Consequences of Artificial Methods

Pope Paul’s Humanae Vitae-#17 Consequences of Artificial Methods.

In Pope Paul’s Humanae Vitae he lists many severe consequences that result because of the use of contraceptives. For example he says that the usage of contraceptives lead to greater temptation because the stakes of having sex is not as high. Also, he says that contraceptives will cause people to view women more as sex objects and forget about the love that is supposed to be shared between two people engaged in a sexual relationship.

I do agree with his ideas for several reasons:

Greater Temptation

The pope says that the availability of contraceptives is not a good thing because it causes temptation for people to have sex. Logically what he is saying is true. Because there is less at stake, (the chances of you having a child is less), than more people will be willing to have sex. Studies have also shown that sexuality has increased in the last couple of years and there is no doubt that this is due to the recent promotion of contraceptives and sexuality in the media. People are also more likely to cheat because of contraceptives because there is a lower chance for them getting caught due to the lowering of the chance of getting pregnant or impregnating the person they are cheating with. Again, it is all about what you could lose and the lower the stakes are for doing something, the more people will do it.

Causes People to View Women has Sex Object

The pope says that when men use contraceptives it might lead them not into respecting sex and its main purpose and instead causes them to view women more as sex objects. I think that the Pope is right in this explanation except for his lack of mentioning that women can view men as sex objects too. Because sexuality has increased due to the usage of contraceptives, so has our views of sexuality changed. With the increase of sexuality, sex has become less “special” and more of a common occurrence. Now days more and more people are “hooking up” just for the sex and forgetting about the love and the feelings that is supposed to be felt between two individuals before they have sex.

Governments will Use and

The Pope says that when the government is given a chance to utilize contraceptives, they will use that power and the power they already have to impose birth control on people. I agree with the Pope’s opinion of this because it has already happened. The government, when given tools that could promote a better economy or country, will go to any measure to do so. Take for example the Eugenicist Movement. The government had thousands of people sterilized in order to stop “bad genes” in our society. The Chinese government has also promoted contraceptives and harsh punishments in their society in order to control its population.

However I do Disagree the Pope on Somethings........

Despite me agreeing with the Pope about the consequence of contraceptives, I still believe that contraceptives are morally correct before God. Being a part of the Lutheran Missouri Synod faith, I have been taught that birth control is not sinful as long as you already have children or will eventually “be fruitful and multiply” (aka have children). With all religion aside, contraceptives do exist, (it is not like we can un-invent them), and they have change our whole perspective of sex and prevention. Like mentioned before, sexuality has become more common ever since the promotion of contraceptives and sex in the media, which is something that won’t probably change unless something drastically happens in our culture. Because of this increase in sexuality, the outbreak of sexually transmitted diseases, and the ever growing world population, contraceptives have become a necessity in our culture like it wasn’t previously. Today if one doesn’t use contraceptives they potentially expose themselves to death or extreme sickness due to sexually transmitted diseases. Also, now days because of the invention of efficient abortion, women with unwanted pregnancies will sometimes resort to abortion which, in my opinion, is worst than using contraceptives.