A world view: Catholic attitudes on sexual behavior & reproductive health.THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Roman Catholic Church, Christian church headed by the pope, the bishop of Rome (see papacy and Peter, Saint). Its commonest title in official use is Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. has become the focus of significant controversy in recent years. Already contending with overwhelming dissent from followers followers see dairy herd. regarding its positions on women as well as on sexuality, reproduction and the family, the church has been struggling with explosive and continually recurring allegations of child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse is an umbrella term describing criminal and civil offenses in which an adult engages in sexual activity with a minor or exploits a minor for the purpose of sexual gratification. by its priests and a heavily criticized position against the use of condoms as a way of reducing the transmission of HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. and the spread of AIDS. While there are Catholics who wholly agree with and abide by the policies set forth by the church, there are many more who question its dictates as they relate to their personal lives and the role played by the church in public policy. Whatever paths Catholics choose to follow, what is evident is that Catholics are not monolithic in their views, and more often than not disagree with Verb 1. disagree with - not be very easily digestible; "Spicy food disagrees with some people" hurt - give trouble or pain to; "This exercise will hurt your back" the positions of the church on these issues. It is critical that those who develop public policy and those who serve Catholics as health care and social service providers are aware of these views. Such awareness will continue to move the church, along with the national and international communities, toward a greater understanding of its people. CATHOLICS WORLDWIDE There are approximately 1 billion Catholics across the globe and they make up 17 percent of the total population. Catholics dominate South and Central America Central America, narrow, southernmost region (c.202,200 sq mi/523,698 sq km) of North America, linked to South America at Colombia. It separates the Caribbean from the Pacific. , constitute a significant portion of Europe's population and reside in large numbers in North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. and Africa. CONTRACEPTION The church prohibits the use of modern contraception in any form. This includes voluntary sterilization voluntary sterilization Gynecology The surgical deletion of reproductive capacity, by personal choice. See Sterilization. Cf Involuntary sterilization. . Permissible birth control according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Catholic hierarchy is limited to periodic abstinence abstinence: see fasting; temperance movements. (natural family planning natural family planning Biological birth control Any FP that does not rely on artificial agents–eg, OCs, 'morning-after' pill, spermicidal foam, RU-486 or devices–eg, condoms, diaphragms, IUDs to prevent conception Methods Rhythm–calendar method, ), total abstinence See Abstinence, n. os>, 1. See also: Total and breast-feeding breast-feeding /breast-feed·ing/ (brest´fed?ing) nursing; the feeding of an infant at the mother's breast. . Women strongly support family planning family planning Use of measures designed to regulate the number and spacing of children within a family, largely to curb population growth and ensure each family’s access to limited resources. The Catholic hierarchy, both male and celibate cel·i·bate n. 1. One who abstains from sexual intercourse, especially by reason of religious vows. 2. One who is unmarried. adj. 1. , is twice removed from the impact of pregnancy. If sexually active, or even possibly non-sexually active Catholic women held positions of authority, the perceptions and use of family planning might influence changes in church doctrine. The data here are consistent with the theory that more women including more Catholic women--might be inclined to use contraceptives if more of their husbands approved of it. CONDOMS AND HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome The Catholic church states that the only morally acceptable way to avoid HIV/AIDS is to abstain from abstain from verb refrain from, avoid, decline, give up, stop, refuse, cease, do without, shun, renounce, eschew, leave off, keep from, forgo, withhold from, forbear, desist from, deny yourself, kick ( sex outside of marriage, and to abstain from sex within marriage if a spouse is infected with HIV/AIDS. There are approximately 42 million people across the globe living with HIV/AIDS. While the Catholic church claims to provide treatment for approximately 10 million individuals living with this illness, it does not support efforts to educate people about the effectiveness of condoms as a means of preventing the spread of the virus. Not one of the tens of thousands of social service agencies and hospitals controlled by the church is permitted to provide condoms or safe sex instruction to those who seek assistance. This prohibition also applies to those of the non-Catholic faith who visit these facilities. LIMITS OF CHURCH AUTHORITY While the Catholic church has and continues to articulate standards of morally exact behavior in Catholic life, many followers believe they must be guided by their own conscience in their decision-making. Catholic teaching does encourage believers to follow their conscience after thoroughly weighing the doctrines of the church. Most Catholics believe this should apply to decisions regarding family planning, sexuality and reproductive health Within the framework of WHO's definition of health[1] as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene as well. The majority of American Catholics believe they have the ability to make up their own minds on critical issues like contraception and abortion, and should not permit the church to wholly regulate such aspects of their lives. In predominantly Catholic Mexico, only one percent of those polled offered the church as the source where they obtained their most pertinent information relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc sex. FREEDOM OF CHOICE Long-held traditional views by the Catholic hierarchy regarding contraception, abortion, marriage, divorce and family planning have been and are continually being challenged by members of the faith. Unfortunately, the church does not acknowledge these opinions, and what is presented as the "Catholic position" on policies dealing with reproductive health is rather the position of a Catholic bishop, or a Catholic priest, or even the Catholic hierarchy--but as the data here show, it's not always the position of the Catholic people. Denying safe, modern, effective and frequently necessary methods of birth control--some of which function as a means of preventing sexually transmitted diseases--in this era is dangerous. Such strongholds on women and families promise further division among the church and its members, and ultimately, society. While certain countries may not appear as progressive as others when it comes to family planning and sexual and reproductive health, the notion that individuals should be free to make their own choices regarding these matters is clearly the majority opinion. In a democratic society, opinions and personal beliefs must be heard, considered, respected and acted upon when they are the majority view and not contrary to human rights; particularly regarding matters that directly affect women, whose bodies and lives are at stake. As the 21st century forges ahead, freedom of choice in the Catholic church must advance as well. It is unjust for the church hierarchy to press its views without considering the pros and cons pros and cons Noun, pl the advantages and disadvantages of a situation [Latin pro for + con(tra) against] of such doctrine among its people. Only when the church begins to listen to its followers will the institution develop into one that is unequivocally safe and just. UNITED STATES United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. : Catholics say it is not appropriate for religious leaders to influence domestic and international politics. * 51% of Catholic voters believed the Vatican should be treated as a nongovernmental organization nongovernmental organization (NGO) Organization that is not part of any government. A key distinction is between not-for-profit groups and for-profit corporations; the vast majority of NGOs are not-for-profit. , like all other religions that participate in the United Nations. * 70% of Catholic voters during the 2002 national election campaign did not believe that Catholic bishops should use politics to impose their moral opinions. ABORTION The Catholic church expressly prohibits abortion. It teaches that this act is immoral at even the most rudimentary stages of embryonic development and even if a woman's life is at risk. This dictate applies even in cases of sexual assault. The church also shuns the use of any procedure or substance that results in the expulsion of a preembryo not yet embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. in the womb. Full citations for the data in this article are available in the published report and at www.CatholicsForChoice.org.
PERCENTAGE OF
CATHOLICS WORLDWIDE
Catholics Catholic
as % population,
of total in
population millions
South America 87 297.5
Central America 85 145.1
Europe 40 280.1
Oceania 27 8.2
North America 25 76.8
Africa 16 130.0
Asia 3 107.3
World Total 17 1,045.0
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL
MARRIED POPULATION
Colombia Mexico Peru
Percentage
Catholic 89 90 90
Married women
using modern
contraception 64 60 50
MARRIED CATHOLIC WOMEN WHO SAY THE APPROVE OF FAMILY PLANNING
COMPARED TO THEIR HUSBANDS *
Percentage of women
Women who say their
Women who approve of husband approves
family planning family planning
Kenya 63 51
Nigeria 90 67
Uganda 76 43
Philippines 90 85
Brazil 88
* In Brazil, women were not asked about their husband's
approval of family planning.
PERCENTAGE OF CATHOLIC WOMEN USING CONDOMS FOR FAMILY PLANNING
AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES
Percentage of women
Using condoms for Using condoms
FP & STDs for STDs only
Kenya 36 35
Nigeria 43 34
Uganda 50 32
Brazil 18 2
United States 38 3
CATHOLICS SAYING ABORTION IS "NOT WRONG AT ALL"
OR "WRONG ONLY SOMETIMES"
Percentage of Catholics
If a fetus has If a family has a
serious defects very low income
France 83 61
Portugal 81 46
Slovakia 74 51
Canada 72 46
Spain 70 42
Italy 69 31
Czech Republic 67 52
Germany 65 35
Australia 60 44
US 56 31
Great Britain 51 27
Poland 45 31
Note: tables made from bar graph.
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