There is a strong connection between religion and charity. The belief that the better off should help the less fortunate is a central part of the human family. From an early age, Christians learn about the Good Samaritan, urging compassion and assistance to those in need. Other religious beliefs also emphasize doing good works: Zakat or alms-giving is one of the five pillars of Islam; tzedakah and mitzvah are vital parts of Jewish life. Throughout the world, religiously affiliated organizations are important agents for positive change.

Sadly, some norms, values and traditional practices that control women’s sexuality, restrict reproductive rights and allow gender-based violence need urgent attention and change. These huge challenges are in focus at the forum Sida Development Area in Stockholm on May 16 (www.sida.se/area).

Each year, half a million women die and between ten and twenty million suffer disability due to complications during pregnancy and child birth, almost all in developing countries. There has been little improvement in these figures during the last 20 years. Access to skilled health care at the time of birth, as well as safe and legal abortion and contraception are absolutely crucial to improve maternal health.

The morality and the legality of abortion is an important personal and political issue throughout the world. Catholic support for legal abortion is grounded in the teachings on conscience, which considers freedom of conscience to be a key element in decision-making and requires that due deference be given to the conscience of others. This is bolstered by respect for the religious freedom and rights of people of all faiths and no religious faith, by respect for plural and tolerant democratic societies and, most importantly, by adherence to the Catholic principle of standing with the poor and marginalized of the world who are disproportionately women.

CFC believes that rights should be exercised conscientiously, which includes taking personal responsibility for pregnancy prevention and society's responsibility to provide education, health care and economic security that will enable women to prevent unwanted pregnancy and have the children they want in a climate that welcomes all.

The provision of HIV/AIDS care also attracts a great deal of attention. Both secular and religious organizations participate in caring for people who are HIV+ or living with AIDS.  The Catholic hierarchy is proud that it provides 27 percent of the world's AIDS care. If the church's providers are best-placed and best-equipped to deliver services, that's great. But if that health care is flawed and does not follow best practices, then patients are sold short, as are taxpayers-who pay for it.

The Catholic hierarchy's HIV/AIDS care is a prime example of publicly funded but deficient health care, driven as it is by conservatives who vigorously oppose the use of condoms, even by a married couple when one partner is infected and the other is not. We know that many brave individuals work for Catholic charities around the world, risking their jobs by handing out condoms. But is that any way to run a health-care system? Would the Good Samaritan send an HIV+ husband away without a means of protecting his wife from infection?

Earlier this year, Catholic bishops in the US showed how far they would go to enforce their conservative interpretation of Catholic teaching. Their lobby decoupled vital family planning services that can prevent mother-child transmission of HIV/AIDS from a major development bill. The beneficiary? Catholic Charities, which will receive many, many millions of government dollars for overseas programs. Taxpayers-Catholic and non-Catholic-are rightly horrified by such activities, as support for international family planning and condom use is almost universal.

A Catholics for Choice poll of Catholics in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines and the US found significant majorities believe that "using condoms is prolife because it prevents the spread of AIDS" and that government-funded Catholic hospitals must "include condoms as parts of AIDS prevention." The bishops are not listening. But our governments should, and deny funds to any organization that refuses to provide condoms or work in partnerships to guarantee that those at risk receive the support they need.

The Catholic hierarchy is not alone in enforcing its religious beliefs on others. Evangelical Christian groups, using substantial government funding, push abstinence-only education in many overseas programs. These programs, ineffective at best, dangerous at worst, fail to give comprehensive information about sexuality and STIs, and should be rejected in favor of programs that reflect best practices as recommended by public health experts.

Examples of how the system is not working should not overshadow the enormous good done by many groups, religious and secular. But if we are truly to help those in need, we should not shortchange them in the care we offer.  Development aid is vital, but it should go toward programs-secular or religious-that represent the best health-care programs we have to offer, and not those that put sectarian ideologies ahead of the needs of the poor and powerless.

This article originally appeared in the 15 May 2008 edition of Dagen.