Pope Francis appears open to the use of contraception to halt spread of the Zika virus

For the longest time, the Catholic Church has been against contraceptives, considering them sinful, but during his trip to Latin America, Pope Francis appeared to open the door to compromise in the face of the Zika virus afflicting the region.

In light of the recent outbreak of the Zika virus, most especially in Brazil, the head of the Roman Catholic Church suggested the Church could loosen its stand against contraception among women who are at risk of infection.

According to a report by Yahoo! News, the Pope suggested that women who are at risk or who have already acquired the Zika virus may use contraceptions in order to prevent pregnancies.

"Abortion is not a lesser evil. It is a crime," Pope Francis replied when he was asked how to fight the Zika virus outbreak throughout the continent.

But he pointed out that: "Avoiding a pregnancy is not an absolute evil."

While the Zika virus does not have lingering effects on infected adults, it has been linked to a condition among babies called microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition wherein the child's brain does not fully develop during pregnancy, leading to a smaller head.

Pope Francis explained that the act of abortion is different from avoiding pregnancy. He said that abortion is not a religious evil, but a human evil because one person is killed in order to save another. 

The Pope urged the United Nations to find a cure for the virus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus was first discovered in 1947 in Uganda, and initially affected monkeys. The first humans to contract the virus were discovered in 1952.

The virus' incubation period is reported to last a few days, and its symptoms are similar to other mosquito-related illnesses such as dengue. Symptoms include fever, rashes, muscle and joint pains, and headaches.