Present day Relevance of the “Forgotten” 400 German Doctors’ Memorandum of 1965

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Part of Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas

Title: Present day Relevance of the “Forgotten” 400 German Doctors’ Memorandum of 1965
Creator: del Rio, F.
Identifier: Doctrinal Section
Language: English
Source: Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas XLIII (482) May-June 1969
Subject: Christianity; Christian sociology
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Fulltext: DOCTRINAL SECTION PRESENT DAY RELEVANCE OF THE “FORGOTTEN” 400 GERMAN DOCTORS1 MEMORANDUM OF 1965. 1 The sex problem in the mddern world. An anthology edited by J. F. McDermott, U.S.A., 1931. — The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell Why wait till marriage? — Evelyn Millis Duval, N.Y., 1965. • F. del Rio It is only too obvious that the abuse of sexuality has never been so great in the world as it is today1 and never has defeatism approached so near to despair within the Church. It is not my purpose here to enter into an analysis of the various factors which account for this tegrettable attitude of many called Catholics, yet let me express in passing the dis approval of this pessimism prevailing in the matter of masculine self discipline. We admit the fact that the world today oozes sex from all its pores, and that, as stated before, the world as a whole is impregnated with this kind of pessimism — the priests to begin with, the spouse, and the husband, and that the great majority of men feel they ate face to face with a hard imperative, but in no way with an “impossible’’ moral ity, a morality for giants only! .. . “Our experiences in this matter, writes Dr. Ch. Rendu, have led us to the very opposite conclusion, viz., that man is much more capable of self-mastery in the area of complete sexual pleasure than the world believes and understands. Even in tropical coun tries, such as the Island of Reunion, or Maurice Island, the testimonies and facts evincing masculine self-mastery, were sufficiently frequent to pleasantly surprise the priests in our company, in our tours cf series of conferences and who therefore know only too well the real facts ... Of BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS course and in general, this apprenticeship of masculine self-mastery re quires a period of progressive training”.2 3 4 2 NRT, N. 6, Juin, 1965 “La Regulation des naissances dans Ie cadre familial et chretien” par Charles Rendu, M. D. 3 See “Freedom and Responsibility” by Arthur Twining Hadley. Oxford University Press, 1921. Preface. 4 MAN THE UNKNOWN, London 1939, PP. 152-3. 6 Id. it. p. 129. Id. it. p. 129. The present day moral crisis is not something that has popped up suddenly, unexpectedly. In the late thirties, a well known scientist, non believer Alexis Carrel, left this description of the moral panorama of his days, when he wrote: “Civilization has not succeeded in creating an environment suitable to mental, and much less to moral activities ... The intellectual classes have been debased by the immense spread of news paper, cheap literature, radios, cinema and TV. Unintelligence is be coming more and more general, in spite of the excellence of the courses given in schools, colleges and universities.. . Moral sense is almost com pletely ignored by modern society. All are imbued with irresponsibility.’' Those who discern good and evil, who are industrious and provident, remain poor and are looked upon as morons. The woman who has several children, who devotes herself to their education, instead of to her career, is considered as weak-minded ... Sexual morals have been cast aside. Psychoanalysts supervise men and women in their conjugal relations. .. Ministers have rationalized religion. They have destroyed their mystical basis. But they do not succeed in attracting modern man. In their half-empty churches, they vainly preach a weak morality.. or like politicians, they flatter the appetites of the crowd.”*.. . Modern man has rejected all discipline of his appetites. However, biological and industrial morals have no practical value, because they are artificial, and take into consideration only one aspect of the human being15... Intel ligence, will power, and morality are very closely related. But moral sense is more important than intelligence. When it disappears from a nation, the whole social structure slowly commences to crumble away.” In the words of Paul VI — “Everything in the modem media of social communications which leads to sex excitation and unbridled cusGERMAN DOCTORS’ MEMORANDUM 1965 toms, as well as every form of pornography and licentious performances, must arouse the frank and unanimous reaction of those who are solici tous for the progress of civilization and the defence of the supreme good of the human spirit. Vainly would one seek to justify such depravation with the pretext of artistic or scientific exigencies, or to deduce an ar gument from the freedom allowed in this sector by the public author ities.”7 The Sovereign Pontiff “draws the attention of educators, and of all who perform duties of responsibility in regard to the common good of human society to the need of creating an atmosphere favour able to education in chastity, that is, to the triumph of healthy liberty over license, by means of respect for the moral order.” It is true that efforts are being made to bring the knowledge of the divine moral law, on the licit means of “family planning’ and the “regulation of births” to Catholics in all walks of life, in particular to educators and medical men; these efforts are certainly praiseworthy. This knowledge can serve to refresh the minds of many of the sanctity of marriage, and to stimulate them to conform their lives to the exigencies of the moral order established by the Creator, for the well-being of the human race and of man — as a person. But that’s not enough. One needs be as objective and as realistic as possible. One thing is to know the moral law, and quite another to submit generouslv “o its rea sonable demands. Against the present day ever more morailv polluted environment, the words of St. Paul come to our mind with compelling strength: “It is not the good my will prefers, but the evil my will dis approves, that I find myself doing” (Rom. 7:14, 19), and in rhe words of Vatican II: “as a weak and sinful being, he often does what he would not, and fails to do what he would do. Hence he suffers from internal divisions, and from this flow so many and such grear discords in society”. Moral sanitation of the various milieus, environments, i.e. the aggregate of social and cultural conditions which influence at all levels the life of the individual, is desperately needed. It is impera tive that greater concerted effort and action be exerted by all, each one, according to his own ability and resources, with the ultimate objective to achieve better structures and above all HEALTHIER ENVIRON' Humanae Vitae, No. 22. N “Humanae Vitae”, n. 22. ” The Church Today, n. 10. 400 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS MENTAL CONDITIONS — social and moral — in order to help weak-willed persons to stand up to the difficulties they encounter in the fulfillment of the divine moral law. Indeed we must do far more than heretofore, in the home, in the schools and in the churches, to restore the normal moral health of the young and the old generation. The home should stop turning over to the school, its educational mission which is the very reason accounting for its existence; the schools ought to be more than cheap information centers, confusing or substituting etiquette for moral-religious education ; the churches must show wisdom and sanity. The theology of “love and do as you like” propounded to young and old today could hardly have said anything more dangerous. Too many crimes are being committed daily in the name of “love”. What is love, after all? The churches in the name of the “six blessed monosyllables” and some other adoles cent slogans have become “incredibly premissive” in our down to earth daily existence, references aplenty to the Word of God notwithstanding. “The man who loves me is the man who keeps the commandments he has from me” (John 14:21). Over-simplified Christianity is no Chris tianity at all. The German doctors’ Memorandum states and rightly so that “the systematic destruction of our moral and spiritual substance must be countered by controlling and fighting the very sources of infection". Most textbooks of psychology state that our personality, our be haviour is determined by two factors, viz.: heredity and environment, — what we receive at birth and what education and other social influences do to us. This statement is incomplete; nevertheless, we readily accept the fact and truth that “heredity and environment have a great share in moulding personality.”'0. * La crisi della scuola nel mondo. — F. Trossarelli S.J. La civilta cattolica, 2 Nov., 1968. p. 262 ff. 10 “There are two more factors, which are equally, if not more important: the will and God’s grace. The way a person adapts himself to his environment depends to a great extent, on his own free volition. Thus, he may consciously and voluntarily inhibit certain drives; he may, to a certain extent, hold in check his emotions, or at least their expression; he may even within narrow limits, act upon his physique, for instance, by dieting. Finally, he is capable GERMAN DOCTORS’ MEMORANDUM 1965 401 Once more may I quote A. Carell: “The formation of the moral esthetic and religious personality is very difficult. The influence of en vironment on these aspects of consciousness is much more subtle. No one can team to distinguish right from wrong and beauty from vulgarity by taking a course of lectures. Morality, art and religion are not taught like grammar, mathematics and history. To feel and to know are two profoundly different mental states. Formal teaching reaches intelligence alone. Moral sense, beauty, and mysticity are learned only when pre sent in our surroundings, and part of our daily life.”11 Moral educa tion is “atmospheric”; it depends less in ready-made formulae than on the intense radiation of vital moral values. In our view the time has irrevocably come when this environmental situation can no longer be passively put up; we must act, and clear measures are needed, and all decent men ought to cooperate. In the decree on the “Apostolate of the Laity” of Vatican Coun cil II, we read: “Our times require of the laity much more zeal than in the past. Modern conditions demand that their apostolate be thoroughly broadened and intensified. The constant expansion of popu lation, scientific and technical progress, and the tightening of bonds be tween men, have not only immensely widened the field of the lay apos tolate, a field which is for the most part accessible only to them. . . This apostolate becomes more imperative in view of the fact that many areas of human life have become autonomus. This is as it should be, but it sometimes involves a withdrawal from ethical and religious influences and a serious danger to Christian life.” It is obvious that in the context of human conditions — mainly so cial, cultural and moral as we experience their influence upon men toof influencing his environment, either by modifying it, or at least by moving out of it. ‘Divine grace’ also has a great influence upon man’s life. That influence primarily affects his spiritual faculties, in the form of light for his intellect and strength for his will. But it extends also to his actions and attitudes, his emotions and drives, even to die unconscious strivings of his mind.” Philosophical Psychology by J. F. Donceel, s.j. Sheed and Ward, N.Y. 1955, p. 279. 11 Op. cit., p. 151. 402 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS day, the quoted injunction of Vatican Council II takes on the nature oj an urgently binding imperative for all good, honest men. About four years ago, almost three years ahead of the “Humanae Vitae” encyclical of Paul VI, of July 25, 1968P2 400 German doctors issued a Memorandum against contraception and abortion. It was reprinted in full in the “Medical Forum”* 13 and “Sto. Tomas Nursing Journal”.14 15 I do believe it is extremely relevant to bring to the know ledge of the readers of “Boletin Eclesiastico” this document which re veals the truly scientific, ethically sound, socially conscious of its signa tories. Our readers will find it, to say the least, enlightening and sti mulating. It is in this spirit we offer it here to our readers. Space limi tations allow no lengthy comments, if any, except in brief footnotes. ‘-’“Herder Correspondence” (English ed.), April, 1965, pp. 110-112. 13 Catholic Physicians Guild of the Philippines, April-June, 1965, pp. 107-111: H. Auerhofer, M.D. 14 September, 1965, pp. 147-150. 15 Following on an initiative taken by two doctors ii ULM, 400 German Phyisicians signed a memorandum to the Federal Ministry of Health dealing with the sexualisation of public life, propaganda for contraception, and over population in many countries. Among the signatories were nearly a hunderd gynaecologists practicing in the Federal State of Baden-Wurttemberg (all those in the State but for three) and 45 professors, including 25 professors of gy naecology among them the heads of the university gynaecological clinics of Tubingen, Freiburg (Breisgau), Heidelberg, Kiel. Apart from the gynaecologists> the best-known signatories are the internal specialists Professors Ludwig Heilmeyer of Freiburg, who treated Cardinal Stepinac, and Arthur Jores of Ham burg. Professor Hermann Knauss of Vienna, co-discoverer with the Japanese Professor Ogino of the method of birth regulation known by their names. The signatories begin by expressing their concern over the growing wave of public propaganda for contraception and abortion. ’ Protesting against dealing with so complex a problem in such a fashion — which runs counter to the medical and ethical norms of the medical profes sion, the motion addressed * to the Federal Ministry of Health, requests that all the many aspects of the problem be examined, with the aid of responsible experts, in order to arrive at common views and policies. The demands of the signatories may be summed up thus: (i) The Federal Ministry of Health should investigate suitable means of combating the real sources of the abortion GERMAN DOCTORS’ MEMORANDUM 1965 403 plague, which are to be found in an unbridled public and pri vate sexualization and the disintegration of the moral substance of the people. (ii) The prohibition of public advertising of contracep tives should be continued. (iii) Care should especially be taken to ensure that the indirect manner in which mass publications openly violate this ban, be stopped. (iv) The strict requirement that contraceptive pills be sold only on prescription, must be upheld, in order to prevent their misuse. (v) The Federal Ministry of Health should energetically do everything it can to ensure that ‘operative’ sterilization with out compelling medical reasons, remains forbidden. What is very significant and relevant is the way in which these demands are factually and uncompromisingly substantiated in this docu ment, viz.: (a) The strongest powers and greatest possibilities for the creation, development, and preservation of the personality and the culture lie in the creative forces and energies of man. The rise and fall of every culture has depended upon the “disciplined” and “undiscipline” appli cation of these forces. b) While we increasingly ignore these fundamental laws of life and allow our Christian Western inheritance to be destroyed, their im portance determining factors of history is more and more recognized in the Soviet Union and Red China, and they are being deliberately in corporated into the ideological and political planning of world revolu tion. c) The view that the meaning of human life is to be found in “prosperity and pleasure-seeking” has become the guiding idea for the majority of the people. This attitude ignores the fact that our debt to our own parents and to the community means first and foremost the inescapable obligation to assume responsibility for the life of coming generations. 4) The essence of human sexuality is the total union of two human beings in a physical, spiritual and intellectual life-partnership, whose visi 404 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS ble expression is the child. Its meaning therefore lies in the preserva tion of the human race and the formation of the community. One sided and selfish misuse degrades and destroys the human personality and the community. e) Most of the forms of “modern sexuality” are diseased artifi cial products of civilization. The now common degradation of the crea tive forces of man in the pursuit of private pleasure and for the phy sical exploitation of one’s fellow-man is thus by no means anything that is “conditioned by nature.” f) A decisive role in this is played by the sexualization of public life which is so common today.™ This includes in particular: 1. The unrestrained propagandistic exploitation of the female body and of sexual allurements for advertising purposes and for all kinds of unscrupulous profit-making in business, the theatre, films, television, illus trated magazines, books, etc. 2. The open propaganda for nudism and the systematic destruc tion of the natural sense of modesty at the beaches, beauty contests, etc.10 11 * * * * * 17 3. The kind of “scientific”, “morally neutral” sex education pre vailing today, which deals only with superficial processes in the genera tion of human life, as if there could be no mysteries here.18 This type 10 This positive, objective, clear presentation and evaluation of human sexuality in paragraphs a) b) c) d) e) is in striking contrast with the negative, or at best vaque, ill-defined, subjective picture propounded by some of the so-called “dissenting” theologians. It may well happen, in the near future, that married couples will have to see “doctors” rather than Theologians, for enlightenment on the specific problems of their state of life!. . . cfr. “Modern man in search of a soul” by C.G. Jung, pp. 221-244. 17 A recent visitor of Manila remarked that whereas some of the streets of Manila are dirty, and that seems to point to a lack of civic spirit, the mo desty in dress of our young women was almost a vision! May your feminine youth value herself, as it does, he added. 18 It is very often stated that the only difference between the Catholic attitude and present scientific position concerning population control, through “contraceptives”, is just a matter of means to a common good. I doubt if th: average well informed Catholic is ready to accept this view. In GERMAN DOCTORS MEMORANDUM 1965 405 of sex education leads to irreverence and cynicism and destroys the last remaining inhibitions and barriers in this sphere. 4. The public propaganda for contraceptives which is now spreading is part of this “neutral” kind of sex education. 5. Statements by doctors, politicians, and even clergymen who declare “pathological” sexual behaviour of the individual and in society “to be permissible” only because the behaviour of so many people has become pathological. 6. Destruction of the family by an erroneous policy on taxes x x x 7. Public ridicule of chastity in most of the so-called cultural pro ducts of the theatre, press, and television. Making light of pre-marital and extra-marital sexual intercourse. 8. All of these phenomena contribute to perverting normal sen sibilities and behaviour, frequently cause women to fear having children, and lead to the loss of mutual respect between married couples. 9. A further consequence is the loss of respect for the nascent life. Herein lies the real reason for the epidemic of abortions — this conthe words of E. F. Diamond, H. D., we are separated from the modernist mentality by many meaningful attitudes. “First of all, we arc separated by a reverence for life which prevents us from accepting their views on abortion, therapeutic or otherwise. Secondly w« are separated by reverence for the human body, which prevents our accepting their views on sterilization, voluntary or otherwise. Thirdly, we are separated by a rcs'crcnce for sex, which makes their tasteless mechanistic method of sex education unacceptable and repugnant. “Finally, we are separated by a reverence for God, which makes us entirely unable to accept their “new morality”, woven out of the fabric of the old immorality and made relevant in what they call the post-Christian era. “We have seen a breakdown in value systems. We have seen a deva luation of the child and an over-valuation of education, humanistic, scienti fic and technological, but without ethical orientation and religious inspiration. We have lost the sense of the ch'dd, as a reward for sex. in favour of the child as a penalty for sex. “We are anxious about the population explosion, but unconcerned about copulation explosion at all levels of immaturity.” Cfr. “Oral progestines and the Catholic Physician” in “Linacre Quarterly”, Mav. 1966, pp. 195-196. 406 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS tinuous mass murder of human life, for which, in most cases, in view of the present prosperity, social, financial, or ethical reasons can no longer be held responsible. 10. The idea of fighting the abortions plague through public pro paganda for “anti-baby pills", or even through sex education on televi sion or in the schools confuses cause and effect. For as already indi cated, this propaganda is itself a part of the public sexualization.'0 11. The indiscriminate distribution of pills would, moreover, in the case of many more women and girls, remove the last brakes on the modem trend towards sexualization. CONCLUSIONS: The problem of “public sexualization" and the “contagion of abor tions represents a matter of life or death for our nation as well as for the whole world. We must do far more than heretofore — in the home, in the schools, and in the churches — to restore the moral health of the young and the old generation. The systematic destruction of our moral and spiritual substance must be countered by controlling and fighting the sources of infection. In the field of medicine and biology, the State is, througn its board of health, responsible for the disinfection, immunization, and strict qua19 A popular reason for the propagation of contraceptives is that con traceptives serve to avoid abortion, and it is a Lesser evil, for prevention is bet ter than abortion. However, detailed research has incontrovertibly established that the spread of artificial birth control by means of the methods known to man down to a few years ago, has as a matter of facts and statistics led tc an enormous increase in abortions! What is likely to happen now that birth control methods 100% effective are known to us, remains to be seen in the near future. In all likelihood, and we do not mean to prophecy, “sexual pro miscuity” and venereal diseases are going to increase alarmingly! Cfr. Saint-Luc Medical, 1961, No. 4, pp. 319-339 “Les techniques con traceptives son-elles prophylactiques de 1’avortement?” pas Le R. P. S. de Lestapis, s. i.; Marriage in the Modern World by Bernard Haring, c.ss.r., The Mercier Press, 1964, pp. 325-332. On “Oral Contraceptives”, see Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 11, n. 3.—“Oral Contraception” edited by C.-R. Garcia, M.D., September, 1968. GERMAN DOCTORS’ MEMORANDUM 1965 407 rantine and radical isolation of the infected person. But wh^re is a com parable responsibility on the part of the State for the spiritual and moral health of our own people or of those nations which are not yet fully developed? Are our “cultural” exports to these non-immunized peoples not just as dangerous as shipments of typhus bacilli would be? Would it not be necessary to apply the same moral criteria to our film exports countries that we do to publications and films which are harmful to youth? In our view, the time has irrevocably come where this development can no longer be passively put up with; clear measures are needed. THE PROBLEM OF OVER-POPULATION The current attempt to solve this problem by public propagation of contraceptive pills, sterilization, or even abortion could have an even more catastrophic spiritual, biological, and moral impact in those coun tries than in the West. An aid programme which leads to hygienicmedical and material progress, and not to the development of persons who act responsibly, will of necessity create more problems than it solves and will turn into a boomerang. 2. It is therefore not our task to impose upon the non-white peoples, for purely superficial and technical consideration, solutions which nin counter to their best traditions and models. It is the responsibility of their elites to develop themselves the right way of mastering this pro blem. In this connection, it is interesting to note that Ghandi called for pre-marital abstinence, late marriages, and occasional abstinence on the part of married couples, as the best way of practising birth control in India. Though such demands may sound utopian to European ears, there have been numerous individual cases in Asia and Europe which prove that such demands can indeed be realized.20 The ability to subli 20 Cfr Population: explosion or control? by A. Nevett, s. j., Geoffrey Chapman. London 1964, ch. VI: “The Indian Woman and Marriage", pp. 109 ff. Ghandi’s view of marriage. Whilst going through the series of hrs writings, one is struck with the Mahatma’s insistence on spiritual values, spiri tual outlook and spiritual energy. Most particularly, he is unique among national leaders in his advocacy of personal continence, as a spring of force, and a source of national strength. On occasion he even appears somewhat 408 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS mate sexual forces for the sake of a higher goal represents a basic possi bility in the nature of man and an essential attribute distinguishing him from the animal.21 22 puritanical in his views and never feels shy of calling his people to heroic standards. With him there was no defeatism or pessimism, but alwavs an appeal to ideals and an optimism which aroused his people to unsuspected heroism and which was the secret of his success. “If a reference to my Own married life is not considered irrelevant, 1 may say that my wife and I tasted the real bliss of marriage when we renounced sexual contract and that in the helday of youth. It was then that our companionship blossomed and both of us were enabled to render real serv ice to India and humanity in general. I have written about this in my Ex periments with Truth. Indeed, this self-denial was bom out of our great desire for service.” (Harijan, 7-7-1946) Cfr. Saint-Luc Medical, 1935, No 5, p. 475-476; The Medical Mis sionary, April 1935, n. 2., p. 61. 21 In most cases the avoidance of contraception is a matter not of heroism, but of a great deal of annoying inconvenience and painful struggles for self control. Embarrassina as it is to admit that self-control is what we need to solve our problems—because this is an admission of the weakness of which we arc ashamed—this remains the truth for most of us. For others, those whose situations are difficult, something more than an ordinary effort is needed. Cfr "Contraception and the Natural Law” by Germain G. Grisez, Ph.D., 1964. p. 198 ff.: 209-214; “Nature and Grace” by K. Rahner, s.j. Sheed and Ward, London, pp 102-4. 22 Vatican Council II: The Church Today, n. 15 says: “Our era needs such wisdom more than bygone ages if the discoveries made by man are to be further humanized. For the future of the world stands in peril unless wiser men are forthcoming. It should also be pointed out many nations, poor in economic goods, are quite rich in wisdom and can offer worthv advantages to others.” 3. Mankind is developing technically but man must also develop morally, if he is to escape self-destruction. This would demand a cor responding cultural policy on the part of the "developed” peoples to wards the "underdeveloped” nations, a policy closely tied to the best tra ditions of these nations and helps them along. In reality, however, we are pursuing — with our films, our books, our “scientific” rex educa tion, our magazines, and the example we set at our universities and schools where the coloured intelligentsia are being trained a cultural po licy which is just the reverse. GERMAN DOCTORS’ MEMORANDUM 1965 409 “Steeped in wisdom, says Vatican Council II,23 man passes thru visible realities, to those which are unseen. Our era needs such wisdom more than begone ages, i£ the discoveries made by man are further to be humanized. For the future of the world stands in peril unless wiser men are forthcoming.” In our case I am grateful indeed to these gen tlemen of the medical profession, for their truly scientific attitude, and superior wisdom in analyzing a problem so complex and so vital to the physical, mental and moral well-being and health of mankind. Priests should greet with thanksgiving these honorable members of the medical profession, Their attitude is truly strengthening, stimulating, inspiring. We can no longer remain passive; we must act. Clear, definite measures are needed. All decent, honest men ought to cooperate. - ' The Church To-day. a. 14.
pages: 397-409