The Catholic Church is under growing pressure to relax its ban on artificial contraception as women in some Latin American countries have been advised not to get pregnant for up to two years amid fears over the Zika virus. The official Catholic view is that artificial birth control is forbidden under any circumstances, even to help prevent HIV infection. Church leaders who have spoken out have reaffirmed the catechism teaching that contraception is evil. Father Luciano Brito, spokesman for the area most severely affected, said that Catholics should avoid using birth control, regardless of Zika. A bioethicist and priest at Boston College said, ‘I've never seen this advice before, and when you hear it, you think, “What are the bishops going to do?”’ Pray for adolescents, poor women, and those living in rural areas, who are most likely to be exposed to the virus.