The Nation : Catholics, Bishops Differ

American Catholics strongly reject the views of their bishops on many sex-related issues, from women’s rights to abortion and birth control, an independent Catholic group said in Washington. The study by Catholics for a Free Choice said: “Half or almost half of all Catholics support abortions in a wide range of circumstances, including an unintended pregnancy occurring to a poor woman or an unmarried teen-ager.” The study added: “Most Catholics, like most Americans, support the use of artificial methods of contraception and widely use these methods in their private lives. . . . A clear majority of Catholics believe that contraceptive information should be available to teen-agers.”