Humanae Vitae was issued on July 25, 1968, and with each passing year we see continued evidence of the truth of Blessed Pope Paul VI’s predictions in his encyclical, about what would happen if contraceptive use were to become widespread. Even those who are accustomed to dealing with the evils of the culture of death on a regular basis cannot help but be left aghast at the degradation and destruction our society has undergone over the past five decades in which the cancerous contraceptive mentality has taken root.
While the prophetic utterances of Paul VI have been discussed in depth elsewhere, let us briefly revisit them. The Holy Father noted several particularly devastating consequences of contraception. These included: an increase in infidelity and a general lowering of morality in society; men’s loss of respect for women with an increased disregard for their physical and psychological well-being, treating them as objects of pleasure rather than beloved companions; governments’ use of “family planning” programs for coercive purposes; and a loss of respect for the human person’s integral unity of body and soul. A mere glance at the moral bankruptcy in today’s world gives evidence that these things have in fact come to pass.
It did not take much time to see these effects on the culture take place. The rupture of the inseparable unitive and procreative dimensions of marriage was inevitable for those who strayed from the truth of God’s design. Sex without babies quickly became babies without sex and certain reproductive technologies soon developed. For example, only a decade after the landmark encyclical was issued, the world’s first “test tube baby”, Louise Brown, was born. One cannot help but notice that her birthday was July 25, 1978—the exact tenth anniversary of Humanae Vitae. This is but one example. There are countless more. (For those who would like more detail, a brilliant analysis of the deleterious effects of the sexual revolution can be found in Mary Eberstadt’s book Adam and Eve after the Pill).
While on the one hand we may feel driven to don our spiritual sackcloth and ashes in reparation, on the other hand, it is also worth reflecting on the fact that God can and does bring good out of evil. For as St. Paul reminds us in Romans 5:20, “Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.” So what good can we find when we sift through the choking weeds of the contraceptive culture?
First, let us consider that Blessed Paul VI also offered some beautiful words of encouragement in which he specifically addressed several groups of people including Christian husbands and wives, educators, priests and bishops, public authorities, and men of science—particularly physicians and medical personnel (HV, n. 22-30). To all of these, and to all the faithful, he emphasizes the reverence due to the sacredness of marriage and the gift of human life. Then, in his closing remarks, he urges us all to embrace the mission of love within our given vocations: “We are deeply convinced that this is truly a great work, both for the world and for the Church, since man cannot find true happiness, for which he yearns with his whole being, unless he respects the laws inscribed in his nature by God, laws which he ought to observe with understanding and love” (HV, n. 31).
How then, nearly 50 years since Humanae Vitae made its debut, have we seen people embrace the truth of their vocations? It has taken a while, and we have a very long way to go, but the good fruits are beginning to blossom.
One of the most helpful and effective vehicles for implementing the wisdom of Paul VI, is Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. As this incredible work has come to be more widely known and taught in recent years, people are coming to understand on a deeper level their relationship with God and the truth of His plan for their life. In fact, more marriage preparation programs today teach in the context of the Theology of the Body, upholding the truth and beauty about the Church’s teaching on human sexuality – a message that so many people have never heard before. And, for those whose hearts are open, lives are changed for the good, thanks to this Good News.
Another flourishing fruit of the implementation of Humanae Vitae is the growth of the science of fertility appreciation as expressed through Natural Family Planning and NaPro Technology. The integrity of the human person, the sacredness of the marriage covenant, authentic love, and God’s great gift of life and the blessings of children are all respected in these sciences. Natural Family Planning teaches couples how to grow in love and fosters an openness to life in a way that deepens the love of the couple for each other and their children, expressing clearly the “both-and” of the inseparable connection of the unitive and procreative dimensions of marriage.
As men and women in the medical professions have generously responded to the Lord’s call, particularly as Pope Paul VI expressed it in Humanae Vitae, we are seeing changes in the culture as well. The growth of authentic Catholic health care, restorative reproductive medicine, and the assistance of natural family planning instruction are in great demand and growing steadily. People have found that the ways of the world have not worked and have only brought suffering. They are learning that hormonal contraceptives are destructive – they wreak havoc on a woman’s body and can also act as abortifacients – a fact women are rarely told and are shocked to discover. Women are seeking the kind of medical care that truly heals, respects the meaning of marriage, and is based in a reverence for the body as God created it to be. NaPro Technology works with the body in its God-given design, to discover the underlying causes of infertility, and helps to heal conditions such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian disease, and other debilitating conditions, in ways that are both morally licit and particularly successful.
There are so many people hungry for the truth and there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done. Sadly, there remain many people today that do not know, or have never heard, the fullness of the truth of the Church’s teaching on sexual morality. Many people incorrectly assume the Church is just saying “no”, but really what the Church is saying is a great big “yes”. Yes to all that is true, good, and beautiful. Yes to a right ordering of all that we do. Yes to the freedom of living in the Truth. We don’t need to look far to see the wounds suffered by a people with an erroneous understanding of the meaning of sex. When we discover the truth and meaning of God’s plan for love and life and the inherent dignity of men and women, everything changes. We must continue to re-discover who we are as beloved sons and daughters of God, and in doing so, the possibilities to effect change in the world are wide open.
“You will know them by their fruits.” There is a marked difference between the fruits of the Culture of Death and those of the Culture of Life. Which will we choose, and how is God calling you to fulfill your mission?
I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord your God, heeding His voice, and holding fast to Him. For that will mean life for you (Deuteronomy 30:19-20).
Allison LeDoux is the director of the Respect Life Office and the Office of Marriage and Family for the Diocese of Worcester, MA. Mrs. LeDoux serves as coordinator for the New England region of Diocesan Pro-Life Directors and is a member of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference’s Pro-Life/Pro-Family and Health Care Subcommittees. She received her certification in Catholic Health Care Ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in 2007.Mrs. LeDoux and her husband, John, a permanent deacon, are the parents of eight children.
