BIRTH CONTROL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21146, 2 October 1930, Page 6

BIRTH CONTROL

LAMBETH COMMITTEE’S REPORT. POLL APPRECIATION OF FAOTS. (FbOK Ou* Own Co BfiESPOWD*NT.) LONDON, August SI. Tho subject of birth control was investigated at the Lambeth. Conference by a committee appointed to consider the life and witness of the Christian community, which consisted of 61 bishops, under the presidency of the Bishop of Winchester (Dr Woods). The findings icf the committee were adopted by a majority of the conference. The'committee state that the diminution of the birth rate in .modern times by BO per cent is mainly due to the . knowledge and use of contraceptive methods in every class of society, and that they, therefore, feel bound to give some guidance in the matter to troubled consciences. ‘ "It must bo recognised," they point out, “ that there is in the Catholic Church a very strong tradition that the use of preventive methods is in all cases unlawful for a Christian. We acknowledge the weight of that testimony, but we are unable to accept that tradition as necessarily final." The committee assert that the tradition is not based on .any directions in the New Testament, and has not behind it the authority of any Qcumenical Council of the Church. They add the following reference to the practice of the Church of Home:— Moreover) it is significant that the communion which meet strongly condemns in principle all preventive methods, nevertheless, in practice, recognises that there are occasions when a . rigid insistence on the principle is impossible. If our own communion Is to give guidance on this problem, it must speak frankly and openly with a full appreciation of facts and conditions which were not present in the past, blit which arc due to modem civilisation. [lt may be noted that Father Woodlock, S.J., in an address at Farm Street Church, said that the statement by the committee regarding the Roman Catholic attitude was a calumny.] MORAL PRINCIPLES. The committee lay emphasis on the abuses which have followed the discovery of effective methods of contraception, but adds: It will be admitted by all that there are circumstances in married life which justify, and even demand, the limitation of the family by some means. The Church is concerned with the moral principles which must govern. such limitation. They declare to be axiomatic, the wrongfulness of evasion or disregard by married people of their foremost duty of parenthood. They also emphasise that marriage is a divinely' ordered relation' ship in which intercourse between man and woman calls for the highest exercise of the Christian virtues of self-discipline, self-control, and self-sacrifice. “It follows, therefore,” they argue, “ that it can never be right to make pleasure of self-indulgence the motive for determining to limit or refuse parenthood. Equally, it oan never be right for intercourse to take place which might lead to conception where a birth would involve grave danger to health, even to the life of the mother, or would inflict on the child to be bom a life of suffering, or where the mother would be prematurely exhausted, and additional children would render her incapable of carrying out her duties to the existing ; family." The primary and most obvious way of dealing with such circumstances is stated to be total abstinence. MEDICAi, AND SCIENTIFIC AUTHORITY. “Yet there exist moral situations which may make it obligatory to use other methods,” the committee states. “To a certain extent this obligation is affected by medical and scientific authority. But, in all such cases, as. in those where abstinence is the way chosen, the final decision must still be determined by reference to the spiritual ends for which marriage was ordained, and the attainment of these still call for the same exhibition of Christian self-discip-line and virtue, “Each couple must decide for themselves, as in the sight of God, after the most careful and conscientious thought, and, if perplexed in mind, after taking' competent advice, both medical and spiritual. In our judgment the question which they should put to themselves is this; Would conception bo for any reason wrong? If it would clearly bo wrong, and if there is good moral reason why the way of abstinence should not be followed, we cannot condemn the use of scientific methods to prevent conception, which are thoughtfully and conscientiously adopted. A SECONDARY END. Such reasons for the limitation of family as circumstances of income, housing, and education, the committee declares to need careful scrutiny. It is unable to accept conception control as the right solution of social and economic conditions, which ought to be changed by the influence of Christian public opinion. “Plainly we cannot provide a complete list of circumstances affording & good moral reason for avoiding conception,” it concludes. “But, as it seems to us, the principle involved is this: Children are the primary end of-the intercourse to which marriage leads. Matr ried people do wrong when they refuse to have children whom they could train to serve God and add to the strength of the nation. But intercourse has also a secondary end within the natural sacrament of marriage. Where for any morally sound reason the first end is to be ruled out it does not necessarily follow that the secondary end must be ruled out also, provided that self-control is exercised, and husband and wife have truly examined their consciences upon the matter.”