"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." -Pope, Paragraph 17.
Overall Pope Paul VI is explaining how contraception is bad for people, especially young people because it will lower moral standards by making sex more accessible. The Pope is bringing up the issue that the young are overly exposed to temptations in today's society. The Pope is condemning contraception because he feels that if moral laws are easier to break, then they will be broken.
The Pope's position on contraception is a very dangerous position to be taking on a health standpoint. of course it is taught that abstinence is the best policy when it comes to premarital sex, but premarital sex is going to happen. The Pope's decision is one of ignorance. The point is that assuming that premarital sex is going to happen, why not try to make it safe. Everyone who feels that abstinence is the only policy that should be taught is putting everybody at risk. Abstinence and contraceptives are both ways of fighting STDs and STIs that kill millions every year. With the knowledge that premarital sex is not extinguishable in the world, the only LOGICAL way to move forward is to promote contraceptives, yet stress that abstinence is the only 100% guaranteed way to be totally safe.
It was overwhelmingly supported in class that a woman on "the pill" is a different woman. The idea is the same with contraceptives. Once young people learn about the advantages of contraception, their thinking changes forever. But this needs to be seen as imminent, and the only way to make a safer and more bodily conscious future is to embrace contraceptives for their health benefits. In this case I feel the Pope is holding back his followers from being healthier.
