Social Commentary: Contraception and the Church

I was born into a Roman Catholic family. Therefore, I was born a Roman Catholic. This, of course, involved no choice on my part. Just as you can't choose what family you are born into, you have no choice as to what religion you will practice - at least for the early part of your life. So it was with me. I received a healthy (unhealthy?) dose of Catholic indoctrination (some would say brainwashing!) for the first 9 years (K-8th grade) of my schooling at The Madonna Parochial School and Parish in Fort Lee, NJ. And, in the beginning, I absorbed all that dogma like a dry sponge soaks up spilled milk. I was a pious little acolyte, serving as an Altar Boy and even working in the Parish offices. I received my First Holy Communion decked out in a white tuxedo and was Confirmed as an adult in the Church. I studied and prayed earnestly in an effort to understand the Mysteries of the Universe as preached by the Apostolic and Universal Roman Catholic Faith. And then I grew up.

As I came to a greater understanding of the world and my place in it, I began to turn further and further away from the Church's teachings. There were just so many inconsistancies in their doctrine that I could no longer justify. To me, Jesus seemed to preach one thing while the Church preached another. Jesus seemed to be all about love and acceptance while the Church just got bogged down in rules and restrictions. It was all so simple to me and the Church just kept mucking things up with all that dogma!! Jesus preached Love All - ALL. The Church said love SOME. It was if the Church couldn't see the forest through the trees.

The Catholic Church also claims to be an active, growing religion. However, whenever a new social concept is introduced for consideration by the Church, it always relies on traditions that were created 2,000 years ago and resists changing i.e. growing. There is nothing wrong with observing ancient traditions so long as they don't prevent you from functioning in a modern, constantly changing world. I understand that people resist change and there is comfort in relying on time-tested principals. However, when that resistance to change prevents an entity from growing and progressing to meet the needs of the Faithful, it can be a stultifying influence.

So it is with the latest controversy surround the Church. The Obama Administration has proposed legislation that would require Church owned entities that provide public services, like hospitals and nursing homes, to offer access to contraception and reproductive services as part of employee health care benefits. The Administration claims to have taken this step in an effort to provide reproductive services to ALL women. They also point out that over 28 States already have similar legislation in effect. Plus, since these Church entities receive public funding, they should be subject to the same rules that apply to other publicly funded institutions. Of course, the Church, backed by the GOP, is screaming FOUL! The Church, backed by the Republicans, claims that this legislation would force the Government's will on the Church and, specifically, force the Church to go against its own teachings. WTF?! Here we go again with the Church sticking its head in the religious sand and refusing to see the Faithful in a modern light.

First, NO ONE is forcing ANYONE to accept contraception! If you don't believe in using contraception, you don't have to do!! By providing it as part of a health benefits package, it gives you the CHOICE to use contraception or not. Besides, any type of effective health care, including reproductive services, should not be just an OPTION for anyone - It should be a RIGHT. If your religious beliefs prevent you from using birth control, don't take advantage of the program. Second, this is the freakin' 21st Century. The world's population is rapidly approaching 7 billion. Our natural resources are stretched thin. Millions live below the poverty level. Tens of thousands die of thirst and starvation every year. And birth rates in the poorest countries who suffer the most are always the highest. Obviously, we are rapidly approaching the Earth's tipping point. It would be reasonable to ask, "what we can we do to at least slow, if not stop, this trend"? One answer is right in front of us: slow our population growth. And how might we do this? Well, could it be more obvious? We MUST offer easy access to reproductive education and services.

And the Catholic Church resists this? Again, WTF?! Why? Is the Church that out of touch with what's truly happening in the world? In a word, YES! That is why the Catholic Church is hemorrhaging worshippers and has been for many years. Catholic priests are now in short supply. Parishes are collapsing and worshippers have been disappearing. Evangelical Churches, particularly within the Latino communities, have exploded in popularity, particularly at the expense of the Catholic Church. Why? Because those churches offer people a more direct pathway to worship without the layers of rules and dogma as those found in the Catholic Church.

The Church would say that they have two ways to practice birth control: abstinence or the so-called rhythm method. They claim this is nature's and, therefore, god's way. That may be, but it's also outdated. Practicing birth control in this manner is like asking someone to take a buggy ride to get from New York to D.C. instead of flying or taking a train because it's a more natural way to get there!! Get real. The Church could finally do something right if it could only get its head out its ass.