Contraception is the deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation by various drugs, techniques, or devices – also more famously known as birth control. This research paper will examine the views of both the Catholic Church and the view that opposes the Catholic Church on this practice. Each view will be examined thoroughly with the reasoning behind each unique view.
The Catholic Church’s view on contraception is simple. They believe that any act of sex must be both unitive and procreative Birth control, by any means or techniques will halt the procreative process and over time diminish the unity created by sex (Catechism). During the 1960s there was a major boom in contraceptives; The Pill had just been created. It is at this point that contraceptives became a major issue within the Catholic Church. In 1968 Pope Paul VI wrote an encyclical titled the “Humanae Vitae” which translates from Latin to kindness of life. In this encyclical he detailed this theory on contraception: “The reason is that the fundamental nature of the marriage act, while uniting husband and wife in the closest intimacy, also renders them capable of generating new life—and this as a result of laws written into the actual nature of man and of woman” (Paul VI). Within the Humanae Vitae Pope Paul VI predicted several things happening if contraceptives became widely available and used within society. These predictions included a general lowering of moral standards, a general disregard for physical and physiological well being of females by males, governments using contraceptives for coercive purposes, and the treating of our bodies like those of a machine or as objects. (Smith, 1994)(Paul VI)
In 1994 pope John Paul II attempted to further clarify the c...
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11. Smith, Janet. "Contraception: Why Not?" Catholic Education Resource Center. 1994. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. .
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13. U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. Dec. 1990. Web. 21 Feb. 2010. .
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Sanger, Margaret. "The Morality of Birth Control." Gifts of Speech. Smith College, 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
The pro-life stance on abortion is often associated with and defended by traditional Christian beliefs , ; however, this paper will argue that it can and should be defended with secular arguments that appeal to reason and our shared human condition. This paper will try and counter the notion that the argument is simply another battlefield where religion and secular thought meet. Rather, it is an important issue that carries with it heavy implications not only for the religious but also for the secular. The major arguments discussed include the emotional and physical toll on the mother, the societal toll of having abortion legalized, and the rights attributed to every human being; first, however, the stance taken in this paper will be further defined and clarified.
Subsequently, the provided documents on the birth control movement did show the push and pull factors of the complicated and multifaceted debate. Americas push towards industrial growth, and technology demanded that the subsequent progressive reforms were needed for a society ushering in a new era. At the same time, fear and reluctance to abandon tradition and religious custom acted as the pulling factor. The birth control debate was a complicated and heavily charged debate teemed in religious, social, political, and racial rhetoric. Historical documents help shed new light on the things taken for granted today, even the most seemingly innocuous things like birth control were fought for, so that men and women today could be in charge of their own destinies.
Margaret Sanger’s first order of business in her attempt to claim women’s rights to sexual freedom was to alter the church’s thoughts and ideals regarding the use of contraception. In 1916, when she began her revolutionary crusade, contraception was not only condemned by the Catholic Church, but by many sects of Christianity. After much effort, the year 1930 brought success to Margaret Sanger and her cohorts. It was at this point that the Church of England accepted the use of contraception in certain circumstances, and only between married couples (Contraception History). This victory by Sanger and her organization, Planned Parenthood, was followed by a wave of acceptance among many denominations for contraceptive use among married couples, and then among single adults. The aftermath of Sanger’s efforts influenced much of the world to changing i...
...ly condemned to be aborted, has the face of the Lord" (Pope Francis, pars. 2-4). This being said, the Holy See suggests the implementation of Natural Family Planning services across the world to give a safer alternative to contraceptives and abortion. The Holy See also would like to see governments supporting and helping improve the adoption process to lessen the strain places on expecting mothers, especially in cases of rape or incest. Counseling should also be made available for all abuse victims, regardless of gender, so that such drastic measures can be avoided. Reproductive health is a very prevalent topic in our ever changing world, but the Catholic Church stands firm in its belief to spread peace and love throughout the world. The aforementioned contraceptive practices, other than NFP, go against the Magisterium’s beliefs and therefore will not be supported.
During the whole of the 21st century, the subject of birth control has become a trending topic throughout various news reports. The debate on whether or not birth control should be required and distributed by all health plans has caused much controversy throughout the population. However, there was a time in our history when contraceptives, much less birth control, was available for the public. It was through the perseverance and determination of Margaret Sanger to make birth control legal for all women that it is accessible worldwide today. She was the leader of the birth control movement, which was conceived during the Progressive era of United States history.
The topic of birth control in public schools has attracted much support from the American public from surveyed statistics. For example, a 2006 Associated Press-Ipsos survey discovered that 67% of Americans support the provision of contraceptives to students. This study also determined that, “About as many - 62 percent - said they believe providing birth control reduces the number of teenage pregnancies” (Associated Press). Such a huge percentage suggests that Americans are very concerned about the increasing cases of teen pregnancies and would eagerly adopt any method that has a possibility of reducing this problem. In addition, the subjects in the poll indicated that they believe that contraception usage in schools has the potential of reducing teenage pregnancies. Many American people support the view points, that schools should offer contraceptives to students in schools. This can really help minimize...
Since the begging of time, women have always been judge harshly and have had certain standards and requirements held against them, that are presented to the community as expectable behavior for women. Women have struggled for independence and rights throughout history and currently in some places in the world; where women are limited to certain activities, political and religious beliefs. “The pill” and plan b which are oral contraception pills or also known as birth control, contributed immensely on the dramatic change of the social and sexual landscape in the United Stated and other counties in the world. It forever changed the fate women where always protrude to carry out thought their lives and certainly empowered woman but as well in a lot of cases seemed to have lowered the high classy standards women followed.
One popular objection is: if it is immoral to deprive someone of a future, or a “future-like-ours”, then it is immoral to deprive a sperm or egg of a “future-like-ours”. Because it is immoral to deprive someone of a future, one must conclude that it is immoral to deprive a sperm or egg of a “future-like-ours”. This objection is in reference to different modes of contraception, such as condoms and birth control. Nevertheless, the biggest problem with Marquis’ argument that allowed for this objection was its indecisiveness and improbability to draw a definitive line. Marquis criticized the pro-lifers and pro-choicers for being unable to have a definitive definition and made the same mistake in his own argument. One could object to his argument by merely questioning where the decision would end; are we to believe that one is depriving a sperm or an egg a future when we use contraception? Another important note is the idea that a “future-like-ours” is even an even more ambiguous term than a “person” or “human being”. It is impossible for the average individual to know which of his sperm or her eggs carries a genetic abnormality that may cause their child to not have a
In this mind baffling speech by Margaret Sanger, she explains the importance of attaining birth control as a female. She believes that “birth control should be available to every adult man and woman” (The Morality of Birth Control). In her opinion, every person over 18 should at least obtain knowledge of it, and try to practice it as much as possible. “Not only will birth control reduce the rate of disease and famine, it will also help heighten the standards of civilization towards teen pregnancy and child abortion” (Population Growth and Resource Depletion). Only then will people attain real morality.
One issue of Human Sexuality in Christianity is the idea of contraception. “Until 1930, when the Anglican Communion modified its teaching, Christians around the world had been unanimous in their condemnation of artificial means of birth control” (LoPresti 132). For centuries, procreation has been the primary purpose of marriage. Now with the advancements of a reliable birth control, sex has taken on a whole new consciousness. Sex now can be seen as fun and pleasurable and independent of procreation. The idea of sex separate from procreation is highly debatable especially in the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church “continues to hold that each and every act of intercourse must remain open to the transmission of new life” (LoPresti 133). This argument is the source of much heated debate due to the steady rise of the Aids Epidemic. The Aids epidemic in the world today is the source of a huge problem. Millions are infected and will continue to infect others without the proper means of contraception. Since there is no cure for Aids, the condom is the catalyst in attempting to control the Aids virus. Since the issue of contraception is in direct contradiction with the Roman Catholic Church, many Catholics find themselves torn between religion and health. So the question for Catholics becomes: Do we follow our catholic teaching or do we try and eradicate this disease? Although most devout Catholics would be opposed to disregarding the teachings of the church, the issue of sav...
Simonds, W., & Ellertson, C. (2004). Emergency contraception and morality: reflections of health care workers and clients. Social Science & Medicine, 58(7), 1285-1297.
Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.
Sonfield, Adam. "Sex Education Remains Active Battleground." Contraceptive Technology Update 1 Mar. 2012. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Apr. 2012.
One thing the church and science can agree on: life starts at the moment of conception. The Catholic Church has always been adamantly against any form of unnatural birth control, anything that is not considered “natural family planning” as expressed by Pope Paul VI on 1968 in his papal encyclical Humanae Vitae. “Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive met...