Pope Criticizes Birth Control As Poor Economic Policy

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 09 Jul 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Pope Benedict XVI, as part of a 144-page encyclical critiquing the international economic system, argues that the use of birth control is poor economic policy, the Washington Post reports. According to the document, birth control is not only immoral but also harmful to the economy because it narrows the "brain pool" of qualified labor. The document makes similar arguments about abortion.

The document was released ahead of Wednesday's Group of Eight industrialized nations summit, which will focus on the world economy. According to the Post, the timing of the document's release indicates that Benedict "aims to insert his voice into that discussion by focusing on the moral underpinnings of the meltdown" (Salmon, Washington Post, 7/8).

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