While on his way home from Mexico and Cuba, Pope Francis today hinted that women in Zika-affected countries could use artificial contraception to avoid pregnancy even though Catholic Church teaching generally forbids it, and his comments coincided with guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) on preventing sexual transmission of the disease.
Contraception considered, but not abortion
The world's largest share of Catholics live in Latin America and the Caribbean, with Brazil as the nation with the largest number, according to a 2013 demographic analysis by the Pew Research Center. Countries where local transmission is occurring and health organizations have urged women to consider postponing pregnancy until the Zika-linked microcephaly threat virus fades, a difficult prospect in areas where contraceptives aren't readily available.
In response to a question about whether abortion or birth control would be considered a "lesser evil" in the face of the Brazil's Zika virus epidemic, Pope Francis said there's a clear moral difference between aborting a fetus and preventing a pregnancy, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
He drew a parallel to the church's approval of artificial contraception to Belgian nuns in the Congo in the 1960s, because they were being repeatedly raped, according to the AP. However, he rejected any temporary loosening on the church's stance against abortion. "It's a crime. It's an absolute evil," he told reporters.
Pope Francis's comments follow statements 2 days ago from the Vatican's United Nations representative Archbishop Bernadito Auza condemning calls from some UN officials for countries to loosen their abortion laws as a response to the Zika outbreak, Vatican Radio reported yesterday.
At a UN Zika virus briefing, Auza said the link between the virus and birth defects is a grave concern that warrants concerted actions by the international community, but he added that the Vatican is deeply concerned by calls for the liberalization of abortion laws and access to abortifacients to prevent the birth of children with birth defects. He added that the methods are "an illegitimate response to this crisis, but since it terminates the life of a child it is fundamentally not preventative."
WHO sexual transmission guidance
Today's WHO guidance, meanwhile, emphasized that although mosquitoes are the main transmission route, limited evidence points to sexual spread in a few cases.
The WHO recommends that all patients with Zika virus infection and their sexual partners receive information about the possible risk of transmission, along with condoms when feasible. It added that women who had had unprotected sex should have ready access to emergency contraceptives and counseling.
Sexual partners of pregnant women who are returning from affected areas should observe safe sex practices or abstinence during the woman's pregnancy, the agency advised, and, given the high number of asymptomatic infections, men and women in areas where the virus is circulating should practice safe sex or abstain.
The WHO also said that people returning from Zika regions should take the same precautions for at least 4 weeks after their return.
See also:
Feb 18 AP story
Feb 17 Vatican Radio report
Feb 13, 2013, Pew Research Center report
Feb 18 WHO interim guidance on preventing sexual Zika transmission
