News
US, 18 other nations tell UN: ‘There is no international right to an abortion’
"It is refreshing to see a forceful message for life delivered with such clarity and authority at one of the most pro-abortion ...
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Word War, World War
"In the fight for life and dignity, words matter. Even Alice in Wonderland knew that." -- Lewis Carroll, Through the ...
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The Real Presence: Knowing What We Are Doing
"Father Roger Landry reminds us of the profound truth that lies at the heart of the Mass. In the same ...
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Humanae Vitae Gives us Indispensable Advice for Taking the Sacrament of Marriage Seriously
Humanae Vitae gives us indispensable advice for taking the sacrament of marriage seriously. Father Meyer and Father Hollowell offer some ...
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An Urgent Letter from the Future JPII
"As soon as Humanae Vitae appeared in 1968, Cardinal Karol Wojtyła of Krakow wrote a letter thanking Pope Paul VI for ...
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Chaput: Rebuild Christian Society Without Divided Loyalties
It’s the natural law versus the sexual revolution, and Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia doesn’t mince any words about the ...
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Bishop Joseph Strickland: Why We Teach Couples to Reject Contraception and Accept Natural Family Planning
Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler in Texas applauds Dr. Smith, offers programs in his diocese for study of Humanae Vitae ...
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God Chose You For This Moment in History
Humanae Vitae champion Janet Smith doesn’t deny the troubles plaguing the Church and the culture, but she perseveres: “We are ...
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Happy Birthday Humanae Vitae!
Today we celebrate the fiftieth birthday of Humanae Vitae, the brave and beautiful encyclical of Blessed Paul VI promulgated on ...
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The Pill Kills … Again
Over the transom comes a note from my good friend, Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, who tells me that we now know ...
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Featured Content
On this site, we present the most thorough and accurate history of artificial contraception, from its roots in the early twentieth century through the promulgation of Humanae Vitae in 1968. The brilliant work, authored by Professor Gonzalo Herranz of the University of Navarra, provides all you need to understand and defend God’s command to our first parents, “Be fruitful and multiply.” We offer below summaries of each chapter in English, each with a link to the full Spanish text.
Introduction
It will soon be fifty years since the publication of the Encyclical Humanae vitae of Blessed Pope Paul VI, a ...
1. The birth of modern contraception.
Summary: Chapter 1 The Origins Of Modern Contraception: Three Terms And Three Attitudes This chapter considers the origin of three ...
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2. Early contraception and its rejection of abortion
Summary: Chapter 2 The first contraception and its incompatibility with abortion In this chapter we will show how, in the ...
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3. The medical profession and contraception: from contempt to acceptance
Summary: Chapter 3 The Medical Profession Before Contraception: From Rejection To Acceptance I. Introduction: Institutional Contempt For Contraception In general, and ...
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4. Catholic doctors and the AMA resolutions on contraception
Summary: Chapter 4 Catholic Doctors and the Resolutions of the AMA on Contraception In this chapter we will study the ...
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5. Jurists approve abortive contraception
Summary: Chapter V Jurists approve abortive contraception I. The Model Penal Code of the American Institute of Law (ALI) The ...
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6. Changing words to change minds
Summary: Chapter 6 Changing words to change minds I. Introduction In the minds of its pioneers and in the opinion ...
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7. The Medico-Biological Aspect of the Papal Commission for the Study of the Problems of the Family, Population, and Birth Rate
Summary: Chapter VII The Medico-Biological Aspect of the Papal Commission for the Study of the Problems of the Family, Population, ...
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8.1 Protagonists in the Shadows: Edward C. Hughes
Summary: Chapter VIII (I) Protagonists in the shade (I): Edward C. Hughes y Raymond Holden I. Edward C. Hughes and ...
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8.2 Protagonists in the Shadows: Thomas Hayes and Alan S. Parkes
Summary: Chapter VIII (II) Protagonists in the shadows (II): Thomas Hayes and Alan S. Parkes I. Hayes and the "reproductive act" ...
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9.1 Scientific Research on Contraception: The “Abuse of Power” Ethos
Summary: Chapter IX.1 Scientific Research On Contraception: The “Abuse-of-Power” Ethos This chapter aims to review some ethical aspects of clinical ...
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9.2 Scientific Research on Contraception: The “Zoological” Ethos
Summary: Chapter IX.2 Scientific Research On Contraception: Zoological Ethos Modern contraceptive research was conceived from the beginning as female contraception ...
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Responsible Parenthood of ‘Humanae Vitae’ Requires Virtue
"In Humanae Vitae, Saint Paul VI explained that couples who have “serious” and “well-grounded reasons” to avoid the conception of a new ...
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