Question on Catechism

[oflodnap]

There is a section the Catechism, I’m having trouble understanding:

#2372
The state has a responsibility for its citizens’ well-being. In this capacity it is legitimate for it to intervene to orient the demography of the population. This can be done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not by authoritarian, coercive measures. The state may not legitimately usurp the initiative of spouses, who have the primary responsibility for the procreation and education of their children. In this area, it is not authorized to employ means contrary to the moral law.

• Specifically, what does this part mean: "In this capacity it is legitimate for it to intervene to orient the demography of the population. This can be done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not by authoritarian, coercive measures. "

Thanks.

 

[Della]

There is a section the Catechism, I’m having trouble understanding:

#2372
The state has a responsibility for its citizens’ well-being. In this capacity it is legitimate for it to intervene to orient the demography of the population. This can be done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not by authoritarian, coercive measures. The state may not legitimately usurp the initiative of spouses, who have the primary responsibility for the procreation and education of their children. In this area, it is not authorized to employ means contrary to the moral law.

• Specifically, what does this part mean: "In this capacity it is legitimate for it to intervene to orient the demography of the population. This can be done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not by authoritarian, coercive measures. "

Thanks.

If by “orient” they mean survey, then it means the state has the right to do census surveys for the good of its citizens.

 

[1ke]

There is a section the Catechism, I’m having trouble understanding:

#2372
The state has a responsibility for its citizens’ well-being. In this capacity it is legitimate for it to intervene to orient the demography of the population. This can be done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not by authoritarian, coercive measures. The state may not legitimately usurp the initiative of spouses, who have the primary responsibility for the procreation and education of their children. In this area, it is not authorized to employ means contrary to the moral law.

• Specifically, what does this part mean: "In this capacity it is legitimate for it to intervene to orient the demography of the population. This can be done by means of objective and respectful information, but certainly not by authoritarian, coercive measures. "

Thanks.

That paragraph references Humanae Vitae paragraph 23 and Populorum Progressio paragraph 37.

It means that a government may set policy regarding population but may not contravene the moral law or human dignity to do so.

A country could provide education to people regarding its *desire *to reduce or expand the population and also educate regarding current resources contraints-- for example, famine, drought, economic conditions, etc-- that may lead people to make short or long term decisions regarding their family size (as well as their choices regarding emmigrating elsewhere!).

Remember, this goes both ways… China may want to reduce population growth but Russia desperately wants to increase it right now.

A government may not do anything that would *coerce *or *transgress *the moral law-- that’s the point being made in these papal writings and reiterated in the Catechism.

These two papal writings address the politcal landscape taking shape in the 1960s-- the coercive population control and pro-contraception/sterilization mandates/programs being generated by individual governments and the UN during that time. We see the fall out of these coercive measures in our own time, one generation later.

It was a warning to governments that these things transgressed human freedom and dignity and should not be undertaken.

 

[oflodnap]

Thanks. That’s very helpful.