July 25th Marks 40th Anniversary of Vatican's Devastating Decision



    WASHINGTON, July 21 /EMWNews/ -- Forty years ago, a

decision was announced that has had a catastrophic impact on the poor and

powerless around the world. On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI slammed the door

on the hopes of the vast majority of Catholics and confirmed a complete

prohibition on modern methods of contraception. The papal encyclical

Humanae Vitae was a defining moment in modern church history and continues

to be a source of great conflict and division in the church.



    It is a little-known fact that before Humanae Vitae was released the

hand-picked Vatican Birth Control Commission voted overwhelmingly to

recommend that the church rescind its ban on artificial contraception.

However, the pope rejected that recommendation and today, the rupture that

Humanae Vitae caused between the Vatican and lay Catholics remains.



    Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice, called on Catholics to

contact their bishop and tell them that the ban must end. In their calls

and e-mails, Catholics should press their bishops to contact the Vatican,

explain the will of Catholics worldwide and call for an end to the ban on

contraception. He said, "It is well known that Catholics, particularly

those in the global north, have ignored this ban. It is time for them to

speak out and say enough is enough. We need Catholics to pick up the

telephone or send an e-mail to their local bishop saying that it is time to

change church policy. Less-privileged people - who often only have access

to health care through Catholic-run facilities or live in countries where

the Catholic hierarchy has considerable influence over public policy - are

dying as a result of the ban."



    The danger was significant when unintended pregnancy and maternal

mortality were the predominant risks, but with the advent of HIV and AIDS,

it is essential that individual Catholics speak out. Catholics for Choice

will be campaigning around the anniversary and for the rest of the year.



    To mark the anniversary, Catholics for Choice has released a new

publication, Truth & Consequence: A Look behind the Vatican's Ban on

Contraception, which uncovers the history and current impact of the ban.



    --To view the full press release, visit http://www.CatholicsForChoice.org.--