Humanae Vitae (On Human Life) is Pope Paul VI’s famed 1968 encyclical on contraception and reproductive ethics. Written in light of a study commissioned by the Vatican on modern reproductive issues, its timing coincided with the sudden prevalence of contraception and concerns about overpopulation in society at large. Pope Paul VI’s writings reaffirmed long-held Church . . . Read more
1. All hormonal contraceptives have severe side effects. Though noted media and feminist groups typically present hormonal contraceptives as a boon for women, they overlook the serious side effects reported in mainstream scientific literature. Regularly taking powerful steroids, which are what hormonal contraceptives from the Pill to injectable Depo-Provera are, has tremendous impacts on the . . . Read more
The Second Prediction: Men Would Lose Respect for Women The second prediction of Paul VI in Humanae Vitae, no. 17, was that if people resorted to contraception, men would lose respect for women: Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget . . . Read more
The Predictions of Pope Saint Paul VI The first prediction of Paul VI in Humanae Vitae, no. 17 was that if people resorted to contraception, there would follow a general increase in immorality, especially among the youth, and also an increase in marital infidelity: Upright men can even better convince themselves of the solid grounds . . . Read more
Man as Collaborator “Married people are the free and responsible collaborators with God the Creator in the most serious duty of transmitting human life,” reads the very first sentence of Humanae Vitae. Explicit mention of God also occurs at least 24 times in the encyclical. Then Pope Paul VI refers to married couples being “collaborators” . . . Read more
Have you ever stopped for gas and, as you were pumping, watched a giant 18-wheel fuel tanker rumble up to refill the gas station’s tanks? These trucks are enormous, one-fourth as long as a football field, and each carries enough gasoline to fill a good-sized backyard swimming pool. Every year, women in the United States . . . Read more
One of the most prominent motivations of the population control movement is racism, which has diminished over time but has not disappeared. During the early history of the movement, this racist and eugenicist ideology was undisguised and was led by “progressive” intellectuals, just as prestigious “progressive” academics and celebrities lead the movement today. Lothrop Stoddard . . . Read more
The Predictions of Humanae Vitae We begin our exposition of Humanae Vitae (HV) with section no. 17. In this part of the document, Pope Paul VI lays out four predictions as to what would happen in society if teaching against contraception went unheeded. Let us remember that this teaching is not simply a particular doctrine . . . Read more
Humanae Vitae Was No “Invention;” It Repeated Church Teaching Since the 1960’s Western culture has been in a downward spiral of moral decadence. The contraceptive pill, introduced in the U.S. during that decade, brought about the so-called “sexual revolution.” This revolution brought in turn an unprecedented increase in sexual promiscuity, conjugal infidelity, divorce, abortion, and . . . Read more
Note: Father Boquet’s series in all parts may be accessed here. “Birth Control is a name given to a succession of different expedients by which it is possible to filch the pleasure belonging to a natural process while violently and unnaturally thwarting the process itself.” — G.K. Chesterton “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether . . . Read more
