Hot Topic: Contraception, the Catholic Church, and Women's Health
In case you didn’t already know, it’s 2012.
Here I am, an independent 24 year old woman with a degree, running my own business, with no plans to get married or have children in the near future. It’s crazy to think that just a few decades ago, this wouldn’t have been normal. I’d probably be wearing a skirt, a corset, and some nylons instead of pants right now. Luckily, the fashion world is open to change; I can’t say the same about politics and religion.
So, this being 2012 and all, I’m appalled with the fact that just last week, not one woman was invited to take part in a panel about women’s health and religious freedom. I understand the religious debate over contraception— I went to Christian grade schools and all-girls Catholic high school. We were mostly taught abstinence, and if abstinence didn’t work, we were not to mess with the precious gift of life. It wasn’t until after did I finally understand that contraception wasn’t negative, unhealthy, or evil. Actually, for many women, contraception is a savior.
As the issues regarding religion and contraception continue to unfold, I urge you to take a look at this essay by Malcolm Gladwell. Published by the New Yorker in the year 2000, “John Rock’s Error” illustrates the invention of the Pill by a devout Catholic, whose efforts to create a contraceptive solution that pleased the Church ended up creating repercussions that will impact women’s health for years to come.
Interestingly, our nation is treading a similar path as Dr. John Rock did more than sixty years ago. He let his own religious ideologies decide what is right for all women when he developed and distributed the Pill.
John Rock made an error. Hopefully our country’s decision makers won’t do the same.
