Britannica Sources used in this answer

What did Humanae vitae teach about artificial birth control?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Pope Paul VI stands behind microphones with both arms raised, wearing white papal robes and glasses, during a public appearance in Geneva. — St. Paul VI In 1968 Pope Paul VI appeared in Geneva to address the International Labour Organization on the 50th anniversary of its founding.

In his 1968 encyclical Humanae vitae, Pope Paul VI reaffirmed the Roman Catholic Church's traditional opposition to artificial birth control.12

The document asserted that every conjugal act must remain open to the transmission of life, thereby rejecting all forms of artificial contraception. This teaching maintained the position previously established in the encyclical Casti Connubii (1930) by Pope Pius XI, which condemned all methods of birth control—with the exception of periodic abstinence—as a grave sin.31

By issuing this encyclical, Paul VI sought to uphold what he viewed as the essential moral tradition of the church regarding marriage and procreation, despite significant pressure from some theologians and commission members to liberalize these teachings in light of modern social and medical developments. The decision sparked widespread controversy and remains a defining moment in the history of modern papal authority.32