Is Condom Distribution Smart Health Policy?

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A few pundits jumped to defend the pope’s position—even after the Vatican had amended his comments to reflect some uncertainty. However, these supporters picked up a small part of what the pope said, ignoring the fact that the pope spoke generally against condom use and the spread of HIV. Clearly each individual situation deserves a unique, evidence-based response; nobody argues with that. But the Vatican’s opposition to condom use – even in a loving, monogamous sero-discordant relationship – is worthy of condemnation.

Despite the Vatican’s stance, the vast majority of Catholics disagrees with the pope and use condoms to protect themselves and their partners against STIs, including HIV. According to a recent poll commissioned by Catholics for Choice, which interviewed Catholics in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States, support for condom use among Catholics is overwhelming. When asked if "using condoms is prolife because it helps save lives by preventing the spread of AIDS," 90% of Catholics in Mexico, 86% in Ireland, 79% in the US, 77% in the Philippines and 59% in Ghana agreed. Unfortunately, the Catholic hierarchy's position holds the most sway in the countries least able to deal economically and medically with the disease.

Catholics the world over unequivocally state that using condoms is prolife and disagree with the Vatican's ban on condoms. Now is not the time for the pope to be dismissing the importance of condom use. Let us hope and pray that he reconsiders and reverses his position, and in doing so, adopts the truly prolife position that ordinary Catholics have already embraced: using condoms saves lives.

It took the church hierarchy 359 years to stop continuing the line taken by their predecessors on Galileo. We hope that this error does not take so long to change.