Humanae Vitae ("Of Human Life")

A revised and improved translation of Pope Paul VI's encyclical letter, Humanae vitae: On the Regulation of Births.

Humanae Vitae ("Of Human Life") is a 1968 encyclical by Pope Paul VI that affirms the Catholic teachings on the sanctity of life, the nature of married love, and the moral regulation of births. It condemns the use of artificial birth control and sterilization, upholding natural family planning as a moral alternative. The encyclical teaches that conjugal acts must be both unitive (expressing love) and procreative (open to new life), and warns that artificial contraception leads to negative consequences like decreased moral standards and increased promiscuity.