The Roman Catholic Church has long been against the use of contraception methods, but how did it all start?
Ever since the beginning of the Roman Catholic faith, the Church has been morally opposed to contraception and other acts which could be construed as an “intentional act of preventing conception or impregnation.” But history is filled with countless debates and arguments on this controversial matter, and one can’t help but wonder and ask, “Why?”
The Encyclicals Against
The first instance in which the Catholic Church expressed its views on birth control was in Pope Pius XI's 1930 encyclical entitled Casti Connubii. It was written in response to the then Anglican approval of artificial means of contraception when used in cases of grave necessity. Below is an excerpt of the text:
“Since, therefore, openly departing from the uninterrupted Christian tradition some recently have judged it possible solemnly to declare another doctrine regarding this question, the Catholic Church, ... in order that she may preserve the chastity of the nuptial union from being defiled by this foul stain, ... proclaims anew: any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of a grave sin.”
But it did not stop there. The Church went further, and in 1968 Pope Paul VI released an encyclical entitled Humanae Vitae, which again said that chemical and barrier methods were morally unallowable, but suggested natural methods such as natural family planning may be considered in cases of extreme necessity - a suggestion some see implicit in Casti Connubii as well. Here is an excerpt from the text of Humanae Vitae.
"The Church, nevertheless, in urging men to the observance of the precepts of the natural law, which it interprets by its constant doctrine, teaches that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life." — Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (1968).
For a more recent take on things, the late Pope John Paul II argued that “contraception is contrary to the interpersonal union that sexual intercourse should cement.” This argument asserts that sexual union should involve total mutual bodily self-giving and not a form of self-deceit, as may be the case when contraception is used.
The Declarations For
While the Church’s official stand has been against contraception for many years now (and will probably be for many more years to come), there are those who have had a change of heart and accepted it as another part of life.
The condemnation of contraception was first relaxed by the Anglican Communion at the 1930 Lambeth Conference, and most Protestant groups followed suit over the course of the 20th century. In an official statement by the Church of England,
"The Church of England does not regard contraception as a sin or a contravention of God's purpose." - Church of England, Science, Medicine, Technology and the Environment (2005).
Meanwhile, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has a stated position of:
“When [having children] is not their intention, the responsible use of safe, effective contraceptives is expected of the male and the female. Respect and sensitivity should also be shown toward couples who do not feel called to conceive and/or rear children, or who are unable to do so.”
And before one starts thinking that while other groups have started accepting it, as opposed to the Roman Catholic Church which is solid in its beliefs, here’s some news for you. The Winnipeg Statement by the Canadian Catholic Bishops states their belief that Catholics can in good conscience, use artificial contraception. Published on September 27, 1968, it is a controversial document about Pope Paul VI's July 1968 encyclical on human life and the regulation of birth. And controversial it is, for not only does it reflect dissent among the ranks of Roman Catholics but it also asserts, "The unity of the Church does not consist in a bland conformity in all ideas, but rather in a union of faith and heart, in submission to God's will and a humble but honest and ongoing search for the truth."
Ultimately, it falls upon each individual to determine whether contraception is good or not. As Shakespeare so well put it in his famous play Hamlet - “For there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
