from uniting the spouses and expressing and confirming the love between them in a unique way, it tends to undermine their love by radically contradicting the full mutual self-giving that this most intimate act of the marital relationship should signify. [44], As part of the Protestant Reformation, Reformers began to more strongly emphasize the unitive pleasures of marriage. In this matter, the principle outlined at Romans 14:12 applies: "Each of us will render an account for himself to God." Its Resolution on Responsible Parenthood states that in order to "support the sacred dimensions of personhood, all possible efforts should be made by parents and the community to ensure that each child enters the world with a healthy body, and is born into an environment conducive to realization of his or her potential". But what answer? [7] The mathematical formula for the rhythm method had been formalized in 1930,[14] and in 1932 a Catholic physician published a book titled The Rhythm of Sterility and Fertility in Women promoting the method to Catholics. Decisions about birth control and the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each married couple. Copyright © 2010–2021, The Conversation US, Inc. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. This article explains why birth control is intrinsically evil as it reveals the Church’s teaching on the matter, and backs this up with history and logic. Among the Scripture included in the book are the following lines from Psalm 127:3–5: Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Pope Paul VI banned contraception for Catholics in the 1968 encyclical, “Humanae Vitae.” As a scholar specializing in both the history of the Catholic Church and gender studies, I can attest that for almost 2,000 years, the Catholic Church’s stance on contraception has … That was not at all unusual. Zorn, W.H.T. [67], Until recently the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) have publicly condemned artificial birth control. We can’t keep silent. [11] Because of this secondary purpose, married couples have a right to engage in intercourse even when pregnancy is not a possible result: Nor are those considered as acting against nature who in the married state use their right in the proper manner although on account of natural reasons either of time or of certain defects, new life cannot be brought forth. The papacy decided to bring the dialogue about contraception out of scholarly theological discussions between clergy into ordinary exchanges between Catholic couples and their priests. One can comply with them and use them to advantage, but they cannot be "violated" by artificial interference.[19]. [12], John and Sheila Kippley from the Couple to Couple League say that the statement of Pope Pius XI not only permitted sex between married couples during pregnancy and menopause, but also during the infertile times of the menstrual cycle. Other Reformed groups, however, are at odds over the issue, as can be seen in recent works arguing that the practice of birth control has no legitimate Christian support. Speeches of the Year, 1973, p. 263), Ezra Taft Benson (Conference Report, April 1969 p. 12) & Howard W. Hunter (Conference Report, Oct. 1994, p. 67), Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Contraception: Early Church Teaching (William Klimon), "Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd Edition Paragraph 2366", "Catechism of the Catholic Church 2nd Edition Paragraph 2370", "Casti Connubii: Encyclical of Pope Pius XI on Christian Marriage, December 31, 1930", October 29, 1951 to the Italian Catholic Union of midwives, Catechism of the Catholic Church: III. [72] The church "discourages surgical sterilization as an elective form of birth control".[70]. Instead of using birth control methods such as the pill, IUDs, diaphragms, and condoms, Catholics can use Natural Family Planning (NFP) techniques. [54], The Anglican Communion, including the Church of England, condemned artificial contraception at the 1908 and 1920 Lambeth Conferences. Early opposition to contraception was often a reaction to the threat of heretic groups, such as the Gnostics and Manichees. [52][51] However, especially in recent years, more Amish women have begun using contraception. [36], Eastern Orthodox believers, on all sides of the issue, tend to believe that contraceptive acceptance is not adequately examined, and that any examination has too often become tied up in identity politics, the more accepting group accusing the categorically opposed group of Roman Catholic influence. Sec. [33] According to a nationwide poll of 2,242 U.S. adults surveyed online in September 2005 by Harris Interactive (they stated that the magnitude of errors cannot be estimated due to sampling errors, non-response,etc. As a consequence of this increasing availability and use of contraceptives by Catholics, church teaching on birth control – which had always been there – began to become a visible priority. His decision, many argue, was not about contraception per se but the preservation of church authority. The Catholic Church had changed its stance on many controversial issues over the centuries, such as slavery, usury and Galileo’s theory that the Earth revolves around the sun. With his papal bull “Effraenatam,” he ordered all church and civil penalties for homicide to be brought against those who practiced contraception. Laetsch, G. Luecke, W.A. Boise State University provides funding as a member of The Conversation US. The Catholic Church engaged in a comprehensive process of reform following the Second Vatican Council (1962–65). [55][56], The Southern Baptist Convention, the largest Baptist denomination in the world and largest Protestant denomination in the United States, initially welcomed the invention of birth control and legalization of abortion, but religious morality among its faithful shifted beginning in the 1980s with the Moral Majority and resulted in condemnation of legal abortion and religious freedom from government promotion of contraception in schools; subsequently, after the contraceptive mandate was passed, attitudes shifted further, and as of 2014, there appears to have been a shift towards outright moral disapproval of contraception. An official document of the Russian Orthodox Church prohibits contraception except when it is specifically approved by a confessor, does not involve the possibility of aborting a conceived child, is for reasons of inability to raise a child, and is done with spousal consent. Church leaders confronted the issue head-on, expressing a variety of viewpoints. Maier, M.J. Naumann, et al.) As a scholar specializing in both the history of the Catholic Church and gender studies, I can attest that for almost 2,000 years, the Catholic Church’s stance on contraception has been one of constant change and development. Precisely for this reason they must have an extremely responsible attitude. A vast majority of Catholics practice behaviors denounced by the Catholic hierarchy, such as using birth control, having oral sex, and supporting abortion, while still practicing Catholicism faithfully. 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.[18]. The Museum of Sex, in New York, marks the 50th anniversary of the world’s first oral contraceptive in 2010. Get your order fast and stress free with free curbside pickup. ... A 2002 US survey found 96% of sexually active Catholic women had used birth control. [45] Still, all major early Protestant Reformers, and indeed Protestants in general until the twentieth century, condemned birth control as a contravention of God's procreative purpose for marriage. it has not always been the church battleground, knew about contraception and likely practiced it, in a give-and-take with cultural practices and social pressures. If you think pausing for a condom kills the mood, you should try rubbing crocodile dung on your cervix. By the early 1950s, however, options for artificial contraception were growing, including the pill. 7, July 1916), Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr. (Relief Society Magazine, v. 3, no. IS THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AGAINST UNNATURAL BIRTH CONTROL A NEW TEACHING? In order to create the Church’s official position on modern methods, Pope John the XXIII established The Pontifical Commission on Birth Control in 1963. [29] Among them, dissident theologian Charles Curran criticized the stance of Humanae vitae on artificial birth control. [27] In 2010, Benedict in an interview which was published in the book Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times, when asked whether the Catholic Church were not opposed in principle to the use of condoms, stated: She [the Catholic Church] of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality. [51] Old Colony Mennonites, like the Amish, do not officially allow birth control practices. Pastor emeritus of St. Vincent de Paul Parish. In 1963—during a time when many developed countries were undergoing significant cultural shifts around gender and sexuality— a papal commission began working on a new statement on marriage as part of the Second Vatican Council convened by Pope John XXIII to update the teachings of the Catholic church. [24], In 2003, the BBC's Panorama stated that church officials have taught that HIV can pass through the membrane of the latex rubber from which condoms were made. He proposed "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer" as solutions. Artificial insemination is generally accepted, however, all measures by which life may be destroyed by human selection are rejected. Kretzmann and W.H. For example, in 1990 the Lutheran Churches of the Reformation passed a resolution titled "Procreation" stating that birth control, in all forms, is sin, although they "allow for exegetical differences and exceptional cases (casuistry)", for example, when the woman's life is at risk. "[6] Augustine, in On Marriage and Concupiscence, states that whoever merely involving lust in intercourse without intending procreation, "although they be called husband and wife, are not; nor do they retain any reality of marriage, but use the respectable name [of marriage] to cover a shame. The Love of Husband and Wife. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies at the gate. Website for Catholics Against Contraception. [37][38], Some Orthodox Christians, like Roman Catholics, consider using contraceptives not only a sin, but also a "mortal sin"[39] in the manner of "unnatural carnal sins", along with homosexuality, bestiality, masturbation, etc. As this topic was being researched, the main point and question in need of an answer was, how has the Catholic Church dealt with the issue of birth control since the 1960s? 3", "Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States - Q&A", "Ethiopians Seeking Birth Control: Caught Between Church And State", "Responsible Family Planning: The Legitimacy of Contraceptive Use for Christian Couples", "Amish society: An overview reconsidered", "The Anabatist Tradition: Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions", "Many Evangelicals See Something to Admire in Candidates' Broods", "Statements on Science, Medicine, Technology & Environment", "Southern Baptist attitudes changing on birth control", "13.3.3 Sex and family planning in marriage", "Journey Together Faithfully: ELCA Studies on Sexuality, Part One", http://lutheransandcontraception.blogspot.com/2006/01/gods-word-and-procreation.html, "Perspectives: Pharmacy Refusals - A New Threat to Women's Health", "United Church of Christ committee recommends condom distribution at churches", Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice. [28], Roderick Hindery reported that a number of Western Catholics have voiced significant disagreement with the church's stance on contraception. Sometimes this lustful cruelty, or cruel lust, comes to this, that they even use sterilizing drugs." Many Catholic theologians warn that preserving an unscientific stance on birth control will weaken the Catholic Church's credibility on all sexual issues, not just birth control. Married couples, therefore, are free to decide for themselves whether they will raise a family or not. Most Catholics (including priests) rejected the document outright. Catholicism is complex, and so are Catholics. The phrase "sterilizing drugs" (sterilitatis venena) was widely used in theological and ecclesiastical literatures to condemn any contraceptive acts and birth control. No. New discussions were needed. Not only are all types of artificial birth control forbidden in Old-Order Amish communities, but any varieties of natural family planning, such as calendar-based methods, are also condemned. The teachings on love, sexuality, marriage, and contraception are based on the Church’s sincere concerns about the human person and society as a whole. The Catholic Church and Birth Control This blog highlights the history of contraceptives in the Catholic Church, Catholic views on different forms of birth control and the reasons and ways that some Catholics abstain from sexual activity. Modern contraceptive inventions have given many an exaggerated sense of safety and prompted more people than ever before to move sexual expression outside the marriage boundary. Thus, it is impossible for the Church to ever accept or condone the practice of birth control. Up until Condoms and the Catholic church: a short history. The Church has never in her history confronted such a problem.”. While sex within marriage was not itself considered a sin, pleasure in sex was. XII. Instead, as McLaughlin points out, “the pill did not act in any way against the … Document from the United States Catholic Council of Bishop's November 2006 on the married life and contraception. That’s one technique ancient Egyptian women used to prevent pregnancy. Wool that absorbed sperm, poisons that fumigated the uterus, potions, and other methods were used to prevent conception. In fact, three years after Sixtus’s death, the next pope repealed most of the sanctions and told Christians to treat “Effraenatam” “as if it had never been issued.”, Read more: Many early Church Fathers made statements condemning the use of contraception including John Chrysostom, Jerome, Clement of Alexandria, Hippolytus of Rome, Augustine of Hippo and various others. The Catechism of the Catholic Church specifies that all sex acts must be both unitive and procreative. "[22], The 2008 Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's instruction Dignitas Personae reiterates church opposition to contraception, mentioning new methods of interception and contragestion, notably female condoms and morning-after pills, which are also "fall within the sin of abortion and are gravely immoral". It was only in 1588 that Pope Sixtus V took the strongest conservative stance against contraception in Catholic history. [citation needed], The LDS Church opposes elective abortion "for personal or social convenience"[72] but states that abortion could be an acceptable option in cases of rape, incest, danger to the health or life of the mother, or where the fetus has been diagnosed with "severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth". The Catholic church and birth control, sin or not? Graebner, C.M. In issuing Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI relied on the Minority Papal Commission Report of the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control. Augustine utilized the biblical story of Onan as a supporting text to denounce contraception.[7]. [11] The 1930s also saw the first U.S. [34] A survey conducted in 2015 by the Pew Research Center among 5,122 U.S. adults (including 1,016 self-identified Catholics) stated 76% of U.S. Catholics thought that the church should allow Catholics to use birth control. In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued a major document rejecting artificial birth control titled Humanae Vitae (“On Human Life”), thereby creating a virtual firestorm in the Catholic Church. Section 2370, "Humanae vitae: Encyclical of Pope Paul VI on the Regulation of Birth, July 25, 1968", "Vademecum for confessors concerning some aspects of the morality of the conjugal life", "Dignitas Personae: On Certain Bioethical Questions", "Catholics and Acceptable Uses of Contraceptives", "The Church & AIDS in Africa: Condoms & the Culture of Life", "Condoms \'not the answer to AIDS\': Pope", BBC News: "Vatican: Pope did not back condom contraception use", "Canadian Bishops' Statement on the Encyclical "Humanae Vitae. The Birth Control Commission. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark “Humanae Vitae,” Pope Paul VI’s strict prohibition against artificial contraception, issued in the aftermath of the development of the birth control pill. [8] In addition to condemning use of artificial birth control as intrinsically evil,[9] non-procreative sex acts such as mutual masturbation and anal sex are ruled out as ways to avoid pregnancy. Sexual relations within marriage are not only for the purpose of procreation, but also a means of expressing love and strengthening emotional and spiritual ties between husband and wife. Among those adamantly convinced of the truth of the prohibitions was the Jesuit John Ford, perhaps the most influential U.S. Catholic moralist of the last century. For example, while also teaching and encouraging love and acceptance of children, the Conservative Mennonite Conference maintains, "The prevention of pregnancy when feasible by birth control with pre-fertilization methods is acceptable. An outcry ensued from both priests and laypeople. Indeed, while Judeo-Christian scripture encourages humans to “be fruitful and multiply,” nothing in Scripture explicitly prohibits contraception. Much has changed in the Catholic Church since 1968. Rhythm Clinic (founded by John Rock) to teach the method to Catholic couples. Sex Birth control Abortion Catholic church Clergy Middle Ages Catholics Bible Contraceptives Jesuits Christian Scriptures Pope Paul VI Saint Augustine 1968 50th anniversary 1968 Paul VI eventually sided with this minority view and issued “Humanae Vitae,” prohibiting all forms of artificial birth control. If a husband and wife choose to use a nonabortive form of contraception to avoid pregnancy, that is their personal decision and responsibility. Devout Catholics wanted explicit permission to use them. Pope Paul VI made a clear declaration on the use of birth control when he wrote ‘the Encyclical Letter ‘Human Vitae’ on July 25, 1968 which banned Catholics from using contraceptives (Pope VI). At the 1958 Lambeth Conference it was stated that the responsibility for deciding upon the number and frequency of children was laid by God upon the consciences of parents "in such ways as are acceptable to husband and wife". a reaction to the threat of heretic groups, Cómo vino la Iglesia Católica a oponerse al control de natalidad, even admitted couples might have legitimate reasons to limit family size, “violates the law of God and nature” and was “stained by a great and mortal flaw.”, “morally valid reasons for avoiding procreation,”, Devout Catholics wanted explicit permission to use them, prohibiting all forms of artificial birth control, outcry ensued from both priests and laypeople. At the time, the decision shocked many Catholic priests and laypeople. Minority opinion, however, feared that to suggest the church had been wrong these last decades would be to admit the church had been lacking in direction by the Holy Spirit. People of faith make condoms available because we have chosen life so that we and our children may live.”[65], The Presbyterian Church (USA) supports "full and equal access to contraceptive methods". Today, priests make it a pastoral priority to encourage sexual pleasure between spouses. By the 20th century, Christians in some of the most heavily Catholic countries in the world, such as France and Brazil, were among the most prodigious users of artificial contraception, leading to dramatic decline in family size. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. [62], The United Methodist Church, holds that "each couple has the right and the duty prayerfully and responsibly to control conception according to their circumstances". Protecting oneself against sickness or death is an act of prevention. Birth control was known at least since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In an interview on Dutch television in 2004, Belgian Cardinal Godfried Danneels argued that the use of condoms should be supported to prevent AIDS if sex with a person infected with HIV should take place, though it is to be avoided. The Catholic Church was not alone in its opposition to contraceptives until the 1930s, when the Anglican Church passed a resolution in favor of birth control at its 1930 Lambeth Conference, since then other Protestant denominations began to relax their prohibitions as well. Conservative Catholics, however, praised the pope for what they saw as a confirmation of traditional teachings. The Mennonite Church USA, the General Conference Mennonite Church, and the Conservative Mennonite Conference have adopted statements indicating approval of modern methods of contraception. Contra­ception is gravely opposed to marital chastity; it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (the procreative aspect of matrimony), and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (the unitive aspect of matrimony); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of human life.[20]. When the first Christian theologians condemned contraception, they did so not on the basis of religion but in a give-and-take with cultural practices and social pressures. It was only in 1588 that Pope Sixtus V took the strongest conservative stance against contraception in Catholic history. [13] Raymond J. Devettere says that the statement is a permit to undertake intercourse during the infertile times when there is "a good reason for it". History of Birth Control Ban The Catholic Church has said since its very beginning that using any form of birth control was wrong. Those who demand that the Church “soften” her opposition to contraception for “pastoral” … [66] Is contraception a modern invention? One lay member of the commission commented, “It was as if they had found some old unpublished encyclical from the 1920s in a drawer somewhere in the Vatican, dusted it off, and handed it out.”. In a sense, the Church is compelled to do this, since she does not have the authority to abridge or nullify the Natural Law in any respect. In a statement to explain his saying, the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith reaffirmed that the church considered prostitution "gravely immoral": However, those involved in prostitution who are HIV positive and who seek to diminish the risk of contagion by the use of a condom may be taking the first step in respecting the life of another even if the evil of prostitution remains in all its gravity. By the mid-17th century, some church leaders even admitted couples might have legitimate reasons to limit family size to better provide for the children they already had. The Catholic Church and Birth Control On June 28, 1966, the Papal Commission on Birth Control submitted a report to the Vatican after they had prayed together, listened to presentations from experts, reviewed surveys taken from over 3,000 dedicated Catholic couples from 18 countries, and argued among themselves about numerous matters pertaining to human sexuality. It was tasked with making the historical teachings of the Church clear to a modern world, and made pronouncements on topics including the nature of the church, the mission of the laity and religious freedom. "[50] A study published in 1975 found that only 11% of Mennonites believed use of birth control was "always wrong". It is against all abortion except when the mother's life is in danger. "Should a Christian Choose to Use Contraceptives? Although no Scripture mentioned contraception, Ford believed the church’s teachings were grounded in divine revelation and therefore not to be questioned. [10] Casti connubii explains the secondary, unitive, purpose of intercourse. On New Year's Eve 1930, the Roman Catholic Church officially banned any "artificial" means of birth control. Walther, F. Pieper, A.L. Prior to the 20th century, three major branches of Christianity—Catholicism, Orthodoxy and Protestantism[1]—as well as leading Protestant reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin generally held a critical perspective of birth control.