Pope Francis shook up an already intense debate over birth control and abortion in Latin American countries where the Zika virus is causing a public health emergency by declaring on Thursday that contraceptives could be used to prevent the spread of Zika, which researchers have linked to a spike in cases of babies born with severe brain damage.
The pope’s remarks came in a wide-ranging, midair news conference on his way back to Rome from Mexico in which he made a distinction between abortion and birth control.
He ruled out condoning abortion, which he called “a crime, an absolute evil.”
However, he seemed somewhat open to making an exception for contraception, citing Pope Paul VI’s decision in the 1960s to make an emergency exception to permit nuns in the Belgian Congo to use contraceptives because they were in danger of rape.
“Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil,” Francis said. “In certain cases, as in this one, as in the one that I mentioned of Blessed Paul VI, it was clear. I would also urge doctors to do their utmost to find vaccines against these mosquitoes that carry this disease.”
Francis’ comments quickly unleashed a range of reactions up and down the Americas, revealing fissures in the church’s leadership in Roman Catholic-dominated Latin America and bolstering opponents of the church’s longstanding ban on the use of artificial contraceptives.
On Thursday, the WHO also advised the sexual partners of pregnant women to use condoms or abstain from sex if they live in Zika-affected areas.
The careful positioning of the pope on the use of contraception reflects how the emergence of Zika is forcing a wide array of political and religious institutions to respond to the virus’ rapid spread to more than 20 countries.
Brazilian researchers say Zika is responsible for an increase in babies born with microcephaly, an incurable condition in which their heads are smaller than normal.
While international researchers are still trying to prove definitely a link between Zika and microcephaly, the pope’s comments on contraception seemed to catch up to the reality in parts of the hemisphere where many Catholics pay little head to the church’s teachings on birth control.
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