Institutionalized religion has long had a history of predicting dire prophecies for the state of humanity if every choice and action of ours does not perfectly fall within its confines. Human beings are portrayed as the embodiment of purity that are corrupted by worldly sin and are hurtling fast towards an epic doom. Preserving that so-called purity of mind and body becomes a losing battle over time, one that humanity hangs on to by a very thin thread. Every new generation and decade then brings with it its own stench of depravity. While beliefs such as these may suffice for the masses of sheep and for the shepherd to keep them beautifully compliant, they’re in reality the well-crafted tool employed to curb human voice, freedom and choice.
Last week the author of “The social impact of contraception” waxed poetry about Pope Paul VI’s encyclical, Humanae Vitae, and how the four predictions about the future of society made by the Pope in the instance of contraception being widely accepted have all “eerily come true.” I think the larger tragedy here is our penchant to blame the state of our world, society and relationships on anywhere else but where they actually belong, our own free actions.
The first attack against contraception hails it as enabling marriage infidelity, which leads to higher rates of divorce and a general lowering of sexual morality. Human beings with all their superior intellect are brought down by tiny little pills and a few inches of a rubber sheathe. People should not cheat simply because the possible consequence of having an accidental child would be enough of a punishment to strike the fear of straying into them. But hand a man a condom and he is free to furiously copulate with any number of available orifices; betraying his partner in the process without a second thought. Morality here is being imposed by the weight of a “punishment,” not with what is right and what is wrong. And in the process, contraception is being labelled as the one herding the parade of sexual deviancy, unfaithfulness and divorce. Not people and not the choices they make with all their faculties.
The increase in infidelity, abortions, venereal diseases and out-of-wedlock pregnancies can all be linked to the usage of contraception according to the author. All these things have been present since the dawn of time, modern science and contraception has simply made it a safer world for us to be unfaithful in if that happens to be one’s thing, make the decision to abort a pregnancy, curb the spread of STIs and have single parent pregnancies without the stamped approval of a marriage. The author and his Pope can debate the issue of morality all they want, but to call in question a scientific advancement that allows one to safely engage in sex and plan a family and then going as far as to blame humanity’s lack of morals on said advancement is an atrocious attack on the human intellect and freedom.
The second attack blames contraception for the predominance of sexual objectification, pornography usage and/or addiction, and men viewing women as an “instrument of selfish enjoyment and no longer as his respected and beloved companion.” In addition to insulting both men and women, disregarding harmful societal norms that give rise to objectification of a gender and the psychology of pornography usage and/or addiction, this belief also blatantly ignores the fact that women have been viewed as a sexual object from all the way back to biblical times and are finally becoming somewhat equals to their counterparts in some parts of the world. I also fail to grasp how young children being exposed to pornography, which is an epidemic that needs to be dealt with, can be remotely linked to contraception. This also calls in question the author’s implication that sexual intimacy and satisfaction isn’t an important of a loving relationship. Citing statistics where divorces have either been a result of infidelity over the internet or a predilection towards porn may seem effective until you notice the lack of connection those numbers have with the usage of contraception. What I found most insulting though was the assertion that women can not use men as their instruments for selfish enjoyment just as much; something that apparently only the big bad cheating men are capable of.
The author’s third attack on contraception as something that can be abused by those in power to affect mass sterilization, despite sounding like a conspiracy theory, was the only one I could see some merit in. The population of this planet has reached numbers where Earth cannot sustain the number of people living on it, without giving out at some point. In this instance, we might very well be heading towards an exploding point. While knowing that, my belief in human freedom still can not allow for mass sterilization as a solution without the consent of thousands and millions. But is contraception to be blamed for what those in power have the ability to do for the “greater good?" Take away one weapon and they find another. If not render infertile, they’d bring disease. They’d bring famine or war. Put the blame on the shoulders of the men who make those decisions, not the tools that they abuse in carrying out said decisions.
Referencing China’s one child policy was also a misplaced concern in the battle against contraception. In order to protect the billions and ensure the existence of resources for them, the Chinese government passed a law which made sense in the time they passed it for their country. It may also curb human freedom, but it does so legally and with justifiable reasons. The ramifications of that law is now felt by that government, something they’ll have to work towards reversing now. But a nation’s reach to pass laws for their citizens for the greater good of the ones that are living can not be blamed on contraception.
The final attack on contraception is actually one on science and the power of human intelligence instead as it hails man’s apparently mistaken belief of having dominion over his own body. Sterilization, euthanasia, and test tube babies are blamed on contraception and our insatiable desire to bend our bodies to our will rather than bending our will to our bodies. The three issues mentioned above are so wildly controversial with a wealth of reasons that can be contained within them, that simply blaming them on contraception is false and a disservice to their gravity. What they do have in common though is the full exercising of human freedom, one that every human being has over their own body, and I believe as long as that freedom does no harm to anyone else or incorporate deviancy it has no justifiable reason to be curbed by anyone. Never should the exercising of that freedom be deemed immoral or paraded as proof for the corruption of mankind.
“It is impossible to ignore the devastating impact it (contraception) has had on our families, our relationships and our society,” is how the author chose to end his article, failing to see that human beings do not become more corrupt over time. We were not born pure or innocent, we were born flawed and human. And that is how we shall be till the very end of our days. What we do in our lives – the mistakes, scientific advancements, immoral acts, deviant behavior, employment of equality and freedom – is on us, our choices and our actions. It can not be blamed on modes, methods or tools and neither can ones created scientifically to advance humanity be painted villainously as something that corrupts us. Contraception, the scientific tool that allows us to be safe from diseases, engage sexually in the entanglement of our choice, and plan a family smartly has advanced human freedom in insurmountable ways. Its impact, far from devastating, will forever be known as one of mankind’s most intelligent moments.
This article was written in response to Ben Miller's article "The social impact of contraception." Let us know what you think. Please send all comments, questions and concerns to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
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