R: The Roman Catholic Church is Justified in Forbidding the Use of Contraception

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rosenfeld Hall Common Room

Peter Paul Rubens, The Apostle Saint Peter, ca. 1610-12, oil on panel, 107 x 82 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid.

Is American society looking at contraception all wrong? From Sandra Fluke to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the President of the United States, few have failed to comment on an issue that - somewhat surprisingly - became a center of attention in U.S. politics over the past year after Obamacare mandated employer contraception coverage. But what are the bases upon which the cases for and against contraception use are being made? Sure, publicity stunts and slogans are one thing - but perhaps it's time to dissect the presuppositions behind Griswold v. Connecticut and the new wave of public thinking it has ushered in. Do our bodies really belong to us? Is it reasonable or healthy for a church to explicitly oppose its use? If we accept contraception use and agree to sever the link between procreation and sex, what necessary logical conclusions does that invite when it comes to the purpose of human function? And finally, IS THERE A MEANING TO LIFE? (This is very well where the topic might go...)

Furthermore, we'll analyze the Roman Catholic Church's contraception policy in light of the AIDS crisis and the abortion crisis - challenging members to address how the Church can maintain its contraception policy in a world that is seemingly headed in a very different direction. An explosive, far-reaching debate awaits