HUMANAE

VITAE

ON THE REGULATION
OF BIRTH
Humanae Vitae 
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 teachings about human nature
and new life, but also explained how this wisdom was to be applied in a
modern cultural context. Here is a Humanae Vitae summary with the
basic points of the Church’s message
1. God is the Author of Life, and the
Lives He Creates are Sacred
◦ God wills into existence every life brought into the world as part of His plan for
creation. We are made in His image and likeness and as the Supreme Creator,
it is He who has mastery over life and death. To interfere with life between
conception and natural death is in essence usurping God’s ultimate authority.
◦ We are made to know, love and serve Him, and our reproductive capacity
mirrors this relationship. Our creative potential is united with God’s in the
marital act. Any attempt to end a life through abortion or contraception (which
is an abortifacient) defies God’s will for His creation, and is strongly
condemned by the Church.
2. Procreation is the Heart of Marriage
◦ Married love is a holy institution designed by God to reflect the love that exists
between Christ and His Church. In marriage, the totality of the human person is a
mutual giving of oneself is first an exchange of loving the other unselfishly with
body, soul, and will. By sharing everything and uniting themselves heart and soul,
husband and wife perfect each other and reach a deeper state of human fulfillment.
◦ Moreover, this relationship of complete love is privileged to be the instrument God
uses to bring new lives into the world. Marriage is designed for procreation on both
the spiritual and physical levels, and children are the “supreme gift” of marriage.
All married couples are called to be open to this gift; to do otherwise is to deny the
spiritual and physical premise of marriage.
3. Openness to Procreation Affirms the
Dignity of Woman
◦ In its explanation of the social effects of contraception, Humanae Vitae points out that when a
woman’s sacred ability to give life is taken away, her role in a sexual encounter will often be that
of an object of pleasure. This role is beneath the dignity of woman and contrary to the meaning
of conjugal love, which is meant to be a mutual gift of self, in which the other is loved and
appreciated for their individuality, and never used as a means to an end.
◦ When the life-giving aspect of such love is preserved, its implications are too great to be
undertaken lightly for selfish reasons. A woman in this scenario is not an object of pleasure, but
has inside of her a miracle of creative potential, and must be honored, respected and loved. The
same could also work in reverse, for if pleasure is the only aim of sexuality, this works against
mutual respect of the spouses, love for children and ultimately, love for the Creator as part of
the process.
4. This Does Not Mean It Is Always God’s
Will for a Couple to Conceive
◦ While married couples must always be open to procreation, it is acknowledged that they
have a great many other obligations and are expected to make prudent decisions,
especially regarding the enormous privilege and responsibility of raising children. The
Church understands the difficulties placed upon families by the modern world, and
certainly allows couples to limit marital relations to infertile periods if external
circumstances, or the physical or psychological condition of the spouses are unfavorable
for procreation.
◦ So, while not to be taken lightly, certain factors sometimes create legitimate
circumstances in which a couple, by use of a well-formed conscience and prayerful
discernment, may determine that it is not the will of God that they should conceive at
that time.
5. Couples May Take Advantage of Infertile Periods
Provided by God to Temporarily Avoid Conception
◦ In the order of nature established by God, there is a way to enrich a marriage
through conjugal love while avoiding conception by limiting intercourse to the
infertile periods of the reproductive cycle. The moral implications of this natural
kind of birth control are completely different; it honors the divine wisdom evident
in God’s creation and works within the boundaries laid out for us, rather than
overruling God by disrupting the natural order. The practice of periodic self-denial
also helps to strengthen the marriage by converting selfish love into charity,
bringing husband and wife to a greater awareness of their responsibilities, and
improving the discipline that will protect their chastity and help them overcome
other difficulties. The spouses will be blessed with tranquility and peace.
6. Artificial Birth Control Is a Recipe for
Cultural Disaster
◦ Use of contraception or sterilization denies the true nature of marriage and the dignity of man,
and the consequences of this denial are far reaching. One must consider Pope Saint Paul VI’s
prophetic words on what would follow the separation of procreation from the marital act.
In Humanae Vitae, he said:
1. Moral standards would be lowered.
2.Marital infidelity would increase.
3.Disrespect for womanhood would follow.
◦ Also to be considered is the general principle that what is acceptable for private use, later becomes
acceptable for public use. Artificial birth control has enormous potential for misuse by civil
authorities trying to address problems of the modern era. (If that sounds far-fetched, consider the
one child policy in China, and the sterilization programs put in place by the Third Reich).
7. Change the Culture, Instead of Ignoring the
Moral Law That “Doesn’t Fit” Our Culture
◦ The circumstances that make artificial birth control seem like a necessary evil must be
changed. Fertility is not a disease; it is a gift. Nor is any solution permissible if it violates
the dignity of man, made in God’s image. The Pope asserts that it is never acceptable to
do evil in order to avoid a bad outcome. Social and economic progress must take the
entire person into account.
◦ As an antidote, Humanae Vitae calls for societal promotion of “true human values,”
such as encouraging commitment in marriage which leads to stable families, which will
in turn enable more families to welcome children into a loving, more economically
sound unit. He also calls for all unchaste and indecent images to be removed from the
media, which promote an unhealthy and sinful view of sexuality, promiscuity and
objectification of the other person, and many other evils.
 Summary
Humanae Vitae: this encyclical, issued in 1968 by
Pope Paul VI, gives the Church’s answer to
questions of love and child rearing between
married couples, specifically questions that have
arisen from the conditions of the modern world.