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The Roman Catholic Church and Contraception

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The Roman Catholic Church and Contraception THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH AND CONTRACEPTION Exploring married African Catholic women’s engagement with Humanae Vitae by Martha Mapasure 214580169 Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF THEOLOGY (GENDER AND RELIGION), In the School of Religion, Philosophy and Classics College of Humanities At the University of KwaZulu-Natal March 2016 Supervisor: Prof. Susan Rakoczy 1 Declaration I, Martha Mapasure, declare that: 1. The research reported in The Roman Catholic Church and Contraception: Exploring married African Catholic women’s engagement with Humanae Vitae, except where otherwise indicated, is my original research. 2. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. 3. This thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graphs or other information, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other persons. 4. This thesis does not contain other persons' writing, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other researchers. Where other written sources have been quoted, then: a. Their words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced b. Where their exact words have been used, then their writing has been placed in italics and inside quotation marks, and referenced. 5. This thesis does not contain text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the Internet, unless specifically acknowledged, and the source being detailed in the thesis and in the References sections. ___________________________________________________________________________ Student Supervisor Martha Mapasure Prof. Susan Rakoczy Signature _________________ 10 March 2016________________ Date Date i Acknowledgements My sincere gratitude goes to the following people: My supervisor Professor Susan Rakoczy, who guided me through this research. Professor Philip Denis for assisting me with ethical issues on how to conduct an empirical study which helped me to pass my research proposal and for always being available to help when I was writing my chapters. Professor Sarojin Nadar for thesis title suggestion. Dr Fatima Seedat and Reddiar for all the assistance during our cohort seminars and for always being available for consultation. The Gender, Religion and Health and Church of Sweden for funding my studies. Father Mark James, Chaplain Priest for UKZN and for ACTS, for permitting me to conduct this research with students who belong to ACTS. My best friend Nyamadzawo Sibanda who encouraged me to keep pushing and always remain ‘focused’ and was always available whenever I needed assistance. My family for believing in me, my mother especially for the support to embark on this journey of research and for encouraging me to take this course from the beginning of the year. My classmates, the GRH Group 2015 for all the support and encouragements during cohorts and on our WhatsApp group, I would not have done it without you guys. My friends, Clementine Nishimwe, Delipher Manda and Mutale Kaunda; who made my year in Pietermaritzburg possible. And to God the Almighty, for the wisdom and strength as I perused though the incomplete chapters each day. ii Dedication I dedicate this work to my family and friends who have sailed with me throughout my academic journey; I appreciate all the guidance and support. Above all I dedicate this work to God who gives me strength, wisdom and courage to rise high in academia. iii Abstract and Key Terms While Western women theologians and feminists have commented and written extensively about Humanae Vitae and its impact and effects on women, African women theologians and ordinary women have not sufficiently engaged with contraception and its impact on women. This study focuses on married African Catholic women’s engagement with the Catholic teaching on contraception presented in Humanae Vitae, one of the Church’s encyclicals. The study has three aims: firstly to learn the women’s understanding of Catholic teaching on contraception; secondly to find out from the women’s understanding whether the Catholic teaching on contraception addresses women’s sexual and reproductive health rights, and thirdly to understand married African Catholic women’s perceptions of gender orientation in the Catholic Church and how that affects women’s health. To explore this, the study made use of qualitative methods using two primary methods: guided reflection questions and face- to -face interviews. The participants of the study were seven married African Catholic women from seven different African nations who reside in the city of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa. The study was guided by two sexual ethics theories: African sexual ethics and Christian sexual ethics. The results of the study show that the married African Catholic women draw their understandings of the teaching largely from African sexual ethics, which has not been given adequate consideration in the encyclical Humanae Vitae. The study has also found from the married African Catholic women’s perspective, that the Catholic teaching on contraception in Humanae Vitae does not sufficiently address women’s sexual and reproductive health rights. Moreover, that Catholic women still have a long way to go to be given full recognition to participate in the Church’s decision making which make decisions on teachings such as Humanae Vitae that affect women’s health. Key Terms: Humanae Vitae, Contraception, Roman Catholic Church, African Women, South Africa, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights. iv Table of Contents Declaration................................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................. ii Dedication ............................................................................................................................... iii Abstract and Key Terms ........................................................................................................ iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................... 8 1.1Background and context of the study ................................................................................ 8 1.2 Research problem and objectives ................................................................................... 10 1.3 Significance of the study ................................................................................................ 11 1.4 Structure of the research ................................................................................................. 11 1.5 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 12 CHAPTER 2: HUMANAE VITAE: THE CATHOLIC TEACHING ON CONTRACEPTION .......................................................................................................... 13 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 13 2.2 Philosophical foundations of Catholic ethics ................................................................. 13 2.2.1. The Natural Law......................................................................................................... 13 2.3 Evolution of the Catholic teaching on contraception ..................................................... 15 2.4 Background to Humanae Vitae ...................................................................................... 17 2.5 Catholic teaching on contraception ................................................................................ 18 2.5.1 Aims and objectives of Humanae Vitae ............................................................................... 19 2.5.2 Major themes used in the study ............................................................................................ 20 2.6 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 3: GLOBAL REACTION TO HUMANAE VITAE – REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................................................................................... 22 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 22 3.2 Gender, contraception and reproductive health rights ................................................... 22 3.3 Women and Humanae Vitae: Responses and Reactions ................................................ 23 3.3.1 North America and Humanae Vitae ..................................................................................... 24 3.3.2 Western feminist theologians ............................................................................................... 25 3.3.3 Views and studies from Africa ............................................................................................. 30 3.5. Humanae Vitae and HIV and AIDS .............................................................................. 33 v 3.6. Humanae Vitae and Birth Control ................................................................................. 34 3.7 Catholic Women and the Church’s Decision Making Structures .................................. 36 3.8 Gaps and Limitations of the Study ................................................................................
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