Medicine: Sportswomen Sterile?

A fact: most women who are skilful in vigorous sports do not have babies. Another fact: some able sportswomen do have babies. For lack of reliable vital statistics it is moot whether the lack of babies among women athletes is a social or a biological phenomenon.

Nonetheless, the semi-official Vatican newspaper, Osservatore Romano, last week announced to the Roman Catholic world that Roman Catholic women must henceforth renounce athletics. The theory: excessive sports make single women sterile and reduce the possibilities of married women having more children. Pontificated the Vatican newspaper:...

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