The Pope and the Birth Control Ban

Pope Francis has taken a softer line than some of his predecessors on sexual and reproductive issues. He has said that the church should concentrate less on same-sex marriage, contraception and abortion, and this month he announced that during the church’s coming Holy Year of Mercy, all priests would be able to grant absolution for abortion.

But the pope has not called for any actual changes to the church’s policy on birth control. The church prohibits contraception, though it does allow natural family planning, in which couples may avoid intercourse when a woman is most fertile. The pope reiterated his support for this prohibition in a speech in Manila earlier this year, arguing that “a lack of openness to life” threatens the family. Ordinary Catholics worldwide feel differently, and the pope should give them a forum to share their experiences.

The church establishment under Pope Francis continues to oppose access to birth control. The Holy See’s delegation at the United Nations has objected to the inclusion of contraception and reproductive rights in worldwide development goals. At every turn, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has fought the Affordable Care Act’s requirements for contraception coverage. In the Philippines, Catholic authorities strenuously opposed a bill to allow government health centers to stock free or subsidized birth control; the law finally passed in 2012. Catholic hospitals and clinics, the only option in some regions, often do not offer contraceptives.

Catholics around the world, meanwhile, largely support the use of birth control. A 2014 poll of 12,000 Catholics in 12 countries found that 78 percent supported contraception; in Spain, France, Colombia, Brazil and the pope’s native Argentina, more than 90 percent supported its use. In a 2008 survey, 71 percent of Catholics in the Philippines supported the country’s reproductive health bill.

Expanding birth control access worldwide would have huge benefits.

The Catholic Church has considered lifting its ban on contraception in the past.

Instead, Pope Paul issued an encyclical confirming it would stay in place.

Pope Francis praised Pope Paul’s decision in his speech in Manila.

The pope is famous for his pastoral approach, focusing on compassion for people rather than on rules. When he has heard from ordinary Catholics about how the church’s rules on contraception affect their lives, he may be more open to re-evaluating them.

More From The New York Times: