Brazil Plans to Subsidize the Pill

May 29, 04:28 PM

Current Headlines: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva unveiled a $51 million federal plan to subsidize birth-control pills for the poor.

The pills will reportedly be made available at some 3,500 federally funded clinics throughout the Latin American nation, Estado de Sao Paulo reported Tuesday.

The Brazilian government is also planning to expand its free vasectomy program for the poor.

The introduction of the new contraception programs follows a visit to Brazil earlier this month by Pope Benedict. Catholic leaders in Brazil -- the world's largest Catholic country -- have criticized federal programs involving birth control, contending it promotes greater sexual promiscuity.