“The question of human procreation, like every other question which touches human life, involves more than … biology, psychology, demography or sociology. It is the whole man and the whole mission to which he is called that must be considered: both its natural, earthly aspects and its supernatural, eternal aspects.” – Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae

Pope Paul VI’s prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae, issued in 1968, presented the Church’s consistent teachings on marriage and contraception to the modern world — a world that demanded then, as it does now, that the Church adapt her teachings to itself. Standing calmly and firmly against a culture that sees contraception and abortion as individual choices, Humanae Vitae shows us what it means to share in the creative work of God. 

Humanae Vitae is a loving and honest look at the benefits and the challenges of Church teaching, and a call to the Church to provide guidance and support for couples as they strive to live out God’s design for human life and marriage.