‘Contraceptives must carry warning labels’

Just like in cigarettes, packs of condom and other contraceptives must also carry labels warning their users of the health risks which the anti-pregnancy products pose to them, Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin said.

Sin said such warning labels were necessary because "pills have been shown to increase incidence of breast cancer" and that "condoms do not guarantee protection" from the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

Describing the use of contraceptives as a "subtle attack against families and life," Sin called on lawmakers to enact laws that would provide necessary protection to Filipinos against the dangers of using condom and pills.

"It would be best to request or even require condom advertisers to state the dangers since such (a warning) is not only scientifically accurate, but is a necessary protection and even a right of unknowing consumers," the Cardinal said.

Requiring manufacturers of condoms and chemical contraceptives to carry the warning labels, Sin said, would also save the Catholic faithful from the "spiritual evils" brought about by the use of such products.

Sin said the best approach to stop the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is not to promote the use of condoms but to encourage couples to be loyal to their spouses.

Citing scientific studies, Sin said condoms fail to stop sperm, virus or other STD-causing microorganisms because of the naturally occurring minute pores present in the latex material, among other reasons. — Mayen Jaymalin