Humanae Vitae (On Human Life), could arguably be considered one of the greatest encyclicals of our day. The task Blessed Pope Paul VI undertook in 1968 was indeed a brave one, as large currents of dissent and, it could be said, persecution for righteousness sake, quickly descended upon him and the Church’s Magisterium. Even though he reigned as Supreme Pontiff another ten years, and issued various other writings, he never wrote another encyclical. One can only imagine the suffering he bore for Christ while faithfully upholding the beauty and truth about life and love. Tough times make saints they say. It is not surprising then, that the miracle attributed to Pope Paul’s intercession which paved the way for his beatification, the healing of an unborn child in the United States in 2001, was directly connected to the gifts of life and love.
As time has passed it has become quite evident that Pope Paul’s prophetic observations in Humanae Vitae have come true. As he foresaw the consequences of what would happen if contraception became widespread – and they have – he also offered us a better way; this is one of the hidden beauties of the encyclical that needs to be promoted. So, I would like to focus here on one particular part of this wisdom, that if we take it seriously now, could have great effects for good, and indeed, may begin to put an end to the culture of death.
Humanae Vitae concludes with a section called “Pastoral Directives”, in which the Holy Father encourages various groups of people in how they can live out this teaching and at the same time evangelize the culture. One of the groups addressed in a particular way are members of the medical professions.
In the section (n. 27) addressed “To Doctors and Medical Personnel”, Pope Paul says,
“We hold in the highest esteem those physicians and medical personnel who, in the exercise of their profession, value above every human interest the higher demands of their Christian vocation. Let them persevere, therefore, in promoting on every occasion the solutions inspired by faith and right reason; and let them strive in their various contacts to convince others and win their respect for these solutions. Let them also consider as their proper professional duty the task of acquiring all the knowledge necessary in this delicate sector, so as to be able to give to the married persons who consult them the wise counsels and sound directives that these have a right to expect.”
Dr. Thomas Hilgers is an example of one physician who was compelled by the Holy Spirit to take Pope Paul’s exhortation seriously. In 1985, Dr. Hilgers founded The Pope Paul VI Institute for the Study of Human Reproduction in Omaha, Nebraska. His scientific research has sought to build a worldwide culture of life in women’s health care. The institute’s website describes this approach as one that “embodies the best principles of medicine and offers superior treatments to women, and challenges mainstream medicine which relies on contraception, in vitro fertilization, and abortion.”
Dr. Hilgers’ development of the science of NaPro Technology has helped thousands of women who suffer from the cross of infertility and other reproductive health issues to find hope and healing through the morally licit practice of medicine. While mainstream medicine is quick to send infertile couples to the IVF clinic, the specialized doctors and nurses who practice the scientific and morally sound methods of Restorative Reproductive Medicine, look at the whole patient. Through the readily observable signs of the fertility cycle, which are easily learned by the woman through instruction in fertility appreciation (also known as Natural Family Planning), medical professionals are able to diagnose the woman’s underlying condition, treat it, and help restore them to health. Incidentally, the rate of pregnancies achieved after treating the infertility is higher than the success rate of IVF, and, unlike IVF no embryos are lost, destroyed, or exiled indefinitely to a frozen limbo in the process.
While hundreds of physicians have been trained by the Pope Paul VI Institute, there is a need for many more. Their services are increasingly in great demand. Why? While there are probably a number of answers to this question, one consideration is the culture. As Pope Paul predicted in Humanae Vitae, the general lowering of moral standards as evidenced by the tragically pervasive contraceptive mentality is leading to more health issues. It is also becoming more difficult for example, to help women trying to conceive who had previously spent months and years with hormonal contraceptives wreaking havoc on an intricately designed reproductive system.
Sound science supports Church teaching. Simply put, when we work in accord with God’s design for the body, and not against it, things work better. If your washing machine breaks down, you call the repair man. When things go wrong in our lives, we too should consult The Manufacturer. Medical professionals who cooperate with the Divine Physician and use their God-given gifts in conjunction with the gift of ethical modern science, strive to heal with the hands of Jesus, and even in cases when physical healing is not possible, their mission is always one of caring.
Both Evangelium Vitae and the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERD’s) advocate for the protection of human life from conception, and they discuss the integrity of marriage and the family, including a call for effective programs of support for new life. The ERD’s also include specific directives about reproductive technologies as well as the importance of Catholic health care institutions providing instruction on the Church’s teaching along with instruction in methods of natural family planning.
In a world where fewer and fewer people have an understanding of the beauty of the Church’s teaching on sexual morality, we have a great challenge but also a golden opportunity. Perhaps we should ask ourselves how we can further the call of our prescient teachers and saints, Paul VI and John Paul II, to fulfill this mission. There is certainly a great need for people to learn about the benefits and blessings of all that authentic women’s health care entails, including fertility appreciation and NaPro Technology.
As the need for the services of Catholic fertility care professionals grows, some are responding to the call with great success. The National Gianna Center for Women’s Health and Fertility and its affiliates are one such example. More are truly needed. Many, even in the Church, as well as many in the medical professions, are still unaware of this amazing and effective proven science that works with God’s design for the human person.
Let us all do our part to promote the call of Blessed Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae with couples, families, clergy, physicians, and Catholic health care institutions, to engage in concrete efforts to provide resources and centers of learning and medical practices that will help to build a culture of life and love. The benefits and blessings are eternal.
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.
- The Medical and Moral Magnificence of Humanae Vitae
- We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident
- When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?
- Life is the Place Where God Manifests Himself: A Reflection on Evangelium Vitae
- Faith, Marriage, and the Salvation of Souls
