Population Disagreement

So George Weigel (Column Right, June 16) is perturbed that President Clinton has dared to be in disagreement with Pope John Paul II over worldwide population control measures. Well, I have news for Weigel.

To non-Catholics, the majority of us, the Pope’s claim that he speaks with the voice of God is outrageous. He may be a kind and decent man, but he is no more than that. He is a man. Elected to office by other men. Catholic women, a great many of whom are pro-birth control, had no say in his election.

As for Weigel’s claim that our President’s stance on population control is dictatorial, this is arrogance on a monumental level. It is the Catholic Church’s dictum on birth control that is dictatorial. “Increase and multiply” is bringing this planet to ruin and if allowed to continue will starve the world back to the Dark Ages.

Clinton is right. Pope John Paul II and the Catholic Church are dead wrong on this issue.

HENRY MILLER

Canoga Park

Weigel’s commentary (“A Deep Split Between the U.S. and the Vatican”) was mistitled. The real split on population policy is between the Vatican and virtually everyone else, including population experts, governments, global health advocates, and citizens of every nation who care about democracy and autonomy--not to mention practicing Catholics, who overwhelmingly reject the church’s teachings on birth control, and who do not believe in imposing narrow church doctrine on the rest of the world.

Contrary to Weigel’s assertion, the draft document for the Cairo conference is not “bitterly contested” except by representatives of the Holy See and a very few fundamentalist regimes. All other delegates are united behind the draft’s realistic, compassionate and empowering approach to improving women’s status, protecting individual rights, and expanding access to reproductive health care. To describe this consensus with shrieking epithets like “soft totalitarianism,” “eugenic fevers,” and “a truly Orwellian move” is preposterous.

Weigel says it’s a tragedy that Bill Clinton won’t kowtow to what he calls “the world’s greatest moral authority.” Never mind his offensive chauvinism and the fact that millions of people seek moral authority elsewhere. Never mind that poll after poll shows that even most Catholics feel the Pope doesn’t speak for them on matters of reproduction. The real tragedy would be if a politically motivated cadre of religious radicals succeeded in derailing the most progressive and promising approach to population in history. Fortunately, the collective conscience of women’s and population advocates worldwide will not allow that to happen.

PAMELA J. MARALDO

President, Planned Parenthood

New York

I just wanted to applaud you for publishing Weigel’s politically incorrect, but penetratingly sound article. Weigel’s point--that the Western World is arrogantly and immorally exporting the failed notions of its sexual revolution to the Third World--gets little play in the big media. Thanks for giving it some.

GEORGE NEUMAYR

Thousand Oaks