The Zika virus is causing Pope Francis to rethink the Catholic Church’s longtime ban on contraception for women threatened by the Zika virus.
The pope appeared to open the door to limited use of birth control in response to the virus, which is spreading through the Americas and is linked to a birth defect called microcephaly. Pope Francis spoke to reporters on his plane while returning to Rome after visiting Mexico, according to a report in Reuters.
He cited his predecessor Pope Paul VI’s decision to allow birth control in Africa from 1963 to 1978 for nuns because of a high risk of rape due to conflict there.
While the pope appeared to be open to temporary birth control, he is adamant that abortion is not a solution to the virus. He called abortion an “absolute evil,” according to Reuters.
The comments come as Latin American countries are rethinking their health policies on birth control and abortion in light of the Zika virus. Zika has spread to nearly 30 countries and areas, primarily in central and South America.
The virus, spread primarily through mosquito bugs and also through sex, may lead to microcephaly, which can cause babies to be born with abnormally small heads.
