Volumne 5 No. 2
South African Nuns React to Bishops' Stance On Condoms
The Sisters for
Social Justice in Johannesburg have joined with Bishop Kevin Dowling
of Rustenburg, South Africa, in questioning the Church's ban on condoms
to prevent HIV/AIDS.Moreover, the nuns take issue with the condemnation
of condoms that grew out of the South African Bishops'Conference. They
feel that the context of the bishops' argument misses the mark.
The nuns expressed concern about the bishops' understanding
of the use of condoms in South Africa. The bishops used phrases that
target happily married couples, not those in abusive relationships.
Phrases such as "the beautiful act of love" and "equal
and loving partners" do not address the issues at hand, say the
nuns. The bishops' comments seem directed toward people in fairly healthy
and stable marriage relationships, not women in abusive, oppressive,
or separate relationships/circumstances - these are the people very
much at risk for HIV virus. The nuns said that the same right to defend
one's life against mortal danger should be applied to sexual partners
who are not married. "It is entirely within the context of the
AIDS pandemic in our country that the use of a condom to prevent infection
of one's sexual partner could be seen to be permissible."