By Olumide T. Agunbiade
The
Catholic church says it opposes artificial family planning techniques, because
it encourages bastardisation of sexual activities by young people and “impedes
normal procreation.”
The
Secretary-General of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Ralph Madu,
made this clarification in a response to an enquiry by The Punch on
Sunday.
He said, “The Catholic Church believes that modern means,
including the use of condoms is morally bad because it impedes normal
procreation. You can meet with your wife when you do not want children and
those periods when the woman is not fertile instead of having to destroy the
sperm and all other forms of artificial prevention.
“They are very artificial means and they do not really give
the moral lesson that borders around the use of the sexual organs.
“The one that gives you the opportunity to exercise your
sexual urge without the consequences is the natural method and the church says
you should go for the natural means.”
According to him, the excuse that it reduces the spread of
HIV/AIDS remains invalid and untenable, adding HIV/AIDS is a disease that is
prevalent among young people.
Madu added, “When you are talking about condom among young
people, you are also talking about promiscuity. People have adduced arguments
in case of people with HIV/AIDS and especially couples who do not want
children. The use of condom and other modern means are being bastardised among
young young people because they will resort to the use of condom so that they
can have sex freely without impregnating the woman or getting pregnant.
“Those are various artificial means and the church is
strongly against them. Instead, the church endorsed the natural method of
copulation.”
