Clarifying Some Mundane Issues

"To protect life and not to prevent life. That is the only intention which makes it good"

The topic about the usage of condom is becoming hotter nowadays. It is in the middle of the legislative debate about the RH Bill that the Filipinos received the Vatican news about the Pope's allowance of the use of condom. Does the pope really allows the use of condom as contraceptive?

The definite answer is NO. The pope only issued a special consideration. By special consideration we mean any permission given by the Holy Mother Church for very particular and consequential act that is allowable in nature. The intention of the agent should be to prevent a disease.

The pope posits that only those infected by HIV and AIDS sicknesses can use condom. Condom being an indifferent material cause. An indifferent material cause is any material which is neither good nor evil in nature. The efficient cause, who is the agent, will determine if the material cause is used as such [whether good or evil].

So it all depends on the intention of the agent. If the intention is to protect the partner from the transmission of any sexual illness, then the usage of condom is good. Because in this case the intention is to protect life. And the Church is always in protection everyone's life. If on the other hand, the intention is to use condom as a contraceptive so as not to bear a child then it is bad. The act itself will prevent life. Only those who have HIV and AIDS can use condom to protect their spouses from the transmission. Anyone who uses it otherwise may be liable to natural illegality.

So it is said that for a very particular case, the Church allows the use of condom, an indifferent material cause, for the good of human life and not for the prevention of it. Now, it cannot be a strengthener to justify the RH Bill which is basically a proposed law leaning to the prevention of life. RH Bill is not about HIV positive people it is about potential parents denying themselves of the responsibility of parenthood. It is about robbing the future generation of their rights to enjoy life. It is about using condom, an indifferent material cause, in a manner which is against the law of nature. Any artificial means of birth control is naturally illegal. The very law of nature does not permit such. Actually, law of nature does not permit even the Coitus Interruptus which is a natural method. For reasons that it can also be abused. Coitus Interruptus may also fall into the category of masturbation because it does not complete the natural act of marriage. There are also medical reasons why it is not allowed. First of which is the pre-ejaculation case which happens most of the time even before the withdrawal of the genitalia happens.

Our Holy Mother Church is not issuing any revisions of Her doctrine. The Church is still believing in the sanctity of marriage and in the responsibility of couples to generate life as a ministry taken from the creation of God. Thus, the use of condom as a means to prevent life is still wrong. Only when there is the intention to protect the partner from any transferable disease can we allow such act.