4.23 De Kerk wil het leven beschermen en is toch tegen de verspreiding van condooms in Afrika?
Het grootse probleem met condooms is dat ze verbonden zijn met een banalisering van seks. Condooms en andere voorbehoedsmiddelen geven een vals idee van veiligheid, en het gevoel dat we zo in staat zijn om de natuurlijke gevolgen van ons seksuele gedrag tegen te gaan. Ook slagen deze middelen er niet altijd in om zwangerschap of de verspreiding van ziektes te voorkomen.
Dit past niet bij wat seks werkelijk is: een heel intieme beleving van de liefde tussen een man en een vrouw. Als die diep menselijk beleefd wordt, zijn voorbehoedsmiddelen helemaal niet nodig. Vanwege al deze redenen staat de Kerk afwijzend tegenover de verspreiding van condooms. Maar de Kerk wijst niemand af: overal op de wereld worden patiënten met aids en andere ziekten liefdevol verzorgd in katholieke ziekenhuizen.
What are immoral means of birth control?
Every action - for example, direct sterilization or contraception - is intrinsically immoral which (either in anticipation of the conjugal act, in its accomplishment or in the development of its natural consequences) proposes, as an end or as a means, to hinder procreation. [CCCC 498]
Why are all methods of preventing the conception of a child not equally good?
The Church recommends the refined methods of selfobservation and Natural Family Planning (NFP) as methods of deliberately regulating conception. These are in keeping with the dignity of man and woman; they respect the innate laws of the female body; they demand mutual affection and consideration and thereforen are a school of love.
The Church pays careful attention to the order of nature and sees in it a deep meaning. For her it is therefore not a matter of indifference whether a couple manipulates the woman’s fertility or instead makes use of the natural alternation of fertile and infertile days. It is no accident that Natural Family Planning is called natural: it is ecological, holistic, healthy, and an exercise in partnership. On the other hand, the Church rejects all artificial means of contraception—namely,chemical methods (“the Pill”), mechanical methods (for example, condom, intra-uterine device, or IUD), and surgical methods (sterilization)—since these attempt to separate the sexual act from its procreative potential and block the total self-giving of husband and wife. Such methods can even endanger the woman’s health, have an abortifacient effect (= cause a very early abortion), and in the long run be detrimental to the couple’s love life. [Youcat 421]
What does the Church say about using condoms to fight AIDS?
Apart from the fact that condoms provide nonabsolutely safe protection against contagion, then Church rejects their use as a one-sided, mechanical method of fighting AIDS epidemics and advocates above all a new culture of human relationships and a change in social consciousness.
Only practicing fidelity and refraining from casual sexual contacts can provide lasting protection from AIDS and teach a holistic approach to love. Respect for the equal dignity of women and men, concern about the health of the family, responsibility in dealing with one’s urges and desires, and also refraining (at appropriate times) from sexual union are all part of it. In the countries of Africa where societal campaigns have promoted such behavior, the rates of infection have decreased significantly. Besides that the Catholic Church does all she can to help people who are afflicted with AIDS. [Youcat 414]
Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth... if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards... Another effect is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection. [Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 17]
