032874 Vatican Stand on Parenthood explained

UNITED NATIONS, N.Y. - The Vatican, in its first intervention at the current session of the U.N. Population Commission preparing an action for the World Population Conference in Bucharest, Rumania, has clarified its stand on "planned parenthood."

Addressing the commission in her capacity as Vatican observer, Mrs. Carmen Giroux stated that the Pope considered responsible parenthood to mean "necessary dominion of reason and will over instinct and passion."

She said that in relation to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood was exercised either by "the generous decision to raise a numerous family, or by the decision, made for grave motives and with due respect for the moral law, to avoid for the time being, or even for an indeterminate period, a new birth."

In other words, Mrs. Giroux added, responsible parenthood must always take into account the moral law."

An active lay leader of the Bridgeport (Conn.) Catholic diocese, Mrs. Giroux is a representative of the Catholic International Union for Social Service to the Economic and Social Council of the U.N. and UNICEF.

She addressed the population commission as representative of the office of the Observer of the Holy See to the U.N. The permanent observer is Msgr. Giovanni Cheli.