Motherhood is something deeply poetic and of great beauty. It is a magnificent collaboration with the Creator. The Catholic Church, the bearer of a great theocentric humanism, tells us that, in the exalted Mother of God, motherhood cannot simply be described as “beautiful” or “very beautiful,” but as something far superior; it is a “sublime” and “ineffable” reality. We can never say enough about it; we will always fall short. Humanity needs to turn its eyes toward her and follow in the footsteps of her blessed feet.

Unfortunately, in the present time, the radiant and beautiful light of motherhood is greatly undervalued, as the horizon is darkened by dark clouds, among which are, especially, abortion and contraceptive pills.

One of the most shameful things that can happen in this world is wanting to introduce abortion as a right in a nation’s Constitution, as is being attempted now in Spain, because it means incorporating, in what many assume to be the ceiling of legislation, the right to murder innocent human beings.

At the same time, it’s appalling that high-ranking international organizations, while lining their pockets with the money they’ve received to do good for society, spend their time promoting abortion as if it were a good thing. And this, even though many of the people they represent are against abortion. Furthermore, this isn’t an isolated incident, but something that’s becoming increasingly common lately. For example, it’s happening at the UN.

With the process of de-Christianization in Europe, we have reached an extreme inhumanity and a truly prehistoric blindness!

In a proper marital union, what matters are the human persons, recognized as such, and their good. The self-giving between married people must be total, without deception.

Catholic doctrine, like human reason, affirms that the sexual union between a man and a woman must be open to life. This is the moral and ethical criterion, and therefore the norm that must prevail over any other criterion. Consequently, the use of contraceptive pills that separate pleasurable union from being open to life is not permissible.

I have just read a very interesting article by José María Simón Castellví, President Emeritus of the International Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) and member of the Royal European Academies of Doctors and the Royal Catalan Academy of Medicine, entitled “Hormonal Contraception from a Human Rights Perspective,” which has just been published in the journal “Ave María.” I am sharing some ideas from this article, confident that they will be of interest to the reader.

First point about birth control pills: “Although the pill’s primary mechanism is supposedly the inhibition of ovulation, the package inserts acknowledge secondary mechanisms that act on the endometrium. By altering the implantation window, the drug can prevent the already conceived zygote from attaching to the uterine wall. The most modern pills are actually anti-implantation. This anti-implantation effect would constitute a violation of the  unborn child ’s right to life , transforming a preventative method into one of very early abortion.” Put more simply, if there is a fertilized egg, the pill can prevent it from attaching to the uterine wall, thus causing the death of the conceived child.

Second point: the contraceptive pill can cause serious side effects. Among them, “an increased risk of certain cancers.”

Third point: the contraceptive pill is often offered without informing people about its dangers or about natural alternatives. This violates a person’s right to be informed.

Fourth point: In the use of birth control pills, only women are at risk of harming their health. This establishes an inequality between men and women, since the only person with a possibility of health problems is the woman.

Ultimately, we must return to true human rights, which are recognized as such by Christianity and by true human reason.