Desperate times call for desperate measures. The Pope has allegedly suggested women use contraception to protect themselves against the zika virus.
Weighing the options amidst the Zika virus outbreak in Latin America, the Pope relented and said that women are allowed to use contraception to avoid becoming pregnant, and have their children be born with microcephaly. However, the Pope is firm on the God's word that abortion is still a big no-no.
"Avoiding pregnancy is not an absolute evil," Francis said, according to multiple reports. "In certain cases, as in this one... it was clear. I would also urge doctors to do their utmost to find vaccines against these mosquitoes that carry this disease." For the Pope, committing abortion to rid of a child who might be born with microcephaly in light of the crisis, is not going to be right, ever. Abortion is still "a crime, an absolute evil."
Pope Francis however, did not specify what contraception methods are allowed.
This is not the first time though that a Pope suggested contraception be used to avoid a health crisis. Back in 2010, Pope Francis' predecessor, Pope Benedict also faced the same hard situation amid the HIV crisis. In the end, Pope Benedict also suggested that using condoms might be justifiable to prevent the spread of HIV. His words made waves then as Pope Francis' words now.
In the 1960s, Paul VI also approved nuns in the Belgian Congo to made use of artificial contraception to prevent pregnancies when the threat of rape was high.
In Brazil however, even though the zika cases are steadily increasing, the Brazilian Bishop Leonardo Ulrich Steiner refuses to entertain the thought of making contraception the solution. "Contraceptives are not a solution. There is not a single change in the church's position," said the Bishop, according to reports.
