The Catholic Pope said he is ok with birth control-- if you live in an area affected by the Zika virus. Pope Francis’s statements were made yesterday on the way home from his 6 day trip to Mexico. The stance is a significant departure from his Church’s traditional stance. 

“Using contraceptives to avoid pregnancy can be acceptable in difficult situations”
--Pope Francis

Francis is still firmly against abortion, but stated that contraceptives are the ‘lesser of two evils’ in comparison to women aborting fetuses infected with Zika.  The announcement is particularly important as there is some evidence that Zika can be transmitted sexually. In terms of the Catholic Church’s longstanding stance on curbing the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (like AIDS and HIV), this is a huge step in the right direction.

In his comments, made 3,000 miles up, aboard a flight from Mexico to Rome, Francis pointed out this  is not the first exception to the Catholic Church’s doctrine concerning birth control. In the 1960s, the Church allowed African nuns in the Belgian Congo to use contraceptives because the country’s political turmoil made all women targets for sexual violence. 

Francis’ comparison of the two occurrences only highlights the severity of the outbreak. To be clear, Pope Francis’ justification is just during this emergency. Catholic bishops in Latin America have clarified that this changes NOTHING about the church’s stances on reproductive issues including artificial contraception. Their answer is still NO.

Yes, Francis did say on Thursday that ‘avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil”, but if his past statements hold true, he is still against the general use of birth control. For example, when Francis was in Rome last year, he urged the Catholic ministry to teach ‘responsible parenthood.’ In summary, this means teaching abstinence, having less sex and completely forbidding all other types of premarital sex. In short, Pope Francis is not about to endorse birth control.

Even when Francis’ visited East Africa last November, his view toward birth control was still, no. In countries like Uganda and Kenya, where there is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, the church’s forbiddance of birth control (like condoms) has created obstacles in controlling and suppressing the spread of the virus.

Pope Francis has proven to be progressive in his interpretation of Catholic doctrine, and above all, a pope for the people. His suggestion for the allowance of birth control came just yesterday and focused on a situation he identified as an emergency.  

The pope’s statement is a step forward in enabling largely Catholic regions afflicted with Zika to protect themselves but much more will have to be done. In countries impacted by Zika or more well known sexually transmitted diseases like HIV/AIDS, getting public understanding and acceptance of family planning and safe sex is essential to building a healthier future. 

TopicsCurrent eventsGlobal HealthContraceptionHealth & WellnessZikaPope FrancisSexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR)

Editorial

Defeat Poverty

Pope on contraceptives in Zika regions, what he did and did NOT say

By Katherine Curtiss