Humanae Vitae 40th Anniversary Post

(this post will be updated throughout the day .... see below)

Marcel LeJeune brought this to my attention:

The Vindication of Humanae Vitae by Mary Eberstadt

That Humanae Vitae and related Catholic teachings about sexual morality are laughingstocks in all the best places is not exactly news. Even in the benighted precincts of believers, where information from the outside world is known to travel exceedingly slowly, everybody grasps that this is one doctrine the world loves to hate. During Benedict XVI’s April visit to the United States, hardly a story in the secular press failed to mention the teachings of Humanae Vitae, usually alongside adjectives like “divisive” and “controversial” and “outdated.” In fact, if there’s anything on earth that unites the Church’s adversaries—all of them except for the Muslims, anyway—the teaching against contraception is probably it.

Humanae Vitae was promulgated 40 years today.

Also... Listen to a recorded debate between Dr. Janet Smith and Charlie Curran on contraception:

• [Listen to Part One] - Dr. Smith and Fr. Curran give their presentations and rebuttals.
• [Listen to Part Two] - They ask each other questions, and take more from the audience.

Note: Each file is roughly 25mb, so they will take a little while to download even on a broadband connection.

My description:

Pro-Life activist Dr. Janet Smith debated the dissenter Dr. Charles Curran in front of a packed Dallas audience in 1994. I think the debate is well worth a focused listening because Dr. Smith and Dr. Curran are widely recognized as the top proponents of their respective positions on the contraception issue (at least in the US), and it's a rare occurrence indeed to hear two figures of their stature debating each other live.

Perhaps this weekend would be a good chance to set aside a bit of time and give it a listen.

And for a secular perspective: Forty years of 'Humanae Vitae' (Irish Times)

Plenty of work to do.

update: Cardinal James Francis Stafford shows us the path towards Humanae Vitae and since its publication from an insider's/scholar's perspective.

The "Reproductive Health" blog, meanwhile, reminds us that the culture of death has set its sights squarely on squarely on the Philippines. Surprise, surprise: the author references Catholics for Free Choice.