'It is extreme, ... it is inadequate, and ... it will create more problems than it solves'. This was the verdict, in 1968, of one eminent Roman Catholic on the publication of the Pope's encyclical barring Catholics from using artificial birth control. Many left the Church. Many ignored the official teaching and decided that it was a matter between themselves and God. Four years ago, the Vatican went on to ban in-vitro fertilisation. So is the Church 'suffering from celibate psychosis on anything that has to do with sex'? Or is it proclaiming 'the truth of the law of God'?