Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Archives

Abortion & Euthanasia

Contraception Feeds Social Decline

by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.

Contraception, as a social practice, goes back to the earliest days of recorded history. When Christianity entered the world, the followers of Christ were warned against conforming to the pagan society in which they lived. They were given four successive precepts on sexual morality: “You shall not use magic. You shall not use drugs. You shall not procure abortion. You shall not destroy an unborn child” (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, A.D. 80).

Records from the Roman Empire tell us that the people would first try some magical rites or sorcery to avoid conception. If this failed, they would use one of the 17 known contraceptive medical drugs. If a woman still conceived, she would try to abort. And if even this failed, there was always the Roman law which permitted infanticide.

The fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century after Christ is only the best-known example of what happens to every contraceptive culture. It resorts to abortion and infanticide and ends up destroying itself as a society.

There is no secret why this may be called the verdict of human history. Contraception is the selfish practice of mutual masturbation. Each partner uses the other person to heighten his or her sexual pleasure, while excluding the willingness to accept whatever children God may want to give them.

People who practice contraception become habitually selfish. Experience shows that their selfishness will not even exclude killing the unborn child that was unwillingly conceived.

With the advent of Christianity, a totally new concept of selfless love entered the annals of mankind. Marriage was elevated by Christ to the level of a sacrament of the New Law. Husband and wife were given super-human capacity to love. They could give themselves to each other with selfless charity. They would share their humanity with another person, in cooperative generosity.

As a culture becomes de-Christianized, the practice of this selfless love declines and may disappear altogether.

There is only one solution. Re-evangelize, in order to re-Christianize, in order to revitalize a decadent human Society.

Eternal Life Newsletter
Vol. 1 - #1, First Issue

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