FW: World AIDS Day message: Good Catholics Can Use Condoms
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Arnold Tarrobago
Dec 4, 2007, 1:57:44 AM12/4/07
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From: bek...@yahoo.co.uk
Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2007 05:36:35 +0000
Subject: [educnetphil] Fwd: [PackardPilipinas] World AIDS Day message: Good Catholics Can Use Condoms
__._,_.___Dear Everyone,Pls pass if you have contacts who seem to have been affected by the recent Sunday homilies (RH as a whole, being berated by priests and bishops).I heard one older man commented..."My respect for the bishop seemed to have diminished all of a sudden. Why is he talking about something, he seemed not to be knowledgeable of?"And so that we may understand...RH has 10 elements. Family planning is just one of them.REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH[1]
A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes.This definition of RH implies that:· Everyone has the right to a satisfying and safe sex life.· Everyone has the capability to reproduce and decide, if and when, and how often to do so.· Couples must exercise their rights with responsibility.· Every individual has the right to access to information on sexuality and other reproductive health matters to achieve their individual’s reproductive health goals,· Every body has the right to remain free of disease, disability or death associated with their sexuality and reproduction.
The Ten (10) Elements of Reproductive Health
Maternal and Child Health and NutritionCovers the safety and health during pregnancy and the care and support to the pregnant women during and after delivery. It also covers the health of the newborn and emphasizes breastfeeding as a major care to be given starting at birth.Family PlanningCovers the different methods of preventing pregnancy, the advantages and disadvantages of each method, their mode of action and efficacy.Prevention and Control of Reproductive Tract Infections and Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDSCovers the different forms of infections, their causes and effects and ways how to prevent them. It also includes proper diagnosis, management and treatment and referral.Prevention of Abortion and Management of ComplicationsCovers appropriate steps to help women avoid abortion such as the conduct of education programs on preventing unintended pregnancies and ensuring access to quality family planning methods. Also includes discussion of its complications and the proper management and treatment of cases arising from abortion.Education and Counseling on SexualityCovers education and information regarding sexuality, their components and how individuals and couples differ in orientation. Also includes discussions on healthy sex practice and life styles.Adolescent Reproductive HealthEncompasses the different changes that happen during adolescents, their challenges and the risk they are faced with. It also includes description of appropriate services and information including those on STD and sexual abuse to be made available to the adolescents.Violence Against Women and ChildrenThis is to assist women and children who are victims of rape and sexual harrassment as well as domestic violence. It describes the different forms of violence. It defines factors that prevent the victims from seeking help but also enumerates measures what the victims can do in these cases.Men’s Reproductive HealthAddresses the unique RH needs of men and ways to involve them to support women’s RH decisions.Breast and Reproductive Tract Cancers and other Gynecological ConditionsProvides in-depth understanding of the different diseases, their causes and ways how to be protected from these diseases.Prevention and Treatment of Infertility and Sexual DisordersHighlights discussion on fertility and assist/counsel couples who have difficulty in achieving pregnancy.
Factors Affecting Reproductive Health
EducationEducation offers better opportunities to individuals in accessing appropriate information and services. Women with higher education are known to be more aware and better able to practice their RH rights.EmploymentUnemployment limits the individual’s capacity to access quality RH services. Some men and women who are unable to find job locally seek employment overseas, thus disrupting their family life. On the other hand, women are given lower status in job opportunities, thus limiting them from availing RH and other services. Some women have no choice but to work as sex workers.PovertyPoverty is associated with infection, substance abuse, commercial sex and young age of intercourse. Poor people are often marginalized and treated discriminately, thus compounding their problems that lead to poorer health conditions or even death.Living condition/environmentCrowding at home increases transmission of communicable diseases and risk of social problems. Poorly-maintained environment exposes people to more hazards affecting their health.Family environmentValues and attitudes affect perceptions and practices of each family member. Traditional beliefs biased against RH passed on to lower generation deprives younger members the full realization of their RH rights.NutritionMaternal nutrition is essential to producing healthy individuals. Breast milk is best for infants.LifestylesRisky sexual behaviors can lead to infections, early pregnancy, abortion or even death. Unhealthy practices like substance abuse (alcohol and drugs) affect the health of the fetus.Psychosocial factorsNorms and practices of the community, family or church affects one’s reproductive behaviors and values.Information and researchEvidence-based information is effective in changing people’s perspectives and behaviors regarding RH.Political climateLess prioritization of government for RH limits realization of the RH goals.Health care servicesInadequacy, lack of or unaffordable and inaccessible health services deprive the individual of quality RH services.Status of womenLow status accorded to women prevents them from making decision about the size and spacing of their children.Gender issuesShared-decision making and domestic responsibilities bring about better well-being of family members.
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To: PackardP...@yahoogroups.com
From: MTaq...@packard.org
Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2007 20:27:01 -0800
Subject: [PackardPilipinas] World AIDS Day message: Good Catholics Can Use Condoms
World AIDS Day message: Good Catholics Can Use Condoms
With apologies for cross posting…
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, Catholics for Choice released tbe results of a poll measuring the opinions of Catholics on the church hierarchy’s opposition to condoms. The poll was conducted in five countries: Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States. Our key finding, as you will see, is that the overwhelming majority of Catholics in these countries support the use of condoms to help prevent the spread of HIV infection.
Below you will find our announcement to the media about the poll, and three news articles that feature the results in the context of World AIDS Day. Further information about the poll can be found on our website, www.catholicsforchoice.org <http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/> .
New Poll Shows Catholics around the World Believe Good Catholics Can Use Condoms
Catholics for Choice Announces the Results of a Four-Continent Poll Gauging Catholic Opinion on the Catholic Hierarchy’s Refusal to End its Ban on Condoms
Washington, DC—Even in the face of an AIDS epidemic that costs millions of lives, the Vatican has stubbornly refused to lift its ban on condoms. A new multinational poll, however, shows that Catholics the world over believe that using condoms is prolife because it prevents the spread of HIV and AIDS.
According to the poll, which interviewed Catholics living in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States, the support for condom use 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. Whereas Catholics in Ireland (79%), the US (63%) and Mexico (60%) overwhelmingly agreed that “the church’s position on condoms is wrong and should be changed,” the numbers for Catholics in the Philippines (47%) and Ghana (37%) were lower. These results are not surprising, especially in the Philippines where the bishops’ conference has tremendous political influence. The results are also indicative of the fact that in many countries outside Europe and North America the Catholic hierarchy’s teachings can profoundly influence people’s behavior, even if following those teachings runs contrary to their health and that of their families. Ghana, which demonstrates the most support for the Vatican’s position, has the highest HIV prevalence rate of all the countries surveyed.
When questioned about the church’s responsibility to help prevent the spread of AIDS in a health care context, 87% of Irish Catholics; 86% of Mexican Catholics; 73% of US Catholics; 65% of Philippino Catholics and 60% of Ghanaian Catholics believe that “Catholic hospitals and clinics that the government funds should be required to include condoms as parts of AIDS prevention.”
Interestingly, the poll demonstrated that, away from the Vatican, few Catholics have heard their bishops and priests preaching against the use of condoms. Only in Ireland and Ghana did even four out of ten Catholics report hearing priests or bishops speak against condom use. All other countries reported smaller numbers.
The Catholic church is not blind to the contradiction that its policy causes. A year ago, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers, presented to the pope a study on condom use in the case of married couples wherein one partner has HIV/AIDS. The document, which was originally lauded as an indication that the Vatican was considering changing its stance, however, was never published, and now sits languishing in a Vatican vault. Meanwhile, married women in Ghana are three times as likely as unmarried women to contract HIV.
Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, commented: “From Mexico City to Manila and Accra to Los Angeles, Catholics the world over know that using condoms is prolife. In recent years, more and more bishops and priests have been speaking out against the Vatican’s opposition to condoms. This is a battle with very, very high stakes. Every day, more people are infected and more people die. While Catholics recognize that the hierarchy’s position is wrong, it would assist everybody if the Vatican came out and supported the use of condoms. There are substantial theological grounds—and even more humanitarian and compassionate grounds—to change this policy. It is high time for that change to happen.”
To see the complete poll, visit Catholics for Choice Web site, www.catholicsforchoice.org <http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/> . To learn more about “Good Catholics Use Condoms,” please visit www.condoms4life.org <http://www.condoms4life.org/> .
-end-
Notes to Editors: The poll was carried out by Belden Russonello and Stewart and is based on a random sample of Catholics over the age of 18 in five countries: 405 Catholics in Ghana, 829 in Ireland, 1,260 in Mexico, 962 in the Philippines, and 1,009 in the United States. Four questions were included as part of omnibus surveys in each country using a combination of face-to-face and telephone interviewing between the dates of August 15 and September 10, 2007. The questionnaire was translated into Tagalog in the Philippines and into Spanish in Mexico; all other countries used the English version of the questionnaire. The margin of sampling error at the 95% level of confidence is plus or minus 4.9 percentage points for Ghana, 3.4 percentage points for Ireland, 2.8 percentage points for Mexico, 3.2 percentage points for the Philippines and 3.1 percentage points for the United States. When appropriate and possible the results have been weighted to match population parameters.
Catholics for Choice (CFC) shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women’s well being, and respect and affirm the moral capacity of women and men to make sound decisions about their lives. Through discourse, education, and advocacy, CFC works in the US and internationally to infuse these values into public policy, community life, feminist analysis, and Catholic social thinking and teaching.
The Irish Times
December 1, 2007
Catholics oppose condom stance
A poll has found that 79 per cent of Irish Catholic adults oppose church teaching prohibiting the use of condoms for any reason, including the prevention of HIV and Aids. Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent.
They were responding to the question: "The Catholic Church prohibits Catholics from using condoms for any reason, including preventing HIV and Aids. Do you agree more that: the church position on condoms is the right one and should not be changed; or that the church position on condoms is wrong and should be changed?"
It also found that 87 per cent of Irish Catholics believed Catholic hospitals in receipt of Government funding should be required to include condoms as part of Aids-prevention programmes.
The poll, conducted for the Catholics for Choice group and published to coincide with World Aids Day today, also found that 86 per cent of Irish Catholic adults believed condom use saved lives by preventing the spread of Aids.
Catholics for Choice, also known as Catholics for a Free Choice, is Washington-based and was set up in 1973 as a voice for Catholics who believe their tradition supports a woman's moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of sexuality and reproductive health. The poll found that a majority of Irish Catholics (59 per cent) said they had never heard a Catholic priest or bishop speak out against the use of condoms.
Involving 829 Irish people over 18, the poll was conducted between August 21st and 30th by Washington-based Belden Russonello & Stewart agency.
In all instances, younger respondents were most in favour of condom use. Of the under-35s, 86 per cent favoured change in Catholic teaching, compared with 74 per cent of over-35s.
Similarly, 94 per cent aged under 35 believed Catholic hospitals in receipt of Government funding should be required to include condoms as part of Aids-prevention programmes, while 92 per cent under 35 saw the use of condoms as a measure in the fight against Aids.
The poll, which was also held in the US, Mexico, the Philippines and Ghana, found that Irish Catholics were the strongest supporters of change in church teaching on condoms.
In the US, 63 per cent favoured change compared with Mexico (60 per cent), the Philippines (47 per cent) and Ghana (37 per cent).
Irish Catholics were also strongest in favour of Catholic hospitals and clinics in receipt of Government funding including condoms as part of their Aids prevention programmes.
Inter Press Service
November 30, 2007
WORLD AIDS DAY: Catholics Snub Vatican's Condom Ban
Rajiv Fernando
NEW YORK, Nov 30 (IPS) - As millions of people plan to show solidarity with the struggle against HIV/AIDS on Saturday, a new multi-nation poll released in Washington by the group Catholics for Choice shows that a majority of Catholics around the world believe that -- contrary to the edicts coming from Rome -- "good Catholics can use condoms".
The poll asked Catholics living in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and the United States if "using condoms is pro-life because it helps save lives by preventing the spread of AIDS." It found an overwhelmingly positive response, with agreement expressed by 90 percent of Catholics in Mexico, 86 percent in Ireland, 79 percent in the United States, 77 percent in the Philippines and 59 percent in Ghana.
The Vatican has yet to lift its ban on the use of condoms, and the Catholic hierarchy's position holds the most sway in the countries that are least able to deal economically and medically with the disease.
Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, told IPS: "The poll results carried out in four continents actually show that the Vatican's policy on condoms is fatally flawed. They have spoken a lot of rhetoric about being pro-life and the importance of the ethic of life, and when it comes to this particular situation it's very obvious that the interests that the Vatican is holding onto are not interests that celebrate human life but are ones that are actually costing it."
The survey found that majorities of Catholics in Ireland (79 percent), the U.S. (63 percent) and Mexico (60 percent) agreed that "the church's position on condoms is wrong and should be changed". However, far fewer Catholics in the Philippines (47 percent) and Ghana (37 percent) agreed with that statement.
The Catholic Church hierarchy's teachings often hold great sway over people's behaviour, particularly in the developing world, even if following those teachings runs contrary to their health and that of their families. Ghana, which showed the greatest support for the Vatican's position, has the highest HIV prevalence rate of all the countries surveyed.
According to a 2006 report on the global AIDS epidemic by UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation (WHO), Ghana has an estimated 320,000 people living with HIV/AIDS. Some 170,000 of them are orphans under the age of 17.
Worldwide, according to WHO figures, there are an estimated 33.2 million people living with HIV, with 2.5 million people newly infected this year.
In the poll, respondents were questioned about the church's responsibility to help prevent the spread of AIDS in a health care context. Eighty-seven percent of Irish Catholics, 86 percent of Mexican Catholics, 73 percent of U.S. Catholics, 65 percent of Filipino Catholics and 60 percent of Ghanaian Catholics believe that "Catholic hospitals and clinics that the government funds should be required to include condoms as parts of AIDS prevention."
Younger Catholics are the most convinced. More than nine in 10 of those under age 35 in Ireland (94 percent) and Mexico (91 percent) agreed. Moreover, O'Brien says it appears that many young people are being alienated from the church because of its hardcore stance.
"I think it's not just younger people who know that about their options," he noted. "I think inter-generationally, people know that the Vatican is not speaking about justice when it denies people the option of using condoms to protect their health."
The poll also found that more than seven in 10 U.S. Catholics (73 percent) believe condoms should be included in AIDS prevention in government-supported Catholic institutions. Seventy-seven percent of those under 35 agreed, as do 71 percent of those over 35.
Even though they are largely opposed to changing official church doctrine on condoms, Ghanaian and Filipino Catholics still had a majority of respondents favour including condoms in government-funded Catholic hospitals for AIDS prevention. More than six in 10 Catholics from both countries (65 percent in the Philippines; 61 percent in Ghana) agreed that condoms should be included.
O'Brien also said that the poll results show that Catholics the world over, living in very different cultures, understand that having the option to use a condom makes a great deal of sense.
The poll also found that few Catholics have heard their own bishops or priests actually speak out against the use of condoms. Only in Ireland and Ghana did even four out of 10 Catholics report hearing priests or bishops speak against condom use. All other countries reported smaller numbers.
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The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)
December 1, 2007
FIGHT AGAINST AIDS; Catholics in poll say condom use OK
Meredith Heagney, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
It's a provocative question: Are condoms pro-life because they can prevent the spread of AIDS?
Most Catholics say yes, according to a five-nation survey released in observance of World AIDS Day today.
Catholics for Choice commissioned the survey to show that plenty of Catholics disagree with church teachings on contraception, especially when the distribution of condoms can help curb the spread of HIV and AIDS, said Jon O'Brien, president of the Washington, D.C., advocacy group.
The Catholic Church forbids the use of birth control by its members. Married Catholics who want to avoid pregnancy are encouraged to plan sex at times in the woman's menstrual cycle when fertilization is unlikely. Premarital sex is never permitted.
So while the church is actively involved in HIV/AIDS relief work, it won't distribute condoms to stop the disease. There has been debate within the Vatican on whether the church could permit condoms when one partner in a marriage has the virus.
Of 1,009 American Catholics surveyed, 79 percent agreed that condoms are pro-life. A majority of respondents agreed in the other countries as well: 90 percent in Mexico, 86 percent in Ireland, 77 percent in the Philippines and 59 percent in Ghana.
The survey of nearly 4,500 adults also asked respondents whether the church position on condoms should change. Sixty-three percent of U.S. respondents said yes and 22 percent said no. Majorities agreed in Ireland and Mexico. In Ghana, 63 percent preferred to stick to the current teaching, and Filipinos were split.
The survey points to a well-known fact among Catholic clergy, said Deacon Tom Berg Jr., vice chancellor for the Columbus diocese. When it comes to educating rank-and-file Catholic clergy about church policy, "We continue to have our work cut out for us," he said.
There's an enormous disconnect between the Vatican's teachings and the way real Catholics live, O'Brien said. This disparity, in the case of the AIDS epidemic, is costing people their lives, and policymakers must know that bishops don't always speak for the laypeople, he said.
They do in the case of Mark Fleming, 46, a Worthington Catholic who volunteers with a prison ministry and attends Mass daily.
"I firmly believe God is against birth control," he said. When it comes to AIDS prevention, education and faith are key. "You put God back into the equation, not condoms."
AIDS presents many complex health and moral issues, and creating a survey with the sole purpose of indicting Catholic teaching is unhelpful, said the Rev. Larry Rice, director of the St. Thomas More Newman Center at Ohio State University.
"Just because we don't all agree on the way to approach it doesn't make some of us evil and some of us heroic," he said.
Research firm Belden Russonello & Stewart in Washington, D.C., conducted the poll of Catholic adults in face-to-face and telephone interviews during August and September. The margin of error is plus or minus about 5 percent in the Ghana portion of the survey and about 3 percent in the other portions.
Catholics pushing for change have had some reasons for hope.
Last year, Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, the retired archbishop of Milan who was considered for the papacy, said in an interview that the use of condoms can be considered a "lesser evil" to AIDS.
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