On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI published a long-anticipated and very controversial Encyclical: Humanae Vitae (On Human Life). At the time, the Church looked at the meaning of human sexuality, particularly the morality of artificial contraception, in light of scientific developments that had successfully separated the sexual act from procreation. After much discussion, at times heated, theologians disagreed. The Holy Father, carefully sifting all the relevant information guided by the Holy Spirit, strengthened by his payer life and conscious of his God-given duty to guide the Church according to His will, decided on the side of life. He was immediately scorned and vilified. Almost 42 years later we know that Paul VI saw the future with divine insight. The Encyclical starts with the Christian vision of marriage:

“[married] love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their human fulfillment. It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner’s own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself. Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death… Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being.”

After introducing the vision of Christian marriage as the loving union of man and woman, open to life, the Pope explains why artificial birth control is contrary to God’s plan: “Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. Equally to be condemned, as the Magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary.” And this is what was greeted with such scorn and even rebellion.

The following words are truly prophetic: “Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. 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. 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. Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.”

On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court decided for death, with its Roe v. Wade decision: it marked the beginning of a slaughter of the innocents in our Country, and the birth to the Pro Life movement. After more than 50 million deaths in the US, let us pray that we, the people, will pray and act to overturn that decision.