Anika Rahman is a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Law and Policy who says the Pope's
position on reproductive health is detrimental to women throughout the world.
"Although millions of Catholic women use artificial means of contraception and terminate their pregnancies, they
do so in circumstances in which they are, at the very least, racked by guilt. More often than not, many women --
including Catholic women -- risk domestic violence, illness and death to exercise their reproductive freedom. The
World Health Organization estimates that over 500,000 women worldwide die from causes related to
pregnancy. Moreover, in Roman Catholic nations such as Brazil, Chile and the Philippines, the toll of unsafe and
illegal abortions has not been fully determined.
"Women must resort to unsafe methods of pregnancy termination because they live in cultures in which religious
beliefs cast women as second-class citizens. The global AIDS epidemic increases the urgency for the full
realization of women's right to control their reproductive and sexual lives.
"The Church must change its positions on reproductive health because such reform would symbolize [its]
commitment to improving the lives of women. The Pope has already apologized to the world's women for the
discrimination wrought by the Church against them. It is time for the Pope to extend that apology. The Pope must
apologize to the women of the world for robbing them of rights inherent to their humanity. Such rights include the
right to reproductive self-determination."
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