July 15, 1966

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of VUWSA.

Catholics on birth control: banned view

A Statement by a member of the Papal Commission on Birth Control that it is not necessarily sinful for Catholics to practise contraception in marriage, has not been published in the New Zealand Catholic press. In Australia and England, however, it is the ground of some controversy.

Cardinal Doepfner, a vice-chairman of the Commission on Birth Control (which presented its report to the Pope two and a half weeks ago), made the statement.

The Cardinal says that when a couple trying to "build up their marriage in Christian responsibility for each other and for the serious good of the child, believe that in such a distressing situation they cannot forgo contraceptive intercourse, they cannot simply be accused of abuse of marriage."

This directive goes on to say:

"Responsible partners who see themselves obliged to contraceptive intercourse, not lightly and habitually, but rather as a regrettable emergency solution, may take it that by doing so they do not exclude themselves from Communion."

Right to know

Yet if in fact concessions are being made in individual cases, surely Catholics and Christians in general have a right to know it.

While not condoning the universal application of birth control as a general principle, this statement can be regarded as a plea for flexibility in the application of moral teaching. It was not printed in New Zealand because it is at variance with the outmoded pronouncements of Pius XII, and was originally issued as a directive to the priests under Cardinal Doepfner's immediate jurisdiction.

Pope Paul has requested that Catholics adhere to the teachings of Pius XII and postpone discussion of this topic until an updated Papal pronouncement is made. Pius XII's directives on the Pill, however, are hardly applicable: They refer to a form of sterilisation that is no longer under consideration.

It is all very well for the academic theologian and the unmarried to suspend their decision and wait. But for those who are faced with the day-to-day problem of whether or not to use contraceptives, it is painful and impracticable.

It is now three years since the first commission was set up to investigate the question. This group did not reach a consensus, and reports say that the second, smaller commission, which handed a report to the Pope on June 28, reached a similar deadlock. Clear evidence surely that former teachings are not adequate. The final decision on what will be reinstated as current Catholic doctrine on birth control rests with the Pope. But there is no suggestion that this decision will be forthcoming soon.

Meanwhile the married laity have a right to make their own decisions and a duty to inform their consciences of the various points of view under discussion. It is unfair to ask that their married life hang in suspension, or that their happiness be jeopardised by directives acknowledged to be unsatisfactory. But there is no chance of informed decision-making if the religious press refuses to co-operate and disseminate statements from responsible parties.—M.K.