Doctors= ?

To Doctors and Nurses (Section III- Pastoral Directives, Paragraph 14 of the Human Vitae)

27. Likewise we hold in the highest esteem those doctors and members of the nursing profession who, in the exercise of their calling, endeavor to fulfill the demands of their Christian vocation before any merely human interest. Let them therefore continue constant in their resolution always to support those lines of action which accord with faith and with right reason. And let them strive to win agreement and support for these policies among their professional colleagues. Moreover, they should regard it as an essential part of their skill to make themselves fully proficient in this difficult field of medical knowledge. For then, when married couples ask for their advice, they may be in a position to give them right counsel and to point them in the proper direction. Married couples have a right to expect this much from them.

In this passage, I found it quite interesting how the Pope suggested Doctors/Nurses to be/give the ultimate answers when "married couples" need assistance. The way I read the article, was that there are only two reasons why doctors/nurses are needed: 1) when a MARRIED couple needs assistance and 2) when there is a life to be handled. I see 2 huge issues with that already, one being that single parents, same sex-couples (since they're not married) cannot consult a doctor/nurse for help and that they should not help any one but those who are considered a "married couple." Why is it that "single mothers/fathers" cannot consult doctors/nurses for "direction" and support and "full knowledge"? Is it because their "parenting skills" are lessened by one half with one partner not existing? I would like to see what the Pope says about single/same-sex couples consulting doctors/nurses (unless I missed that somewhere earlier?). Anyhow, it again only pertains to the "married couples" in the end and claims a structured process then and there- that only married couples can use the intelligence and resources of doctors, where other types of couples/parents are not worthy of it. I think it is absolutely wrong and invalid, for there are plenty of reasons for why parents/couples have only 1 provider and many of the time, the reason being for that is because of natural incidents/events.

The other issue I see in this claim is that births and the process of conceiving a baby is supposed to be natural. In certain places of the world and other cultures, consulting a doctor and/or having a baby in a hospital is already considered "un-natural" because of the medicine, the machines, etc. that assist and help make the pregnancy go smoother and less painful. If the Pope preaches for births to be "natural," he should re-consider this passage because I'm sure consulting Doctors will be just as "unnatural" as taking birth control pills. I honestly

Also, not mention that the Pope believes couples should expect the knowledge of Doctors and nurses to excel that of the married couple and that doctors only exist to "make themselves fully proficient in this difficult field of medical knowledge," to help out those "married couples" who need direction and assistance in having this "natural born life." The Pope suggests with this claim that doctors, are essentially the ones who play "God" in the physical/reality of the world, since God cannot be there to assist the bearing of a child. The doctors are those who are to cater to the "married couples." As he mentions in his earlier passage, God is responsible for all creation/existence of life, he has plans for everyone, yet doctors are responsible for the developing/existence of new borns and is the absolute least thing they can provide for parents. I didn't know doctors were playing the role of God too.

Choices

Observing the Natural Law Paragraph 11 deal with God’s plan as far as childbirths. This paragraph states that God decided when a couple would have a baby. “God has wisely ordered laws of nature and the incidence of fertility in such a way that successive births are already naturally spaced through the inherent operation of these laws.” God’s plan is seen through everything and everything is predetermined according to this passage. This is why the church urges people to observe the natural law. This paragraph also hints at marriage is scared and pure thus have a child is noble and worthy.

I do consider myself fairly religious, but I do not believe that our whole lives are planned out for us. I believe that we have choices and that these choices led to different paths. So I would disagree with the Pope on this subject. As far as procreation, I do not think that God controls when a couple will have a baby. However, I do believe that He can help if prayed too. Actually now that I think about it, as far as the spacing of babies being born, this could be why a child has to develop in the womb for nine months.

I think that the Pope’s views on this subject effect people socially and psychologically because they may think that since everything is predetermined that things will just fall into place thus convincing them not to work as hard. It is definitely a scary thought to think that everything on this earth is already planned out and you can do nothing about. Why then for instance do bad things happen, such as not being able to have a child? The consequences of this mindset are that you do not control your life and that everything will happen as God’s plan wants it too. This means that whomever become president is God’s choice, whomever you marry is God’s choice, who you are God’s choice.

We have choices in this world. God does have a plan for all of us, but it is up to us to follow the correct path and take the right opportunities that are laid out in front of us. Life is all about choices.

Going Backwards?

10."responsible parenthood, which today, rightly enough, is much insisted upon, but which at the same time should be rightly understood. Thus, we do well to consider responsible parenthood in the light of its varied legitimate and interrelated aspects." and "With regard to man's innate drives and emotions, responsible parenthood means that man's reason and will must exert control over them"

To me, the Pope's words are just words of wisdom, not that I agree with everything he says, but this to me seems like some thing nice you would get in a fortune cookie, if they wrote paragraphs instead of sentences. In common none Pope language, it is saying that couples, when you get married, and then continue on to have sex if that is the order that it actually happened in, which is rare now days, you need to understand what you're getting into if your not using protection, and even if you are. You could be bringing a child into this world and need to understand how to raise a child correctly, knowing that this isn't a puppy you could give away if you want, this is your responsibility for the next eighteen years at least. I also quoted the part about the man controlling his emotions if he is not ready to have a cild because just going with emotions and innate drives could quite simply result in a child.

I agree with this part of the reading. Why would we not want couples to not understand what they are getting into when they have sex. We all know couples will engage in what is now such a socially constructed activity that has in many ways lost all remaining meaning that it originally started with, so why shouldn't couples know what's coming. This is good socially for the rest of us out in the public. We don't want people having babies and then leaving them for dead because they were uninformed this could happen, or misinformed. Also, whether or not we agree with peoples parenting techniques, this passage at least supports the fact that we don't want your kids running around recklessly and we hope you don't want them too either.

Politically, knowing whether or not you want kids, when a couple is considering if they want kids and taking the time to actually consider if they want kids, if they can afford kids, handle kids, enjoy their kids, this will help things like the Plan B pill, people will financially better off if they plan for a child before having it, and it will help generally in society, maybe we wouldn't find babies left in garbage cans, mom's microwaving their babies or babies left on door steps.

Psychologically, if no one ever had an opps or surprise baby, people overall would be better prepared. People wouldn't have these kinds of incidents, leaving them with no money, no day care, no health care to support their doctor appointments, and less welfare going to these peoples that couldn't afford this baby but had one anyway just out of a very passionate moment. For the consequences part, I think that is obvious.

To me, this is taking things to a different level. I feel like this passage doesn't want you to resort to a condom or birth control or the Plan B pill or anything like that. I feel like this is taking all the Bordo and the docile body changing as the world keeps spinning, but bringing the body back, not forwards. Meaning it isn't going toward the contraceptive options, but to the just don't do it option. This seems somewhat ridiculous. I completely understand and agree that couples should know the outcomes of having sex and that they should be able, prepared and ready to raise a child to be a good component and person of society, but it could possibly be saying in a world constantly revolving around sex, don't have it. Although there are so many ways to prevent a pregnancy, don't have it. Although it's on every television show, magazine cover, ways to improve sex, every KY commercial, every Victoria's Secret commercial, every alcohol commercial. You cannot get away from it. Seems like in a world recently created and completely turned around from no sex, to all about sex. It seems to me this passage wants time to rewind, it wants the world to go old fashion on sex when you can relate anything to sex.

What is love?

In paragraph 12 it says, “The reason is that the fundamental nature of the marriage act, while uniting husband and wife in the closest intimacy, also renders them capable of generating new life—and this as a result of laws written into the actual nature of man and of woman. And if each of these essential qualities, the unitive and the procreative, is preserved, the use of marriage fully retains its sense of true mutual love and its ordination to the supreme responsibility of parenthood to which man is called.”

This passage has a few different conflicting messages to me. First, the pope says the fundamental reason for a man and a woman to get married is to engage in the closet intimacy. While the sentence does go on to say that this act is capable of generating new life, the initial statement argues that two people only get married to have sex for pleasure rather than to create a baby. This goes against everything else the pope says in this essay. The pope expresses his strong disdain towards the use of contraception, particularly in paragraph 14. Here he talks about how absolutely nothing unnatural can or should be used to prevent the conception of a child. In essence this says that no couples, even those who are married, can have sex for any reason other than to conceive a child. While I am sure there are many people who support the pope’s views in regards sex, I have a different view. There are tons of studies that show that sex is not only extremely healthy for your body as it reduces stress and blood pressure, but it also releases hormones that help people bond and build trust. If sex can only occur to try to have a baby, these benefits will be lost.

Continuing on in paragraph 12, the pope also states that a man and woman’s marriage is not fully retained unless they preserve the right to procreate. They must engage in sexual intercourse for the sole purpose of making a baby or their marriage does not fulfill the requirements laid out by pope. Furthermore, the pope declares that a married couple can only have a “sense of true mutual love” if they try to generate a baby. This conflicts with paragraph 9, where it states, “This love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit.” This says that true love goes beyond the mortal world and the two people are connected through the spiritual world as well. Their connection is far and away from simple infatuation.

Hollywood Pope

17. Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.

The biggest thing I found to take away from this passage, other than that the Pope generalizes all human beings to be extremely weak-minded and unable to control themselves to the slightest, is that a man who, with a woman, uses contraceptive methods will then show no respect for the woman and use her only for his own (sexual) desires. This sounds very similar to the classic (possibly Hollywood? I’m not quite sure on this reference) situation where a guy will say anything to a girl, will do anything for her until she finally gives in and has sex with him and then he’ll just dump her.

To me this is just completely unreasonable. If this is a Hollywood cliché then we all should know that just from that this is completely unbelievable. Even if that’s not the case, I take offense to this statement. This is just a horrible generalization. None of my friends are like this and I highly doubt this makes up any sort of large proportion of our society’s male population. Saying this makes me believe that the consequences the church was aiming for was just to make women fearful of getting close with any man, especially outside of marriage.

Sex Bad

                                                                   Mastery of Self

One Child Policy Propaganda

21. The honest practice of regulation of birth demands first of all that husband and wife acquire and possess solid convictions concerning the true values of life and of the family, and that they tend towards securing perfect self-mastery.  Yet this discipline which is proper to the purity of married couples, far from harming conjugal love, rather confers on it a higher human value.  It demands continual effort yet, thanks to its beneficent influence, husband and wife fully develop their personalities, being enriched with spiritual values.  Such discipline bestows upon family life fruits of serenity and peace, and facilitates the solution of other problems; it fosters attention for one's partner, helps both parties to drive out selfishness, the enemy of true love; and deepens their sense of responsibility.

Tee Hee, Enemy of True Love

In my last blog post, probably, ever, I would like to discuss, in Pope Paul IV’s Humanae Vitae, Mastery of Self.  Here, Pope Paul is trying to get at married couples and their ability or lack of self-control, in context to sex.  They should or rather must be clean and untainted and in behaving and engaging in this type of behavior, regulate population and birth rates.  The Pope lives in a very black and white world.  There is an absolute right and an absolute wrong, but for many of us, this is not true.  The world that most of us believe in has many grey areas that are fuzzy and hazy and ever perplexing.  Although there are positives to what the Pope is trying to let known.  We live in a day and age that enjoys sex.

The Pope’s regulation of birth demands are can be referred to multiple topics.  This is one where the positives come into play.  There are birth control and contraceptives, but another reference that I wanted to get at was China and their one-child policy.  It is safe to assume that china is a great percentage of the world’s population, even with this policy.  The world is constantly evolving and growing but are we as a people and a race growing too fast?  Are we going to be overpopulated that not only will China enforce a child regulation, but the rest of the world?  Pope Paul is insinuating this by stating that too much breeding, to a certain extent, can lower the value of humans.

But, the world is not so absolute.  The world loves sex.  So to try to regulate or ban what people love is only asking for resistance and opposition.  In cultural studies, we see these trends and learn from them.  We understand the stance of the Pope but can also see why his word cannot be absolute.