Dec 1, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The Secretary General of the Bishops’ Conference of Colombia, Bishop Fabian Marulanda, warned this week that the free distribution of contraceptives by the government is not a way to encourage people to be responsible for their actions.
City officials in Bogota recently approved the free distribution of condoms, birth control pills, contraceptive patches and implants, as well as sterilization procedures, with the supposed purpose of reducing unwanted pregnancies. Nevertheless, Bishop Marulanda warned that often the “cheapest” methods are the ones that lead most to irresponsibility and permissiveness.
“The state’s duty is to provide sufficient information about family planning methods, and this is what the country of Colombia is not doing, because there is an enormous lack of sexual education,” he explained.
According to the bishop, when slogans and advice about safe-sex and sex for pleasure are used to promote contraceptives, and values such as self-control and responsibility are not encouraged, the result is “a greater laxity in mores.”