Humanae vitae
Humanae vitae Latin for 'Of Human Life'Encyclical of Pope Paul VI | |
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Signature date | 25 July 1968 |
Subject | About birth control |
Number | 7 of 7 of the pontificate |
Text | |
Part of a series of articles on |
Abortion and the Catholic Church |
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Humanae vitae (
Mainly because of its restatement of the Church's opposition to artificial contraception, the encyclical was politically controversial. It affirmed traditional Church moral teaching on the sanctity of life and the procreative and unitive nature of conjugal relations.
It was the last of Paul's seven encyclicals.[3]
Summary
Affirmation of traditional teaching
In this encyclical Paul VI reaffirmed the Catholic Church's view of marriage and marital relations and a continued condemnation of "artificial"
Doctrinal basis
Paul VI himself, even as commission members issued their personal views over the years, always reaffirmed the teachings of the Church, repeating them more than once in the first years of his Pontificate.[8]
To Pope Paul VI, marital relations were much more than a union of two people. In his view, they constitute a union of the loving couple with a loving God, in which the two persons generate the matter for the body, while God creates the unique soul of a person. For this reason, Paul VI teaches in the first sentence of Humanae vitae, that the "transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator."
Love is total – that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner's own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.
The encyclical opens with an assertion of the competency of the magisterium of the Catholic Church to decide questions of morality. It then goes on to observe that circumstances often dictate that married couples should limit the number of children, and that the sexual act between husband and wife is still worthy even if it can be foreseen not to result in procreation. Nevertheless, it is held that the sexual act must retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life.
Every action specifically intended to prevent procreation is forbidden, except in medically necessary circumstances. Therapeutic means necessary to cure diseases are exempted, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result, but only if infertility is not directly intended.
The acceptance of artificial methods of birth control is then claimed to result in several negative consequences, among them a general lowering of moral standards resulting from sex without consequences, and the danger that men may reduce women to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of [their] own desires; finally, abuse of power by public authorities, and a false sense of autonomy.[13]
Appeal to natural law and conclusion
Public authorities should oppose laws which undermine natural law;[14] scientists should further study effective methods of natural birth control; doctors should further familiarize themselves with this teaching, in order to be able to give advice to their patients,[15] and priests must spell out clearly and completely the Church's teaching on marriage.[16] The encyclical acknowledges that "perhaps not everyone will easily accept this particular teaching", but that "it comes as no surprise to the church that she, no less than her Divine founder is destined to be a sign of contradiction."[13] Noted is the duty of proclaiming the entire moral law, "both natural and evangelical."[13] The encyclical also points out that the Roman Catholic Church cannot "declare lawful what is in fact unlawful", because she is concerned with "safeguarding the holiness of marriage, in order to guide married life to its full human and Christian perfection."[17] This is to be the priority for his fellow bishops and priests and lay people. Paul VI predicted that future progress in social cultural and economic spheres would make marital and family life more joyful, provided God's design for the world was faithfully followed.[17] The encyclical closes with an appeal to observe the natural laws of the most high God. "These laws must be wisely and lovingly observed."[18]
History
Origins
There had been a long-standing general Christian prohibition on contraception and abortion, with such
The commission of John XXIII
With the appearance of the first oral contraceptives in 1960, dissenters in the Church argued for a reconsideration of the Church positions. In 1963 Pope John XXIII established a commission of six European non-theologians to study questions of birth control and population.[20][21] It met once in 1963 and twice in 1964. As Vatican Council II was concluding, Pope Paul VI enlarged it to fifty-eight members, including married couples, laywomen, theologians and bishops. The last document issued by the council (Gaudium et spes) contained a section titled "Fostering the Nobility of Marriage" (1965, nos. 47–52), which discussed marriage from the personalist point of view. The "duty of responsible parenthood" was affirmed, but the determination of licit and illicit forms of regulating birth was reserved to Pope Paul VI. In the spring of 1966, following the close of the council, the commission held its fifth and final meeting, having been enlarged again to include sixteen bishops as an executive committee. The commission was only consultative but it submitted a report approved by a majority of 64 members to Paul VI. It proposed he approve of artificial contraception without distinction of the various means. A minority of four members opposed this report and issued a parallel report to the Pope.[22] Arguments in the minority report, against change in the church's teaching, were that a loosening of contraception restrictions would mean the Catholic Church would "have to concede frankly that the Holy Spirit had been on the side of the Protestant churches in 1930" (when Casti connubii was promulgated), and that "it should likewise have to be admitted that for a half a century the Spirit failed to protect Pius XI, Pius XII, and a large part of the Catholic hierarchy from a very serious error."[23]
After two more years of study and consultation, the pope issued Humanae vitae, which removed any doubt that the Church views hormonal anti-ovulants as contraceptive. He explained why he did not accept the opinion of the majority report of the commission (1968, #6).[24] Arguments were raised in the decades that followed that his decision has never passed the condition of "reception" to become church doctrine.[25][26]
Drafting of the encyclical
In his role as Theologian of the Pontifical Household, Mario Luigi Ciappi advised Pope Paul VI during the drafting of Humanae vitae. Ciappi, a doctoral graduate of the Pontificium Athenaeum Internationale Angelicum, the future Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Angelicum, served as professor of dogmatic theology there and was Dean of the Angelicum's Faculty of Theology from 1935 to 1955.
According to
In 2017, anticipating the 50th anniversary of the encyclical, four theologians led by Mgr. Gilfredo Marengo, a professor of theological anthropology at the
Highlights
Faithfulness to God's design
13. Men rightly observe that a conjugal act imposed on one's partner without regard to his or her condition or personal and reasonable wishes in the matter, is no true act of love, and therefore offends the moral order in its particular application to the intimate relationship of husband and wife. If they further reflect, they must also recognize that an act of mutual love which impairs the capacity to transmit life which God the Creator, through specific laws, has built into it, frustrates His design which constitutes the norm of marriage, and contradicts the will of the Author of life. Hence to use this divine gift while depriving it, even if only partially, of its meaning and purpose, is equally repugnant to the nature of man and of woman, and is consequently in opposition to the plan of God and His holy will. But to experience the gift of married love while respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not the master of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator. Just as man does not have unlimited dominion over his body in general, so also, and with more particular reason, he has no such dominion over his specifically sexual faculties, for these are concerned by their very nature with the generation of life, of which God is the source. "Human life is sacred—all men must recognize that fact," Our predecessor Pope John XXIII recalled. "From its very inception it reveals the creating hand of God."
— [30]
Lawful therapeutic means
15. [...] the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result therefrom — provided such impediment is not directly intended.
Recourse to infertile periods
16. [...] If therefore there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile, thus controlling birth in a way which does not in the least offend the moral principles which We have just explained.
Concern of the Church
18. It is to be anticipated that perhaps not everyone will easily accept this particular teaching. There is too much clamorous outcry against the voice of the Church, and this is intensified by modern means of communication. But it comes as no surprise to the Church that it, no less than its divine Founder, is destined to be a "sign of contradiction."[31] The Church does not, because of this, evade the duty imposed on it of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical. Since the Church did not make either of these laws, it cannot be their arbiter—only their guardian and interpreter. It could never be right for the Church to declare lawful what is in fact unlawful, since that, by its very nature, is always opposed to the true good of man. In preserving intact the whole moral law of marriage, the Church is convinced that it is contributing to the creation of a truly human civilization. The Church urges man not to betray his personal responsibilities by putting all his faith in technical expedients. In this way it defends the dignity of husband and wife. This course of action shows that the Church, loyal to the example and teaching of the divine Savior, is sincere and unselfish in its regard for men whom it strives to help even now during this earthly pilgrimage "to share God's life as sons of the living God, the Father of all men".
Developing countries
23. We are fully aware of the difficulties confronting the public authorities in this matter, especially in the developing countries. In fact, We had in mind the justifiable anxieties which weigh upon them when We published Our encyclical letter Populorum Progressio. But now We join Our voice to that of Our predecessor John XXIII of venerable memory, and We make Our own his words: "No statement of the problem and no solution to it is acceptable which does violence to man's essential dignity; those who propose such solutions base them on an utterly materialistic conception of man himself and his life. The only possible solution to this question is one which envisages the social and economic progress both of individuals and of the whole of human society, and which respects and promotes true human values."[32] No one can, without being grossly unfair, make divine Providence responsible for what clearly seems to be the result of misguided governmental policies, of an insufficient sense of social justice, of a selfish accumulation of material goods, and finally of a culpable failure to undertake those initiatives and responsibilities which would raise the standard of living of peoples and their children.[33]
Reception
Galileo affair comparison
Cardinal
Open dissent
The publication of the encyclical marks the first time in the twentieth century that open dissent from the laity about teachings of the Church was voiced widely and publicly. The teaching has been criticized by development organizations and others who claim that it limits the methods available to fight worldwide population growth and struggle against HIV/AIDS. Within two days of the encyclical's release, a group of dissident theologians, led by Rev. Charles Curran, then Catholic University of America, issued a statement stating, "spouses may responsibly decide according to their conscience that artificial contraception in some circumstances is permissible and indeed necessary to preserve and foster the value and sacredness of marriage."[39]
Canadian bishops
Two months later, the controversial Winnipeg Statement issued by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops stated that those who cannot accept the teaching should not be considered shut off from the Catholic Church, and that individuals can in good conscience use contraception as long as they have first made an honest attempt to accept the difficult directives of the encyclical.
Dutch Catechism
The Dutch Catechism of 1966, based on the Dutch bishops' interpretation of the just completed Vatican Council, and the first post-Council comprehensive Catholic catechism, noted the lack of mention of artificial contraception in the Council. "As everyone can ascertain nowadays, there are several methods of regulating births. The Second Vatican Council did not speak of any of these concrete methods [...] This is a different standpoint than that taken under Pius XI some thirty years ago which was also maintained by his successor [...] we can sense here a clear development in the Church, a development, which is also going on outside the Church."[40]
Soviet Union
In the Soviet Union, Literaturnaja Gazeta, a publication of Soviet intellectuals, included an editorial and statement by Russian physicians against the encyclical.[41]
Ecumenical reactions
Ecumenical reactions were mixed. Liberal and Moderate
Latin America
In
Cardinal Martini
In the book "Nighttime conversations in Jerusalem. On the risk of faith.", well-known liberal Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini accused Paul VI of deliberately concealing the truth, leaving it to theologians and pastors to fix things by adapting precepts to practice: "I knew Paul VI well. With the encyclical, he wanted to express consideration for human life. He explained his intention to some of his friends by using a comparison: although one must not lie, sometimes it is not possible to do otherwise; it may be necessary to conceal the truth, or it may be unavoidable to tell a lie. It is up to the moralists to explain where sin begins, especially in the cases in which there is a higher duty than the transmission of life."[50]
Karol Wojtyła
The future
Response of Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI was troubled by the encyclical's reception in the West. Acknowledging the controversy, Paul VI in a letter to the Congress of German Catholics (30 August 1968), stated: "May the lively debate aroused by our encyclical lead to a better knowledge of God's will."[52] In March 1969, he had a meeting with one of the main critics of Humanae vitae, Cardinal Leo Joseph Suenens. Paul heard him out and said merely, "Yes, pray for me; because of my weaknesses, the Church is badly governed."[53] To jog the memory of his critics, he also put in their minds the experience of no less a figure than Peter: "[n]ow I understand St Peter: he came to Rome twice, the second time to be crucified",[3] – herewith directing their attention to his rejoicing in glorifying the Lord.[54] Increasingly convinced, that "the smoke of Satan entered the temple of God from some fissure",[55] Paul VI reaffirmed, on 23 June 1978, weeks before his death, in an address to the College of Cardinals, his Humanae vitae: "following the confirmations of serious science", and which sought to affirm the principle of respect for the laws of nature and of "a conscious and ethically responsible paternity".[56]
Padre Pio
In his last letter to Pope Paul VI, Christian mystic and canonized saint Padre Pio called Humanae vitae "clear and decisive words".[57]
Legacy
Polls have shown that many self-identified Catholics use artificial means of contraception, and that very few use natural family planning.[58][59] However, John L. Allen Jr. wrote in 2008: "Three decades of bishops' appointments by John Paul II and Benedict XVI, both unambiguously committed to Humanae Vitae, mean that senior leaders in Catholicism these days are far less inclined than they were in 1968 to distance themselves from the ban on birth control, or to soft-pedal it. Some Catholic bishops have brought out documents of their own defending Humanae Vitae."[60] Developments in fertility awareness since the 1960s[61] have also given rise to natural family planning organizations such as the Billings Ovulation Method, Couple to Couple League and the Creighton Model FertilityCare System, which actively provide formal instruction on the use and reliability of natural methods of birth control.
Pope John Paul I
Pope John Paul II
After he became pope in 1978,
In 1981, the Pope's Apostolic exhortation, Familiaris consortio, restated the Church's opposition to artificial birth control stated previously in Humanae vitae.
John Paul II readdressed some of the same issues in his 1993 encyclical
Pope John Paul's 1995 encyclical Evangelium vitae ('The Gospel of Life') affirmed the Church's position on contraception and multiple topics related to the culture of life.
Pope Benedict XVI
On 12 May 2008,
Pope Francis
On 16 January 2015, Pope Francis said to a meeting with families in Manila, insisting on the need to protect the family: "The family is [...] threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to life. I think of Blessed Paul VI. At a time when the problem of population growth was being raised, he had the courage to defend openness to life in families. He knew the difficulties that are there in every family, and so in his Encyclical he was very merciful towards particular cases, and he asked confessors to be very merciful and understanding in dealing with particular cases. But he also had a broader vision: he looked at the peoples of the earth and he saw this threat of the destruction of the family through the privation of children [original Spanish: destrucción de la familia por la privación de los hijos]. Paul VI was courageous; he was a good pastor and he warned his flock of the wolves who were coming."[71][72]
A year before, on 1 May 2014, Pope Francis, in an interview given to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, expressed his opinion and praise for Humanae vitae: "Everything depends on how Humanae vitae is interpreted. Paul VI himself, in the end, urged confessors to be very merciful and pay attention to concrete situations. But his genius was prophetic, he had the courage to take a stand against the majority, to defend moral discipline, to exercise a cultural restraint, to oppose present and future neo-Malthusianism. The question is not of changing doctrine, but of digging deep and making sure that pastoral care takes into account situations and what it is possible for persons to do."[73]
References
- ^ "Stamane l'atteso documento del Pontefice sulla 'pillola'". La Stampa. 29 July 1968. Retrieved 30 October 2016.
- ^ See encyclical, n.6.
- ^ The Catholic Herald. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ (Germain Grisez on Humanæ Vitae, Then and Now Archived 11 November 2004 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 2 March 2006
- ^ Pius XI, encyc.letter Divini illius Magistri: AAS 22 (1930), pgs. 58-61; encyc. letter Casti connubii: AAS 22 (1930), pgs. 545-546
- ^ Discorsi e radiomessaggi di Pio XII, VI, pgs. 191-2; to Italian Association of Catholic Midwives: AAS 43 (1951), pgs. 835-54
- ^ John XXIII, encyc. letter Mater et magistra: AAS 53 (1961), pg. 457
- ^ Herder Korrespondenz, Orbis Catholicus Freiburg, Herder Verlag, 1964-1968
- ^ a b Humanae vitae, no. 1
- ^ Humane vitae, no. 7
- ^ Humanae vitae, nos. 8-9
- ^ a b c Humanae vitae
- ^ a b c Humanae vitae, no. 17
- ^ Humanae vitae, no. 23
- ^ Humanae vitae, no. 27
- ^ Humanae vitae, no. 28
- ^ a b Humane vitae, no. 30
- ^ Humanae vitae, no. 31
- JSTOR 2172010.
- ISBN 978-0-8362-0374-5.
- ISBN 978-0-8245-1458-7.
- ISBN 978-0-8146-5899-4.]
- ISBN 0-385-15851-3
- ISBN 978-1-58901-116-8
- ^ Komonchak, Joseph A. "Humanae Vitae and Its Reception" (PDF). Theological Studies: 221–57. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "Doctrine of Reception". www.arcc-catholic-rights.net. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-06-018793-4.
The encyclical was not drafted precisely as Wojtyla proposed.
- ^ Wooden, Cindy (27 July 2017). "Theologians studying development of Humanae Vitae given access to Vatican Secret Archives". Vatholic Herals. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ San Martín, Inés (27 July 2017). "No, Virginia, there's no 'secret commission' on Humanae Vitae". CRUX. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
- ^ See John XXIII, encyc. letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), pg. 447 [TPS VII, pg. 331].
- ^ Luke 2:34
- ^ John XXIII, Encyc. letter Mater et Magistra: AAS 53 (1961), pg. 447 [TPS VII, pg. 331]
- ^ See Paul VI, encyc. letter Populorum progressio #48-55: AAS 59 (1967), pgs. 281-4 [TPS XII, pgs. 160-2] "If only all governments which were able would do what some are already doing so nobly, and bestir themselves to renew their efforts and their undertakings! There must be no relaxation in the programs of mutual aid between all the branches of the great human family. Here We believe an almost limitless field lies open for the activities of the great international institutions."
- ^ Peter Hebblethwaite, Paul VI, Paulist Press New York, 1993, pg. 394
- ^ Hebblethwaite, Paul VI, Paulist Press New York, 1993, pg. 533
- ^ Hebblethwaite, Paul VI, Paulist Press New York, 1993, pg. 528
- ^ Schönborn, Christoph (27 March 2008). "Drei Mal "Nein" zum Leben" [Three Times "No" to Life] (sermon) (in German). Vienna: Radio Stephansdom. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
- ^ Peter Hebblethwaite, Paul VI, Paulist Press New York, 1993, pg. 533
- ^ McCormick, Richard (7 July 1993). "Humanae Vitae 25 Years Later". America. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ A New Catechism, pg. 402
- ^ HK 1968, pg. 548
- ^ La Croix, 31 July 1968; 13 August 1968
- ^ Sontagsblatt, 11 November 1968
- ^ Reforme, 10 August 1968
- ^ Herder Korrespondenz, Orbis Catholicus, Freiburg, 1968, pg. 404
- ^ a b Herder Korrespondenz, Orbis Catholicus, Freiburg, 1968, pg. 549
- ^ Sic, 31, pg. 308, October 1968, pgs. 359-79
- ^ Lamentations 1:12
- ^ "Ó vós todos que passais pelo caminho…" (in Portuguese). 5 March 1969. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
- ^ Sandro Magister-s blog
- ^ ACI Prensa (9 August 2022). "Reacting to pontifical academy, theologian says teaching of Humanae vitae can't change".
- ^ McCormick, Richard (17 July 1993). "'Humanae Vitae' 25 Years Later". America Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ Peter Hebblethwaite, Paul VI, Paulist Press New York, 1993, pg. 532
- Martyrdom of Peter (Codex Vercellensis, chapters 33–41): "And Peter came to himself: and having beheld the Lord ascending up into heaven, he returned to Rome, rejoicing, and glorifying the Lord, for that he said: I am being crucified: the which was about to befall Peter." (ch. 35) "But I, so long as the Lord will that I be in the flesh, resist not; and again if he take me to him I rejoice and am glad." (ch. 36)
- La Santa Sede. 29 June 1972. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
Riferendosi alla situazione della Chiesa di oggi, il Santo Padre afferma di avere la sensazione che «da qualche fessura sia entrato il fumo di Satana nel tempio di Dio».
- ^ "L'Osservatore: Paul VI Never Looked Back: Vatican Paper Remembers "Humanae Vitae", 25 July 2008". Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ^ "Padre Pio's letter to Pope Paul VI on Humanae Vitae".
- ^ "Contraceptive Use in the United States". Guttmacher Institute. 4 August 2004. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ "Birth Control Goes Against Catholicism's Teachings, But Most Catholics Use It Anyway". ThinkProgress. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ Allen, John (27 July 2008). "The Pope vs. the Pill". New York Times. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
- ^ For example, one Natural Birth Control website (Justisse) quotes the British Medical Journal (Volume 307, 2003): "According to the World Health Organization, 93% of women everywhere can identify the symptoms which distinguish adequately between the fertile and the infertile phases of the [menstrual] cycle... [Using fertility awareness for reproductive planning] is inexpensive, highly effective, without side effects and may be particularly acceptable to and efficacious among [certain] people." "World Health Organization Endorses Fertility Awareness". Justisse. Archived from the original on 14 December 2006. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
- ^ Kay Withers, "Pope John Paul I and Birth Control", America, 24 March 1979, pp. 233-34.
- ^ National Catholic Reporter
- ^ Kay Withers, "Pope John Paul I and Birth Control", America, 24 March 1979, pgs. 233-4
- ^ Raymond and Lauretta, The Smiling Pope, The Life & Teaching of John Paul I. Our Sunday Visitor Press: 2004
- ^ Weigel, George (2005). Witness to hope, The biography of Pope John Paul II. New York. p. 336.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Weigel, pgs. 336-43
- ^ Veritatis Splendor, pg. 95; see Humanae vitae, no. 29
- ^ Benedict XVI, international congress organized by the Pontifical Lateran University on the 40th anniversary of the encyclical Humanae vitae, 12 May 2008
- ^ Deus Caritas Est, no. 11
- ^ "Sri Lanka - Filipinas: Encuentro con las familias en el Mall of Asia Arena (Manila, 16 de enero de 2015) | Francisco".
- ^ "The Pope's most insistent message | Inquirer Opinion". 26 January 2015.
- ^ "Francis, the Pope of "Humanae Vitae"". chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-89870-445-7.
- Smith, Janet (1993). Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader. Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-0-89870-433-4.
- Shivanandan, Mary (1999). Crossing the Threshold of Love: A New Vision of Marriage. Catholic University of America Press. ISBN 978-0-8132-0941-8.
- Hahn, Kimberly (2002). Life-Giving Love. Charis Books. ISBN 978-0-8132-0941-8.
- Kippley, John F. (2005). Sex and the Marriage Covenant: A Basis for Morality. Ignatius Press. ISBN 978-0-89870-973-5.
- McClory, Robert (1995). Turning point: the inside story of the Papal Birth Control Commission, and how Humanae Vitae changed the life of Patty Crowley and the future of the church. Crossroads Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8245-1458-7.
- Rubio, Julie Hanlon (Fall 2005). "Beyond the Liberal/Conservative Divide on Contraception". Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology Society. 32 (2). Villanova University.
- Dominion, Jack; Hugh Montefiore (1989). God, Sex and Love. SCM Press.
External links
- Latin text of Humanae vitae at the Vatican website
- English text of Humanae vitae at the Vatican website
- The Humanae Vitae controversy Archived 2 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine, chapter from George Weigel's biography of Karol Wojtyła
- G. E. M. Anscombe: Contraception and Chastity
- Cardinal Varkey's Letter on Family Planning Trends Among Catholics: Cardinal Mar Varkey Vithayathil, Kerala, India
- Natural Family Planning, John and Sheila Kippley's website that supports Humanae vitae and provides instruction in natural family planning
- The Vindication of Humanae Vitae, by Mary Eberstadt First Things, August/September 2008.
- John Paul II's THEOLOGY OF THE BODY on the EWTN website.
- The Scientists who Dissented from Humanae Vitae, Sharon Kabel, The Pillar