I was going to write a post for today, but then one of my children got a mild case of food poisoning. While we were jammed into arena seats at a performance of Disney on Ice. I'll leave it to your imagination as to how that all played out, and will only remark that it's a shame that that $12 souvenir hat had to be put to such an unfortunate use.
Since I am in no position to write anything original today, other than perhaps a post about how to offer profuse apologies to the people seated in front of you at Disney on Ice, I will take the opportunity to introduce you to one of my favorite writers: Kristen Walker.
For those of you who don't already follow her, Walker is a blogger for Live Action and the Vice President of the New Wave Feminists. What I love about her writing is that it's fearless, concise, and often really funny. She has a way of making her points in a way that catches your attention and makes you see familiar issues from a fresh perspective. For example, in a column about tax-payer-funded birth control, she writes:
People who have sex for fun are having sex for recreation. That’s what doing something for fun is. I enjoy bowling, weaving, kayaking, and such. Some people enjoy sex. Whatever.
Recreational activities should not be covered for free under any health care plan.
"But I could get an STD having sex without condoms!"
Yes, and I could bust my toe open bowling. Insurance plans will pay for my busted toe care and your shot of penicillin. But insurance won’t -- and shouldn't -- pay for steel-toed bowling shoes. Why? Because bowling is a recreational activity, and so is non-procreative sex.
Do you have a right to have sex? Sure! Why not? I have a right to bowl, eat spaghetti, drive a tractor, and thumb-wrestle with my coworkers during lunch. But no employer, taxpayer, or anybody other than me has the obligation to provide preventive "care" to make sure I can do those things without any repercussions which I may deem negative. This is why I have to buy my own bowling shoes, spaghetti bib, tractor...helmet?, and thumb-wrestling...cape. Yeah, cape.
Walker also introduced me to what I now think of as Snakes on a Plane Intellectual Honesty when she wrote:
I have this habit -- and I suggest you save time and energy and just go ahead and find it charming -- of calling TV shows what they actually are. I got the idea from the movie Snakes on a Plane. I never saw the movie, but I appreciated the directness of the title. I like that it just cuts to the chase and tells you, "Hey, this is about snakes on a plane," instead of calling it something like Dangerous Altitude, and then you go see it and it’s just snakes on a plane. And you're like, "Hey, that was just snakes on a plane!"
...Which was part of a larger point about how shows like Grey's Anatomy (or, Sexy Hospital) fuel the demand for abortion by glamorizing "hook-up" culture:
This is something I’m always hammering away at, and so should you be: abortion does not exist in a vacuum. It starts with viewing sex as something fun to do instead of something that was designed to lead to babies. Abortion is the effect, not the cause, of a tragic formula. Sex – nature = death. When we try to divorce sex from its natural purpose, we get problems. We get unwanted pregnancies, broken hearts, broken homes, diseases, and death.
Walker has also shared the must-read story of her own pro-choice to pro-life conversion, including this touching story about her mother:
My mom was a 27-year-old mother of two working in the food service industry when she became pregnant. Her boyfriend, upon finding out she was pregnant, surprised her by taking off and never coming back. Then the sonogram surprised her by revealing two heartbeats. That’s right: twins.
She considered abortion briefly, in a moment of panic, but not seriously. She says she thought about it the way you sometimes think about doing something you know you’ll never do. It was a momentary fantasy born of desperation, but it was never an option. She credits prayer with getting her through the next few years until she met the man who would become my brothers' father. My mom has a strong will, and she was determined to be positive. She put a magnet on the refrigerator so she would see it every day. It said, "A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on." I remember it being there for years.
I also appreciate the fact that Walker isn't afraid to shy away from tough questions, like when she raises this issue facing the pro-life movement:
I consider the practical, tangible results of an end to abortion, and I see that many problems will result. Unless changes are made in the way young people perceive and learn about sex, and unless a major shift occurs in the average American’s approach toward personal responsibility, we are going to be in trouble. If about one million more babies are born every year to mothers who are not prepared to take care of them, the strain on various government aid programs -- WIC, Medicaid, etc. -- will be disastrous to an already struggling federal system.
You probably hear anti-lifers throw out this rhetorical question all the time: "What are we supposed to do with all those new babies?" I usually reply with, "It's a complicated problem, but I know what the answer isn't: kill them in the womb."
However, while we reject their evil Nazi idea that it’s better these children were never born, we’d better take the problem they bring up seriously if we want good lives for those children, and a solvent America for them to grow up in.
And, like all great writers, everything she says is infused with an underlying sense of hope. When discussing the utter lack of media coverage of the annual March for Life, she says:
Meanwhile, do not let your hearts be troubled. It’s easy to get angry -- trust me, I know -- but this should actually make us glad. If they weren’t afraid of us, they wouldn’t go out of their way to ignore us. Doesn’t it remind you of when someone gives you the silent treatment? Their petulant refusal to look in our direction or speak to us reminds me of a twelve-year-old girl whose sister broke her hair dryer. It is not the behavior of unconcerned dismissal, but focused, deliberate denial of a very scary truth:
We are winning.
You can read Kristen's posts at Live Action here and follow her on Twitter here. Enjoy! And now, I'm off to clean up from the aftermath from Food Poisoning in Crowded Stadium, err, Disney on Ice.
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Fnding myself as the father of a 3 year old girl, who is unlikely to stay that way…
It scares the bleep out of me what society does to girls/women. I traded in the concept of pro “choice” and the culture of death, as it is appropriately known, over the course of the past 3 years and 9 months. Aside from changing my perspective, an epiphany, if you will, I feel educating her with the (I love this) snakes on a plane straight talk will help. I need toget myself educated first.
Honestly, a part of me was more content, if not blissfully ignorant, with my past mindset. As I grew in devotion, as Christ opened my eyes, I can only say that what I say horrified me. And to think I would send my innocent little girl unaware into our Kafka-esque culture which has some girls cheering for, if not demanding, their own self destruction. But I ramble on. Sometimes we males delude ourselves into thinking we know everything that’s going on. The point is I don’t, and I appreciate the insights as I try with Christs help to raise my children. Being a woman seems like an amazing thing and I want my daughter to love it and live it.
The saddest part about this post is when you went to Disney on Ice.
Thank you for letting us know about her so I can let my young adult children know they are not alone in their views on babies, love, sex, etc. Their views mirror Ms. Walkers.
Sorry about the sickness…..one Christmas morning we entered early Mass to celebrate the birth of Jesus and left just as quickly after one of my children spewed chocolate donuts - a special Christmas morning treat - all over. Our pastor was forgiving and dismissed our offer to have the carpets cleaned.
That is a great pro-life message: “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” Here is one I took from a punk rock song that I like: “And when reality appears digital and the big hankering cometh, I’ll vote Yes for life in the big choice poll. I’ll be glad I did.”—Mike Watt. I try to take those words to heart. @John H.: haha
Jennifer, this is quite the breather for you! No trolls in sight… Nice job, great post. I am going to advocate for preventative care for bowlers now!
If contraception and abortion disappeared tomorrow there would be millions of men and women rethinking their “recreation”. Thanks for the new perspective.
Trusting in God’s Wisdom
There once was a man who proclaimed he did not believe in God. “God could never love anyone and if he existed, I would insist that he prove it to me”, he often proclaimed to friends. “God takes lives all the time and the poor and down-trodden are first on the menu”, he would say further. Even though the man was often kind to people all throughout his life, he believed that one should live life to the fullest in every way. He also believed strongly that a woman had every right to an abortion, and if she chose to do so, it was her business only.
One day the man found himself in front of an abortion clinic watching women walk in as protestors were praying and begging the pregnant women not to go in the clinic. A woman who was protesting began talking loudly to a young pregnant woman who was walking into the clinic. This immediately enraged the man and he began yelling at and cursing the woman who was protesting and others began to join in.
The young woman walking into the clinic became scared and upset at both the woman protesting and the man, and immediately turned and ran away from the clinic. This enraged the man and others even more and they escalated their yelling and insults toward the woman protestor. The woman protestor cried and left the scene.
Many, many years later the man was in a serious car accident and was thrown from the car. As he lay dying, many people consoled him as an ambulance rushed to the scene. A young priest who had also been called to the scene began to perform last rites. The man, although in terrible pain and very terrified, gruffly said to the priest, “Don’t waste your breath with that prayer, Father, I’m not a Catholic and even if I was, God has never gone out of his way to help me – take a good look”.
The priest gently smiled at the man and stopped saying the last rites. After a few seconds, the priest began to softly recite the Divine Chaplet of Mercy. “For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have Mercy on us and the whole world”, he recited over and over. The man peacefully passed into darkness.
Suddenly, a great light engulfed the man along with great love. The man was more afraid than ever as he knew he was in the presence of God. He asked what was happening and who it was that he was speaking to. He asked this because he could only see one form but felt there were others in the area as well.
“I am Jesus, Son of the Living God, and you have been born to a new life. We are here to judge your life on earth”. Immediately, as in a video, the man began to see his entire life in review. The good and the bad.
Many times when he helped the poor, other times when he freely partook in sins of the flesh. Times when he helped the elderly, and times when he intentionally hurt other people. The life review seemed to stop as quickly as it had started and the man felt ashamed.
Quickly, however, the man recovered, and recalled what he had said to friends during his life. “What chance did I have when my creator never showed any effort to reach out to me with love?” “Why did you not even try a little to help save me from myself?”.
The Lord looked lovingly at the man and played back the life scene in front of the abortion clinic. The man was mortified as he watched himself become enraged. He was overcome with resign and asked the Lord what happened to the woman protestor who had left the scene those many years ago.
The Lord responded, “She was called to me a few days later, she had accomplished her mission”.
“And what of the woman that decided not to have an abortion that day?”, he asked.
“She bore a healthy son and passed to me after childbirth, she had accomplished her mission”.
The man looked down and felt very sad. He slowly looked up and softly said to the Lord, “I wish I would have met her son; that I could know what he looks like and see how he turned out in life”. But, I never did, and yet you show me these images anyway.” Lord, can you not show me one instance in my life where you went out of your way even a little bit to show the extent of your love for me”?
“You met her son at the twilight of your life”, said the Lord, “He will be joining us soon – he has accomplished his mission”. “Come, let us go to heaven”.
The man felt happy, relieved, and curious all at once, and felt compelled to ask Jesus two final questions. “Who was this woman’s son and what was his mission?” , asked the man.
“He was a simple priest who believed in God’s Mercy, and you were his mission”, responded three voices.
@Mark-Isn’t it wild how a new life can open your eyes and heart? I suggest you read Blessed John Paul 2’s “Love and Resposibility” and “Theology of the Body”. They will help you and in turn help you in forming and informing your little Princess as to her true value in God’s eyes and the type of treatment she deserves from any man in her life.
As for all these extra babies, adoptions would be up because a majority of people prefer adopting babies.
Posted by Catholc on Monday, Apr 30, 2012 8:55 PM (EST):
Trusting in God’s Wisdom
THANK YOU for this post!!!!
/ Spotted the following on the net /
New Pro-Life Slogans
Journalist/Author Dave MacPherson has composed these baby-saving slogans: “Unborn babies should have the right to keep and bear arms - and legs and ears and eyes etc.!” and “Unborn babies should have the same right to be born alive that abortionists had!”
Off-topic: I just put together a rough draft of a Choose Your Own Adventure-style dialogue on the issue of abortion. It’s pretty comprehensive, or as much as I could make it.
Anyone here up for proofreading? (Playtesting?) Google the name of my blog (Prodigal No More) and leave a comment if you are.
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