Catholic Church Stance on Condoms Criticized

Washington, D.C.-based Catholics for a Free Choice has launched an international ad campaign criticizing the church's ban on condoms. "Catholic people care. Do our bishops? Banning Condoms Kills," the ads say. The Catholic church teaches that sexual intercourse should be reserved for marriage and that married couples should not use artificial contraception. Despite calls from inside and outside the church to relax its ban on condoms in the face of the worldwide AIDS epidemic, the Vatican has not altered its position. "The Vatican and the world's bishops bear significant responsibility for the death of thousands of people who have died from AIDS," said Frances Kissling, president of the reform group. The quarter-million-dollar campaign kicked off in Washington, D.C. and will subsequently appear in Britain, Belgium, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, the Philippines and New York City.

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