David Ancell / Tuesday April 25, 2006
I’ve not read this personally, but I’ve been told by a few friends that some journalists are saying that the Church wants to allow married couples to use condoms when one partner has HIV. Well, no, the Vatican is going to clarify the Church teaching we already have. I must admit that I thought that this was a settled issue.
The argument, as I understand it, of those who favor the practice is that it serves the purpose of preventing a disease rather than contraception. Some may view it as a “double-effect.” Others have said that the “lesser evil” applies when looking at using a condom vs. getting HIV.
Well, there’s a problem. The possibility of refraining from intercourse exists, so we don’t have a choice between condom use or getting HIV. I don’t see how one can apply double effect since the contraception is what causes the reduction of risk of infection.
As a pharmacist, I cannot help but think that condom use, especially when one partner is known to be infective, is medically unsound reasoning. The condom is not 100% effective. If one were to say the condom “prevents” infection instead of saying it “reduces the risk” of infection, they are making an inaccurate statement. Even then, it has to be used correctly an consistently. As a pharmacist, I could not count the number of times I’ve spoken to people who haven’t been taking their medicine. By the way, I would offer the same argument towards a married couple for whom pregnancy would be dangerous. Even if we put aside the intrinsic evil of contraception, we still have to deal with the medical problem.
Also, the “lesser evil” most certainly can’t apply. Getting HIV is a physical evil that happens to someone. The use of contraception is a moral evil that one commits. A moral evil is always greater than a physical evil. This may sound cruel, but my point is that abstinance is really the only way to go in this issue.
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