Catholic Church Targets Philippine Health Chief Over Condom Campaign

Yesterday's Washington Post reports that the Catholic Church in the Philippines is calling for the resignation of Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral. The Church, a powerful force in the country, is angry over the condom distribution campaign instituted by the Harvard-trained health chief. As part of the country's fight against AIDS, on Valentine's Day government health workers passed out roses and condoms on the streets of Manila. Bishop Nereo Odchimar, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, calling for fidelity and premarital chastity, said: "The condom business is a multimillion dollar industry that heavily targets the adolescent market at the expense of morality and family life." The Health Department promotes a 3-part "ABC formula": abstinence, be faithful and use a condom.