Bishops retreated on condoms — Malacañang

CATHOLIC bishops meeting with President Benigno Aquino III and his Cabinet officials acknowledged for the first time that condoms do not cause abortions, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Wednesday.

The acknowledgment was a break from the Catholic Church’s longstanding position that condoms kill the unborn child.

“There was an agreement that the condom is not an abortifacient,” Lacierda said after the closed-door meeting between the Church leaders and the President.

“There is no issue on this… it is not an abortifacient because it [is used] prior to the fertilization of the egg and sperm cells. The point of issue is the distribution of condoms.”

Wednesday’s meeting was the first after the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines withdrew from the talks on reproductive health and responsible parenthood with the administration on Feb. 20.

“There are some disagreements that will remain disagreements, especially on the methods. Contraceptives, such as condoms, will not be in agreement with teachings of the Catholic Church, but it is the responsibility of the state to make these available, and they understood that,” Lacierda said.

“We recognized our differences, but we agreed to focus on our commonalities… it came out better than expected.”

One of the bishops even agreed that sex education might begin for students as young as 11, provided it emphasized responsibility and values, Lacierda said. –Joyce Pangco Pañares, Manila Standard Today