Pope Should Extend His Benediction to Condoms In Some Cases, Contraceptions can be Pro-Life
By Katherine Heflin ‘07
News Guest Writer
Recently Pope Benedict XVI has begun to consider the sensitive matter of the compatibility between contraception and the Catholic Church. Prohibition of the use of condoms and other forms of contraception during intercourse has been a long-standing (though not un-debated) practice of Catholic Church. The Church’s current doctrine maintains that contraception is counter to the protection of sacred human life. However, with the number of AIDS victims and the incidence of HIV increasing exponentially, discouraging the use of condoms seems to work against the Catholic Church’s goal. If Pope Benedict chooses to accept the use of condoms, it will undoubtedly protect human life. But is it worth undermining the church’s long-held promotion of marital fidelity and abstinence?
The current debate focuses on the religious legality of allowing the use of condoms within a marriage when one of the spouses is infected with HIV or AIDS. In this case, the condom would be used as medical protection, not contraception, though sperm would nevertheless be intercepted. This case of married couples is the only circumstance that the church is seriously considering. However, there are other things that could be significantly affected by the outcome of this decision.
The decision could vastly affect areas such as Africa, where Catholic practices seem to be growing rapidly. As ordered by the church, the many Catholic charities that provide health care throughout Africa are unable to provide condoms. Volunteers at these charities often mention the moral tear they feel between adhering to the traditional doctrine of the church or preventing disease, saving hundreds and thousands of lives. The same situation, though less drastically, arises in other areas—such as the Philippines—where a strong Catholic presence also discourages the use of condoms.
But if the church favors condom use in married individuals with HIV/AIDS, couples that are not married or are not infected may themselves have fewer misgivings about using contraception.
If Pope Benedict chooses to continue the Church’s policy of “no condoms—never” he will be consciously throwing away the lives of millions of faithful. How can the world continue to take the Catholic Church seriously on issues like abortion, assisted suicide, and the death penalty when millions more suffering from AIDS are punished for their belief in the church? Do criminals, unborn fetuses, and people who beg to die inherently deserve life more than a person who has sex? If the Catholic Church fails to make this decision correctly, it is telling the world, “Take your choice: abstinence or death. Seriously, choose. Why? Well, because we say so.”
In the end, the Pope will most likely enforce the virtue and necessity of abstinence over contraception. But common sense readily overrides the abstinence argument. People have sex... to tell them not to is asking them to not be human. The severe diseases of HIV and AIDS are being spread by the thousands across America, and by the millions across Africa; clearly, advocating abstinence is ineffective.
This is a chance for the Catholic Church to make a monumental change in its doctrine and to save the lives of millions. The church needs to consider both its moral theology and its public relations when making this important decision. Benedict does have the ability to shock, and it is not implausible that he could make the reasonable and sound decision to overturn his discouragement of the use condoms—in particular instances. If he chooses to do so, he will be overruling an archaic practice and upholding the Catholic dogma that human life is sacred and must be protected.
