When addressing public policy, America’s Catholic bishops spend most of their time embracing prudential positions on secular issues. When they do address questions dealing with the Church’s moral teaching, however, they are usually right on target.
Consider “The Pill”: As we pointed out two weeks ago, a new study has shown that “Every type of hormonal contraception dramatically increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.” In spite of that elevated risk, the Biden Food and Drug Administration intends to make Opill, a birth-control drug, available to consumers over the counter in the United States.
Abortion and contraception are money-makers for Big Pharma, and the FDA often finds it difficult to choose the safety of the consumer as a priority when big money is at stake. In a welcome statement, Bishop Robert E. Barron of Winona-Rochester addressed the problem clearly on Monday:
“Fertility is a gift, not a disease. Contraceptives exist to suppress the healthy functions of human reproduction. The mounting evidence of the many harmful side effects of hormonal contraceptives demonstrates that they are not good medicine.
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