Bishops to Aquino: Shun 'contraceptive mentality’

Some 90 Catholic archbishops and bishops, including two cardinals, appealed to President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III to reject the “contraceptive mentality." The term “contraceptive mentality," also called “contraceptive mindset," refers to the philosophy that contraception can be morally good for those who practice it. The Catholic Church promotes only natural family planning methods and is against all forms of contraception or the use of devices, chemicals, and other artificial means to prevent a woman from becoming pregnant. Sex education, the reproductive health bill, and contraception were some of the issues tackled during the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ 101st Plenary Assembly in Manila from July 10 to 11. On Monday, a day after concluding the assembly, members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) not to promote the contraceptive mentality through government's sex education program. In a statement, signed by its president, Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar, the CBCP said promote the contraceptive mentality “through education and medical practices is immoral and will not bring about a people that is God-fearing, holding on to the sacredness of sexuality, life and the family." "Poverty cannot be solved by promoting contraceptive education and programs. Education does not merely deal with knowledge and skills; rather it must promote values that are inherent to us as Filipinos. Parents have the primary right to educate their children and sex education is properly to be done in the family," it added. Some 90 archbishops and bishops, including two cardinals, attended the meeting out of the 133 members of the CBCP. Among those who attended the plenary assembly were Archbishops Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales (Manila), Ricardo Cardinal Vidal (Cebu), Orlando Quevedo (Cotabato) and Fernando Capalla (Davao). The other issues discussed during the assembly were climate change, large-scale mining, education, and others. – VVP, GMANews.TV