Marriage and bebes.

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"Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare." (8)" This excerpt from the 9th paragraph of Humanae is arguing that marriage is not just the love between two people, it is for the creation of new life. It says that children are supposed to come out of a marriage, and are a happy occasion that will only add to a married parent's life. Not only with marriage are we expected to produce children, we also have to educate them ("educate" in this context probably taking on a different meaning that what we now think; the Pope seems to be referencing education of God's will in this part).

Earlier in this paragraph, the Pope describes married love in a rather beautiful way, expressing what I have always thought about love and marriage in a very ideal way. It kind of served to lull me into a sense of romanticism then he hit me with this point, one that I don't really agree with that may have some negative implications. I do not disagree that children are a great gift and that they could contribute to a couple's welfare, but in many cases children are not the answer. I was with him up until this point of the paragraph as I fully empathize with his views of love and marriage. Love and marriage are things that are only between two people (although unlike the Pope I would not use the term 'husband and wife' or 'man and woman', as these are antiquated and conservative), and should consume their entire lives, include the bad and the good parts of life. But I just do not believe that producing offspring is the best thing for every marriage.

His views are beautiful, and I think they could work for many couples, but in this day and age it is irresponsible to put that kind of pressure on a marriage. In some cases, the couple may be busy with careers and each other, or not able to provide for a child, or have some other circumstances that are simply unacceptable to raise a child in. If this statement were taken to heart by every married couple the result would probably be many unhappy childhoods and individuals. Although love is a resource which should be abundant in marriage, sometimes other resources necessary to life are not abundant enough to share with another life; the welfare of the child should be considered above all else, including the fact that their presence may "contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare".

In the beginning of Humanae Vitae they discuss overpopulation and its increasing prevalence in our lives, and this paragraph seems to completely ignore the intention of the work. The consequences of this statement are exactly that which they are trying to avoid with this document. The way that this document works on an individual is tinged with shame and a sense of obligation, something not entirely desirable or romantic, and not expected of a document discussing marriage.