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Contraceptives may be lesser evil to stop Zika, pope says

But abortion is off limits, Francis tells reporters
Contraceptives may be lesser evil to stop Zika, pope says
Published: February 19, 2016 08:00 AM GMT
Updated: February 19, 2016 08:00 AM GMT

With physicians across Central and South America urging women to postpone pregnancy because of the Zika virus that causes birth defects, Pope Francis said using contraceptives could be a "lesser evil."

Holding a news conference Feb. 17 on his way back to Rome after a six-day visit to Cuba and Mexico, the pope was asked if the use of artificial contraceptives or abortion could be considered "a lesser evil" when the baby had a high risk of birth defects.

"Abortion is not a lesser evil — it's a crime," Pope Francis said. It is the deliberate taking of an innocent human life. "It's an absolute evil."

"Don't confuse avoiding pregnancy with abortion," the pope said.

The concept of a "lesser evil" may apply to artificial birth control, however, he said, pointing to Blessed Paul VI's consent in the early 1960s for women religious in the then-Belgian Congo to take the pill when rape was being used as a weapon of war.

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