ISSUES

AND

POSITIONS

of

Priests for Life Canada

Abortion

Euthanasia

Contraception

Reproductive Technologies and Dignity of the Human Person

Chastity

Why is the issue of contraception so important to being pro-life?

ABORTION 

“Human life must be respected and, protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (CCC, #2270). 

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Jer 1:5; cf. Job 10:8-12; Ps 22:10-11).

 “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (CCC, #2271).

“You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish” (Didache 2, 2:S, Ch 248, 148; cf. Ep. Barnabae 19, 5:PG 2 777; Ad Diognetum 5, 6:PG 2, 1173; Tertullian, Apol. 9:PL 1,319-320).

“God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes” (75 GS 51 § 3).

“I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being” (EV, #62).

“…the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, all direct abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children” (HV, #14).

“From man in regard to his fellowman I will demand an accounting for human life” (Gen. 9:5). Human life is sacred and inviolable” (EV, #52).

“If we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? …Helping mothers and babies in crisis is first in the mind of God right now” (Mother Teresa, National Prayer Breakfast, Washington DC, Feb. 3, 1994).

Priests for Life Canada will endeavour to assist and encourage all clergy to defend the lives of the unborn.

EUTHANASIA

“Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible (CCC, #2276)

“...euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a human person.... True compassion leads to sharing another’s pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear” (EV, #65-66).

“Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.

Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgement into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded” (CCC, #2277).

“Discontinuing Medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of “over-zealous” treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected” (CCC, #2278).

“Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable. Palliative’ care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged” (CCC, #2279).

Priests for Life Canada will endeavour to assist and encourage all clergy to defend the lives of the vulnerable.

CONTRACEPTION

Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favour the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, “every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil” (CCC, #2370).

“Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle… involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality” (Familiaris Consortio, #32, para. 5).

“Let all be convinced that human life and the duty of transmitting it are not limited by the horizons of this life only: their true evaluation and full significance can be understood only in reference to man’s eternal destiny” (CCC, #2371).

“There is an unbreakable connection between the unitive meaning and .the procreative meaning (of the conjugal act), and both are inherent in the conjugal act. This connection was established by God, and man is not permitted to break it through his own volition” (HV, #12).

“. . . Similarly excluded is every action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation - whether as an end or as a means. Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one... it is never lawful even for the gravest reasons to do evil that good may come of it” (HV, #14).

“. ..direct sterilization of the male or female, whether permanent or temporary is equally to be condemned” (HV, #14).

“Freedom of conscience is never freedom “from” the truth but always and only freedom “in the truth” (VS, #64)

The acceptance of contraception as a means to ‘circumvent God’s plans’ often leads to the ‘abortion mentality’. Frequently contraceptives cause abortions. When contraceptives fail, abortion is resorted to as a back-up. The use of contraceptives is anti-life, exploitative and negates God’s design for married couples - the pro-creation of children.

REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Scientific, medical, or psychological experiments on human individuals or groups can contribute to healing the• sick and the advancement of public health” (CCC, #2292).

“By themselves however they cannot disclose the meaning of existence and of human progress. Science and technology are ordered to man, from whom they take their origin and development; hence they find in the person and in his moral values both evidence of their purpose and awareness of their limits”(CCC, #2293).

“Natural law is nothing other than the light of understanding infused in us by God, whereby we understand what must be done and what must be avoided. God gave this light and this law to man at creation” (VS, #12, quoting St Thomas).

“Research or experimentation on the human being cannot legitimate acts that are in themselves contrary to the dignity of persons and to the moral law. The subjects' potential consent does not justify such acts. Experimentation on human beings is not morally legitimate if it exposes the subject’s life or physical and psychological integrity to disproportionate or avoidable risks. Experimentation on human beings does not conform to the dignity of the person if it takes place without the informed consent of the subject. or those who legitimately speak for him” (CCC, #2295).

“The use of human embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person” (EV, #63).

“Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons” (CCC, #2296).

Priests for Life Canada will endeavour to assist and encourage all clergy to defend the sanctity and dignity of human life, from conception to natural death.

What science can do now was previously unthinkable or at the least immoral. Priests for Life Canada will endeavour to assist and encourage all clergy to defend the value and dignity of all human life.

CHASTITY

Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man’s belong to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman” (#2337, CCC).

“To those who are engaged in education and all those whose right and duty it is to provide for the common good of human society: we call their attention to the need to create an atmosphere favourable to the growth of chastity so that true liberty may prevail over license and the norms of the moral law may be fully safeguarded” (HV, # 22).

“Self-mastery is a long and exacting work. One can never consider it acquired once and for all. It presupposes renewed effort at all stages of life (Cf. Titus 2:1-6). The effort required can be more intense in certain periods, such as when the personality is being formed during childhood and adolescence” (CCC, #2342).

“Chastity is a moral virtue. It is also a gift from God, a grace, a fruit of spiritual effort (Cf. Gal 5:22). The Holy Spirit enables one whom the water of Baptism has regenerated to imitate the purity of Christ” (Cf. 1 Jn 3:3, CCC, #2345).

“All the baptized are called to chastity. The Christian has “put on Christ” (Gal 3:27), the model for all chastity. All Christ’s faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their particular states of life. At the moment of his Baptism, the Christian is pledged to lead his affective life in chastity” (CCC, #2348).

“People should cultivate [chastity] in the way that is suited to their state of life. Some profess virginity or consecrated celibacy which enables them to give themselves to God alone with an undivided heart in a remarkable manner. Others live in the way prescribed for all by the moral law, whether they are married or single (CDF, Persona Humana 11). Married people are called to live conjugal chastity; others practice chastity in continence” (CCC, #2349).

“Those who are engaged to marry are called to live chastity in continence. They should see in this time of testing a discovery of mutual respect, an apprenticeship in fidelity, and the hope of receiving one another from God. They should reserve for marriage the expressions of affection that belong to married love. They will help each other grow in chastity” (CCC, #2350).

“Sexuality is ordered to the conjugal love of man and woman. In marriage the physical intimacy of the spouses becomes a sign and pledge of spiritual communion. Marriage bonds between baptized persons are sanctified by the sacrament” (CCC, #2360).

“Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death” (CCC, #2361, Familiaris Consortio, #11).

Priests for Life Canada will endeavour to assist and encourage priests to promote the message of chastity to all Catholics.

WHY IS THE ISSUE OF CONTRACEPTION SO IMPORTANT TO BEING PRO-LIFE?

by Fr. Jim Whalen

The issue of ‘contraceptive culture’ provokes different reactions among parents, doctors, public authorities, and whole nations. It implies that a couple has not only the means to separate intercourse from procreation, but the right or responsibility as well. Its purpose is to allow contracepting partners to enjoy the pleasures of sex without fear that their activity will lead to the procreation of another human person.

A conspiracy of silence

There is, first of all, a conspiracy of silence regarding contraception from the fearful, be they parents, young adults, youth or pastors. There is a fear of listening to the truth, for it may mean changing ways of thinking and ways of acting. There is a fear of teaching or preaching the truth for it may mean being rejected or persecuted. There is a fear of witnessing to the truth for it is sometimes controversial or complicated. There is a fear of living the truth for it is not politically correct, and leads to marginalization or isolation. There is even a pathological fear of parenthood. There is a fear of offending the sensitivities of men or women, friends, neighbours or parishioners but, strangely enough, not of offending God.

A deception

There is, secondly, a massive acceptance of falsehood, half truths and secular views regarding artificial contraceptive means, for they are promulgated endlessly in advertising campaigns by governments, anti-life organizations (e. g.: IPPF), and in the media, as safe and available. They are promoted, erroneously, as instant solutions for recreational sex, as a means of experiencing pleasure without consequences. They are presented as the answer to world overpopulation, a myth advocated by national and international groups such as Planned Parenthood Federations. They are even offered as part of financial aid packages to third world countries, where mandatory sterilization or birth control quotas are stipulated (e.g.: World Bank loans; China’s one child per family policy). Many are ignorant of the whole truth or misinformed about contraceptive abortifacients, their harmful and even life threatening effects. They are swayed by various superficial arguments, by personal preferences or circumstances (situational ethics).

There is, thirdly, a strong Opposition to the contraceptive culture by those who faithfully follow the teaching magisterium of the Catholic Church. This is evident in such pro-life groups as Priests for Life Canada, Human Life International, One More Soul, and others. They adhere to Catholic Church teachings (documents about choosing life at all stages from conception to natural death), about rejecting contraception, abortion, sterilization, euthanasia and assisted suicide; about promoting generosity, chastity, natural family planning and adoption.

A conspiracy of evil

There is a world-wide evil Conspiracy which shows its hidden agenda by usurping the right to abort, to sterilize, and to euthanize. This is the actualizing of evil: to attribute to human beings, in the name of freedom, the right to exercise absolute control and power over others and against others. There is a need for a face to-face confrontation with the proponents of contraception. There is a need to develop ‘a comprehensive pro-life checkmate strategy’. This calls for a realistic assessment of the strategies of the enemy, so that the contraceptive mentality can be eliminated. Failure to curb erroneous principles results in misleading and incomplete presentations and interpretations of magisterial pro-life teachings. Such behaviour obstructs truth and weakens rather than develops faith. The essentials to build a ‘culture of life’ depend on biblical foundations, ethical and moral grounds, and sound principles and doctrines that should be the heart and~ core of conscience formation.

In Genesis, God’s plan is clear with regard to procreation: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 1:28). Many today, including those who consider themselves Christians or Catholics, imitate Onan, who offended God by avoiding conception. He had a direct intention of avoiding procreation during the conjugal act. He was punished for his crime of contraception. What he did greatly offended the Lord, “...and the Lord took his life” (Gen. 38: 9-10). God’s will is a fruitful womb: “Shall I who allow her to conceive, close her womb? says your God” (Is 66:9). A great progeny of children is a special blessing to married couples, a reward to the faithful: “I will make you exceedingly fruitful and will make nations of you” (Gen. 17:16).

Contraception is a violation of procreation, a self-seeking pleasure, an immoral act which defiles and divorces the two sacred purposes of the conjugal act in matrimony: the procreative and the unitive. It seeks to separate the life-giving act and the love-giving act. “The body is not meant for immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body” (1 Cor 6:13). To deny or question scriptural teachings against birth control is to refuse obedience to God’s revealed natural and supernatural truths.

Key Questions

Do we choose to live a lie or the truth? Is the Church’s teaching about contraception too much for us? It need not be if we remember that Jesus continues to speak to us through the Scriptures, and through the magisterial teachings of the Church He founded. His Vicar-General, Pope John Paul II, continues to guide and instruct us. God is still in charge of creation and procreation. Jesus is alive. He is present in His body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacles in our Catholic churches. He is also present in His living word in Scripture, in the sacraments and where two or three are gathered in His name. He comes to us as our daily bread in the Holy Eucharist at Communion. He is the way, the truth, and the life.

The Holy Spirit continues to sanctify us and reveal the truth to us. The fact is that we cannot be pro-life and pro-contraception at the same time. To be pro-life is to be pro-God, pro-family, pro-women, pro-men and pro-church. Enough is enough. We have borne witness to the prevention of life, to attacks on the unborn and other human person at all stages of life, and to the failure of authorities to act decisively against contraception.

Contraception is anti-life

Msgr. Vincent Foy summarizes it well: ‘The primal evil of contraception is ‘anti-God’. It puts up a barrier against God’s creative will, a horrendous crime when seen in all its implications in time and eternity. It is ‘anti-Church’ for it is against Church unity and results in mass immorality and mass weakening of the faith; it is ‘anti-society’ for it diminishes the level of love in society and increases the level of selfishness and lust; it is ‘anti-family’ for it makes a lie of the marriage covenant, replacing self-giving love with the hate of marital abuse; it is ‘anti-spousal’ for it promotes mutual abuse and violates the conscience and person; it is ‘anti-self’ for it creates, selfish and exploitive persons’ (From Humanae Vitae To Veritatis Splendor, St Joseph’s Workers for Life & Family, Msgr. Vincent Foy, March, 1994, pp. 15-18).