Quote by H. L. Mencken
It is now quite lawful for a Catholic woman to avoid pregnancy by a resort to mathematics, though she is still forbidden to resort to physics and chemistry.
Summary
This quote, attributed to Henry Mencken, satirically highlights the inconsistency of Catholic teachings regarding contraception. Mencken points out that while Catholic women are prohibited from using methods like birth control pills (which involve physics and chemistry) to avoid pregnancy, they are allowed to use natural family planning methods (referred to here as "mathematics"). By sarcastically highlighting this contradiction, Mencken criticizes the Church's position on contraception and suggests that it is based on arbitrary distinctions rather than a coherent rationale.