The firestorm over the HHS Mandate has brought the issue of the Church’s teaching on contraception into the public square. The reality is that many Catholics don’t fully understand the Church’s teaching, and therefore are having a hard time adequately entering into dialogue on the subject. In order to help Catholics deepen your understanding on this controversial subject, I’d like to offer a few resources:

  • Humanae Vitae – Written by Pope Paul VI in 1968, this is the most important document for understanding the Church’s teaching on birth control.
  • Contraception: Why Not? by Dr. Janet Smith. This is the transcript of a well known talk on the subject of contraception.
  • The Desacralization of Venus by Christopher Derrick. In my opinion, this is one of the best defenses of the Church’s teaching that I have ever read.
  • The Vindication of Humanae Vitae by Mary Eberstadt. It is often difficult to convince someone that contraception is a moral evil. Often a more effective approach, especially when discussing public policy, is to look at the social impacts of readily-accessible contraception. This article spells the negative social impacts out in as clear of a fashion as I have ever seen.
  • Pope Benedict on the 40th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae
  • The Connection between Contraception and Abortion by Dr. Janet Smith
  • Open Embrace by Sam and Bethany Torode. This small books is one of the easiest to read, and most coherent arguments against contraception.
  • Introduction to Theology of the Body by Fr. Bryce Sibley. This is an audio recording of a talk I gave on Theology of the Body. One of the main purposes of John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” was to explain and give a defense of the Church’s teaching on contraception. His thought is crucial for a proper understanding of the Church’s teaching on married love and contraception.
  • In his book, New Elucidations, Hans Urs von Balthasar has an exceptional essay on contraception entitled “A Word on ‘Humanae Vitae.’” In the essay he looks at the issue from the perspective of Ephesians 5 and the Sacrament of Marriage.
  • From the secular press – Time to Admit It: The Church has Always Been Right on Birth Control
  • Cardinal Burke on Obedience to the Magisterium - This is the root issue of those who dissent from the Church’s teaching on contraception, they have an issue with obedience and “religious submission of the mind and will.”
  • Gandhi on Birth Control – It’s important to realize that it is not just Christians who opposed birth control.

There are numerous solid resources out there on this topic. I encourage you to read and stay informed.

The most important thing to remember is this: just like with abortion, or gay marriage, the Church does not oppose contraception for solely religious reasons. At it’s core, it’s not even a religious issue – it is an issue of natural law. And the Church believes that all reasonable people can understand this teaching. Do not let someone box you out of a discussion because you are “trying to impose your religious opinion on society.” This is a moral issue, with serious negative social effects, and it should be discussed in the public square by reasonable people.