500+ Catholic scholars fight Humanae Vitae critics

Over 500 Catholic scholars have signed a document titled, “Affirmation of the Catholic Church’s Teaching on the Gift of Sexuality.” The group affirms that Humanae Vitae continues to promote the human good. Part of their statement reads, “We hold that Catholic teaching respects the true dignity of the human person and is conducive to happiness.”

The document was in response to a statement by the U.K.-based Wijngaards Institute, which claims there are “no grounds” for Catholic teaching against contraception. It questioned the idea that openness to procreation is inherent to the significance of sexual intercourse, and said that “the choice to use contraceptives for either family planning or prophylactic purposes can be a responsible and ethical decision and even, at times, an ethical imperative.”

The statement of the Wijngaards Institute was written to be promulgated at the UN and among Catholic Church leaders, ordinary Catholics and, "opinion leaders."

Read the full Catholic News Agency article, including names of those in support of the two opposing documents, here.

Please share the link above and encourage Catholic scholars to sign this urgent petition.