January 10, 2009 8:32 AM
Pill inventor: change of heart and understanding
Pill inventor slams. . . .pill
January 8, 2009
Eighty-five-year-old Carl Djerassi, the Austrian chemist who helped invent the contraceptive pill, now says that his co-creation has led to a "demographic catastrophe."In an article published by the Vatican this week, the head of the world's Catholic doctors broadened the attack on the pill, claiming it had also brought "devastating ecological effects" by releasing into the environment "tonnes of hormones" that had impaired male fertility, The Taiwan Times says.
The assault began with a personal commentary in the Austrian newspaper Der Standard by Carl Djerassi. The Austrian chemist was one of three whose formulation of the synthetic progestogen Norethisterone marked a key step toward the earliest oral contraceptive pill.
Djerassi outlined the "horror scenario" that occurred because of the population imbalance, for which his invention was partly to blame. He said that in most of Europe there was now "no connection at all between sexuality and reproduction." He said: "This divide in Catholic Austria, a country which has on average 1.4 children per family, is now complete."
He described families who had decided against reproduction as "wanting to enjoy their schnitzels while leaving the rest of the world to get on with it."
The fall in the birth rate, he said, was an "epidemic" far worse, but given less attention, than obesity. Young Austrians, he said, were committing national suicide if they failed to procreate. And if it were not possible to reverse the population decline they would have to understand the necessity of an "intelligent immigration policy."
Read entire article here.
God is so gracious with us. No matter the magnitude of the mistakes we make - and , unfortunately, how many we led astray - some of us are given the time to find the truth and proclaim it. We need to pray for this man, who is undoubtedly feeling the weight of his sin.
And pray that his words will be heard.
Posted in Pro-Life Issues | Permalink
Comments
Great Article. Seriously!
I was very intrigued by this statement:
"One of the causes of masculine infertility in the West is the environmental contamination caused by the products of the 'pill'."
I would love to find out more information on this phenomenon!
Aisha
Posted by: Aisha Hoffman | January 10, 2009 10:48 PM
What a powerful article. It has always been curious to me that women who are so environmentally responsible, eat organic foods, reject cleaning chemicals etc, as destructive have no problem popping a pill everyday that shuts down the natural function of their reproduction system.
Not mentioned in the article(and I don't have the source right on hand, but will look for it if someone would like it) is the negative and perhaps permanent effect the pill has on a woman's libido.
I sent this to my priest and would encourage anyone else to do so. I know parishioners rarely hear the topic of contraceptives preached upon, perhaps this might give the impetus to do so.
Posted by: Jane | January 11, 2009 5:55 AM
