4.23 Se la Chiesa vuole proteggere la vita, perché è contraria alla distribuzione di preservativi in Africa?
Il problema principale dei preservativi è che essi sono collegati ad una banalizzazione del sesso. I preservativi ed altri contraccettivi danno un senso falso di sicurezza, e l’idea che così possiamo prevenire le conseguenze naturali del nostro comportamento sessuale. Questo significa anche che non sempre riusciamo a prevenire una gravidanza o la diffusione di malattie.
Ciò non è in linea con la vera natura del sesso, che un’intima esperienza dell’amore tra un uomo e una donna. Se si sperimenta questo tipo di amore in modo profondamente umano, i contraccettivi non servono. Per tutte queste ragioni la Chiesa non considera positivamente la distribuzione di preservativi. Tuttavia non rifiuta nessuno: in tutto il mondo le persone ammalate di AIDS o di altre malattie sono curate negli ospedali cattolici con amore.
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]
