From biopolitics to eugenics: the encyclical Casti connubii

Starting from the second half of the Nineteenth century, the Catholic doctrine was confronted with the practices of birth control and biopolitical intervention on the reproduction. In this perspective, the Congregation of the Holy Office – the guardian of the orthodoxy of the Catholic discourse – discussed questions such as therapeutic abortion, obstetrical practices, contraception, and artificial insemination. The inquisitors acquired knowledge on the practices of controlling human reproduction, and defined norms had power of law for Catholic discourse. In 1930, Pius XI issued the encyclical Casti connubii, dedicated to the discipline of marriage that, among others prohibitions, also established the condemnation of eugenics. This document proved to be decisive for the development of the Catholic doctrine concerning marriage, birth control, and sexuality, both in individual practices and institutional actions. The encyclical condemned any medical, social and eugenical indication for abortion, sterilization, and birth control practices. In the same year, the Congregation of the Holy Office issued a decree of condemnation of eugenics. Based on the sources of the Archive of the Congregation of the Holy Office, this article will analyze the background and features of this document and its impact in the the building of the biopolitical discourse of the Catholic Church.