1. The Pill and the Antidote: Humanae Vitae and Theology of the Body
NCSU LYFE September 9, 2018

2. Humanae Vitae and TOB
“[The encyclical has] clarified a fundamental chapter … in the field of marriage, family and morality. Still the Magisterium of the Church could and perhaps should return to this immense field with a fuller, more organic and more synthetic treatment.”
Blessed Paul VI, Wednesday Audience July 31, 1968
“[The Theology of the Body] is a rereading of Humanae Vitae.”
St. John Paul II, General Audience, July 18, 1984

3. Schedule September 9 – The Pill and the Antidote: HV and TOB
September 16 – Love and Responsibility ***Talley 4101
September 23 – Introduction to Theology of the Body
September 30 – Original Man
October 14 – Historical Man
October 28 – Eschatological Man
November 4 – Celibacy for the Kingdom
November 11 – Sacramentality of Marriage
November 18 – Love and Fruitfulness
December 2 – TOB and the Culture of Death

4. Birth Control and the Sexual Revolution
“I was married when I was seventeen and am now twenty-eight. I have four living children and had two miscarriages. My last child is nine months old. I had no doctor for two hours after she was born and only the assistance of a neighbor; I laid on the bathroom floor until they could get a doctor and nearly got blood poison and am still suffering from milk leg as the result of my last baby’s birth…Is there much use, dear Margaret Sanger, in living for people like me? I have the fear of pregnancy on my mind all the time. If I try to stay away from my husband, he is terrible mean to me and says awful things to me. He doesn’t seem to think what I have suffered, having my babies and what a terrible worry it is when they are sick and how hard it is to make over old clothing and I don’t know what else..For God’s sake please help me with your knowledge so I need not have any more as I have heart trouble and I would like to be here and raise these four than to have more and maybe die.”
Margaret Sanger, Motherhood in Bondage
Understanding the historical context
Sexual Revolution and the “need” for Birth Control which was really a mask for something else

5. Lambeth Conference 1930
“Where there is a clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, the method must be decided on Christian principles. The primary and obvious method is complete abstinence from intercourse (as far as may be necessary) in a life of discipleship and self-control lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, in those cases where there is such a clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, and where there is a morally sound reason for avoiding complete abstinence, the Conference agrees that other methods may be used, provided that this is done in the light of the same Christian principles. The Conference records its strong condemnation of the use of any methods of conception-control for motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience.”

6. Casti Connubii
“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, to whom God has entrusted the defense of the integrity and purity of morals, standing erect in the midst of the moral ruin which surrounds her, in order that she may preserve the chastity of the nuptial union from being defiled by this foul stain, raises her voice in token of her divine ambassadorship and through Our mouth 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.”
Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii 54
Mention the power of the footnote
When St. Thomas says that the end of the conjugal act is the procreation and education of children he is not saying that sex is for the education of children as if it was some educational display but instead he is saying that it tends to lend itself to the hospitality of children which happens within a home that has been created by the unity of the spouses

7. Ordinary Magisterium
“Such a doctrine can be confirmed or reaffirmed by the Roman Pontiff, even without recourse to a solemn definition, by declaring explicitly that it belongs to the teaching of the ordinary and universal magisterium as a truth that is… a truth of Catholic doctrine. Consequently, when there has not been a judgment on a doctrine in the solemn form of a definition, but this doctrine, belonging to the inheritance of the depositum fidei, is taught by the ordinary and universal magisterium, which necessarily includes the Pope, such a doctrine is to be understood as having been set forth infallibly.”
CDF, “Doctrinal Commentary on the Concluding Formula of the Professio Fidei,” 4

8. Natural Law and Marriage
“This kind of question requires from the teaching authority of the Church a new and deeper reflection on the principles of the moral teaching on marriage—a teaching which is based on the natural law as illuminated and enriched by divine Revelation. No member of the faithful could possibly deny that the Church is competent in her magisterium to interpret the natural moral law…In carrying out this mandate, the Church has always issued appropriate documents on the nature of marriage, the correct use of conjugal rights, and the duties of spouses.”
Blessed Paul VI, Humanae Vitae (HV), 4

9. Why New and Deeper?
“Combination oral contraceptives act by suppression of gonadotropins. Although the primary mechanism of this action is inhibition of ovulation, other alterations include changes in the cervical mucus, which increase the difficulty of sperm entry into the uterus, and changes in the endometrium which reduce the likelihood of implantation” Physicians’ Desk Reference Abortifacient
In summary, according to multiple references throughout The Physician's Desk Reference, which articulate the research findings of all the birth control pill manufacturers, there are not one but three mechanisms of birth control pills:
inhibiting ovulation (the primary mechanism),
thickening the cervical mucus, thereby making it more difficult for sperm to travel to the egg, and
Thinning and shriveling the lining of the uterus to the point that it is unable or less able to facilitate the implantation of the newly fertilized egg.
The first two mechanisms are contraceptive. The third is abortive.
The question was whether the pill violated the Church’s prohibition against contraception because it did not violate the integrity of the sexual act itself by delaying ovulation—a process that was also done naturally

10. Natural Law
“natural law is nothing else than the rational creature's participation in the eternal law“ St. Thomas, ST I-II q.94
3 foundational truths of Natural Law found in Thomistic thought—(1) Man because he is rational has the ability to discover moral truths—Natural Law then refers to man’s inherent desire to seek the good and avoid evil and his ability to discover it (2) “Natural law” does not just refer to the “laws of nature” but includes man’s ability to reason (3) nature is an important guide because God is the author of nature and by acting in accord with nature man acts in accord with God’s will
This is footnote 9

11. Basic Human Goods “Preservation of its Own Being” (i.e. Life)
Marriage between Man and Woman and bringing up of children
Living in society
Knowledge of the truth (specifically about the Transcendent/God)
St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae I-II, q.94, a.2
These goods are self-evident i.e. they are what makes up human nature
1—Shares with all living things
2—Share with all animals, even if in a distinctly human way
3—Distinctly human because he not only needs others help to thrive but because he is given the ability to communicate and to share himself through thoughts and feelings with others
4—We Transcend material creation in our ability to know all of it and so a fundamental human good is knowledge related to transcendent reality
Distinctly human and thus our “first and most cherished liberty”

12. End of Marriage
“Since, however, We have spoken fully elsewhere on the Christian education of youth, let Us sum it all up by quoting once more the words of St. Augustine: ‘As regards the offspring it is provided that they should be begotten lovingly and educated religiously,’ - and this is also expressed succinctly in the Code of Canon Law – ‘The primary end of marriage is the procreation and the education of children.’”
CC, 17
When St. Thomas says that the end of the conjugal act is the procreation and education of children he is not saying that sex is for the education of children as if it was some educational display but instead he is saying that it tends to lend itself to the hospitality of children which happens within a home that has been created by the unity of the spouses
Now the language moves away from “End of Marriage” to the Meaning

13. More Natural Law
“The sexual activity, in which husband and wife are intimately and chastely united with one another, through which human life is transmitted, is, as the recent Council recalled, ‘noble and worthy.’ It does not, moreover, cease to be legitimate even when, for reasons independent of their will, it is foreseen to be infertile. For its natural adaptation to the expression and strengthening of the union of husband and wife is not thereby suppressed. The fact is, as experience shows, that new life is not the result of each and every act of sexual intercourse. God has wisely ordered laws of nature and the incidence of fertility in such a way that successive births are already naturally spaced through the inherent operation of these laws. The Church, nevertheless, in urging men to the observance of the precepts of the natural law… teaches that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life.” HV, 11

14. “…Openness to Fertility”
“This particular doctrine, often expounded by the magisterium of the Church, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act. 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. And if each of these essential qualities, the unitive and the procreative, is preserved, the use of marriage fully retains its sense of true mutual love and its ordination to the supreme responsibility of parenthood to which man is called.” Humane Vitae, 12 
Total gift also means all of my time

15. The Inseparability Principle Explained
“Though a male and female are complete individuals with respect to other functions — for example, nutrition, sensation, and locomotion — with respect to reproduction they are only potential parts of a mated pair, which is the complete organism capable of reproducing sexually. Even if the mated pair is sterile, intercourse, provided it is the reproductive behavior characteristic of the species, makes the copulating male and female one organism.” Germain Grisez, “The Christian Family as Fulfillment of Sacramental Marriage”
It is not merely a biological act of altering the sexual act through contraception but an act of the person and a violation as such of his sexuality and therefore he cannot use it indifferently based upon intention

16. Contraception Definition
“…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. Similarly excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means.”
HV, 14

17. Answering the Objections
“The question of human procreation, like every other question which touches human life, involves more than the limited aspects specific to such disciplines as biology, psychology, demography or sociology. It is the whole man and the whole mission to which he is called that must be considered: both its natural, earthly aspects and its supernatural, eternal aspects. And since in the attempt to justify artificial methods of birth control many appeal to the demands of married love or of responsible parenthood, these two important realities of married life must be accurately defined and analyzed.”
HV, 7
Demands of Conjugal Love and Responsible Parenthood

18. Where Sanger Was Right
“Men rightly observe that a conjugal act imposed on one's partner without regard to his or her condition or personal and reasonable wishes in the matter, is no true act of love, and therefore offends the moral order in its particular application to the intimate relationship of husband and wife. If they further reflect, they must also recognize that an act of mutual love which impairs the capacity to transmit life which God the Creator, through specific laws, has built into it, frustrates His design which constitutes the norm of marriage, and contradicts the will of the Author of life. Hence to use this divine gift while depriving it, even if only partially, of its meaning and purpose, is equally repugnant to the nature of man and of woman, and is consequently in opposition to the plan of God and His holy will. But to experience the gift of married love while respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not the master of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator.”

19. A Hard Saying?
“Self-discipline of this kind is a shining witness to the chastity of husband and wife and, far from being a hindrance to their love of one another, transforms it by giving it a more truly human character. And if this self-discipline does demand that they persevere in their purpose and efforts, it has at the same time the salutary effect of enabling husband and wife to develop to their personalities and to be enriched with spiritual blessings.”

20. How is NFP Different?
When couples, by means of recourse to contraception, separate these two meanings that God the Creator has inscribed in the being of man and woman and in the dynamism of their sexual communion, they act as “arbiters” of the divine plan and they “manipulate” and degrade human sexuality—and with it themselves and their married partner—by altering its value of “total” self-giving... This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. When, instead, by means of recourse to periods of infertility, the couple respect the inseparable connection between the unitive and procreative meanings of human sexuality, they are acting as “ministers” of God’s plan and they “benefit from” their sexuality according to the original dynamism of “total” self-giving, without manipulation or alteration.
John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio, 32
The mutual sacrifice of abstinence actually strengthens love rather than impairing it because unity is strengthened in an “exceptional way” because a sacrifice in common is always a special actualization of love
It also protects the couple from treating the conjugal act as simply a means of sexual satisfaction
Against the accusation of loss of spontaneity one must admit that if by “spontaneity” they mean impulsiveness then they are right—but who says that spontaneity is a proper stance when reverence and actualization of true love is the goal?
The bodily union finds many expressions in marriage whereas the conjugal union represents the climax

21. What Are Just Reasons?
“…takes into consideration their own good and the good of their children already born or yet to come, an ability to read the signs of the times and of their own situations on the material and spiritual level, and finally an estimation of the good of the family, of society and the Church.”
Gaudium et Spes, 50
Negative precepts as related to obligations bind absolutely while positive precepts mark obligations relative to one’s circumstances
It is always difficult to determine when you have met a positive obligation e.g. when have you given enough alms
Spouses realize the major way they contribute to the Kingdom of God is through procreation
“Just reasons” fall somewhere between trivial reasons and life-threatening reasons—GS 50 says “takes into consideration their own good and the good of their children already born or yet to come, an ability to read the signs of the times and of their own situations on the material and spiritual level, and finally an estimation of the good of the family, of society and the Church”
Having children is their mission but not their sole mission they may forego more children because they are contributing to the common good in some other way
In the past we did not have control over fertility so that guidance on family size was not necessary
JPII in L&R speaks of “morally correct number” of children so that the family as an educational institution creates a community of persons among the siblings (see L&R p242)
Through self-mastery freedom is gained so that intercourse is only engaged in when it serves the good of marriage
NFP rather than leading to sensuality actually is a cure for it

22. The Prophetic Pope
“Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. 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...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…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…”
HV, 17
Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control.
An increase in marital infidelity.
A general lowering of moral standards.
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
Governments would coerce people into using contraception and intervene in citizens’ sexual relationships.
HV, 17