Gov’t, religious institutions in Family Planning talks

As high population growth becomes one of the barriers to the nation’s development, the government is carrying out consultations with different religious institutions to endorse modern Family Planning (FP) methods. Various religious denominations had put a ban on artificial FP methods as a means to reduce the rate of population growth. Addressing the press in a three-day workshop in Kigali, Dr Eugene Rwabuneza, an official in charge of FP in the Ministry of Health(MoH), said that only the Catholic Church has not yet agreed to the use of artificial methods of birth control among its congregation. “Many religious denominations have been preaching to their congregations that artificial methods of birth control is a sin of murder, others urging that birth control is a breach of the word of God which says to go and subdue the earth,” Dr Rwabuneza said in his presentation. He added that most religious organisations have started to understand and promote the use of birth control. “Some catholic clergy have understood and would really rally to the government’s will but they must be waiting for an order from the Pope. Some nuns working on different catholic affiliated health centres have told us that they cannot advise their clients because their respective bishops have given them an order not to,” Dr Rwabuneza added. Reliable sources from Nyamasheke District in Western Province have told The New Times that the Bishop of Cyangugu Diocese, Jean Damascène Bimenyimana, has written a letter and distributed to all catholic affiliated health centres under his Diocese instructing them not to ever allow artificial birth control methods in their health facilities. With an average annual growth2.6% percent Rwanda’s population growth is expected to reach 18 million people by 2020. Ends