AFP - Fifty years after the birth control pill went on the US market, millions of women around the world are still under orders from the Roman Catholic hierarchy to eschew its use.
But all indications are that women stopped listening long ago.
"Catholics use the pill the same way everyone else does... Priests don't even preach against it any more," said Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics for Choice.
Ninety-eight percent of American women aged 15-44 have used some form of contraception and more than 44 million have used the pill, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"There is no evidence that the teachings of the church influence Catholics in their decisions about the kind of contraception they actually use," said Frances Kissling.
The lead author of a 2004 report on Catholics' attitudes on sexual behavior, Kissling said fewer than five percent of Catholics in the United States use birth control methods allowed by the Church.
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http://www.france24.com/en/20100506-despite-catholic-teachings-women-religiously-take-pill