Pope Paul VI: Responsible Parenthood

Pamela Anne C. Patdu
12-1498
As Pope Paul VI addressed to all men concerned, Honored Brothers and Dear Sons, Health and Apostolic Benediction; in the encyclical letter regarding the regulation of birth shows the Church’s stand on the issues of birth control and contraception, mainly “Of Human Life”. Imagine a man and a woman meeting for the first time. Imagine them make their way from friends to lovers. Imagine them in front of a fancy table, surrounded by people, finally saying their consent for marriage. Imagine them clueless in their early moments of marriage. With the constant pressures and arising issues that contributes to the degradation of marriage, family, and of human life; it is easy for these newlyweds to succumb to these dangers.

They will probably wonder and panic like any other would be parents would. Pope Paul VI also points out the objective moral order underlying responsible parenthood. If God wills it, marriage act leads married couples to the call of parenthood. Both husband and wife are required to fully understand the obligations and responsibility of parenthood. As Pope Paul VI stated the different aspects of responsible parenthood, they should understand it in its biological processes, in relation with man's sexual feelings and impulses, and in relation with the conditions affecting way of life (physical, economic, psychological, and social). Furthermore, an essential aspect of responsible parenthood "requires that husband and wife...recognize their own duties toward God, themselves, their families and human society." Hence, the choice on the procreation of life is not truly up to them, but it is their responsibility to act upon as God wills it; this constitutes to the very nature of marriage. Moreover, such responsibility includes understanding a danger towards procreation, the artificial birth control. Pope Paul VI points out the three grave consequences with regards to artificial birth control: (1) marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards; (2) the objectification and dehumanization of women; (3) the intervention of public authorities in the marriage life, and the use of artificial birth control as a social

They are not sure if it is morally acceptable to use artificial birth control even under a serious and "acceptable" reason. "Desperate times call for desperate measures," they say. Pope Paul VI states his third point that the Church considers it lawful for the spouse to take advantage of infertile period, but unlawful for any means that hinder conception, even when the reasons given may appear to be upright and serious. For easier understanding, there are two parts to be discussed: (1) why it is lawful for the spouse to take advantage of infertile period; (2) why it is unlawful to use artificial birth control even with disparate reasons. As stated in the previous point that even in the circumstance of infertility, it is lawful for spouse to be in union because it is an expression of mutual love and a constitute of married love; as long as they don't deny its procreative significance. If they do (to either the unitive and procreative), they negate the plan of God, and the married act degrades. Moreover, any form of birth regulation that constitute to the denial of the procreative significance of the marriage act is considered unlawful by the Church's doctrine. With the present (economic) struggles, one would say that there should be the regulation of birth. The Church would agree to it but only through the method of natural family planning. In this way, married couples takes advantage of the