In 1930, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Casti Connubii, which condemned artificial contraception and reaffirmed the Catholic Church's teachings on marriage and procreation. This document emphasized the sanctity of life and the moral implications of family planning. The encyclical sparked ongoing debates about reproductive rights and the role of the Church in personal and societal matters.

The Catholic Church's condemnation of artificial contraception in 1930 sparked literary responses that examined faith, morality, and modernity. Poets like W. H. Auden and others engaged with these themes, reflecting societal tensions in their verse, often questioning the intersection of personal freedom and religious doctrine.