Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood president, recently asked women to submit videos to PP with the tag line “I have a say.” However, Father Holowell takes the opportunity to send out his own video with sharp words towards both Richards and the most infamous abortion mill around.
If I may add some of my own thoughts first, I am saddened to hear Richards’ attempt to speak for women, as though we are dominated by men in a society that seeks to keep our reproductive rights from being ours {as if we own our bodies to begin with}. The truth is, if Richards actually spoke to women who know how their bodies work, love how nature/God/biology* has made their body, and work with their body to plan family size rather than relying on the statistical gambling that is called birth control, she would see that most educated women actually understand the harmful effects of birth control. Further, we also see very clearly that birth control is what truly oppresses women. Men created birth control…to objectify women, to tell them how their bodies should and should not work, to ultimately objectify the sexual act. It is no surprise that it is all hidden under the guise of women being “free” or “liberated” as a result of popping pills or sticking things in their bodies. Let me repeat: there is nothing about birth control that screams “freedom” or “liberation.” I’ve got news for women like Cecile who want to truly oppress women. Those of us who know how our bodies work see birth control for what it is. Control. Over women. Control that truly denigrates us as women. We are smarter than this and should not fall for the lies that PP and other pro-contraception folks want us to believe. What disturbs me further is that Cecile paints birth control as “healthcare.”
One simple question I’d like to pose to Cecile: Exactly what does birth control heal?
It truly disgusts me that this comes down to promotion of self over the good of others. We have allowed society to paint women as us vs. them. Sorry, but I’m not offended by a group of men simply because they are men. If a group of people are acting in the best interest of women {and I know of many, many men who love women more than we love ourselves} then disregarding their opinion or conclusion based on sex is…sexist.
One last thing that chaps my hide before I let you listen to the good Father’s own words for Cecile. Why are we talking about birth control as though it is some hidden drug that is hard to find and no one has access to? We all know Planned Parenthood throws contraception around like candy – it is almost a point of pride for them, second to abortions {which they also tout as contraception -RU486, anyone?}, that they distribute contraception for the masses {directed at minorities such as myself, which deeply offends me}. So, proponents of the HHS mandate such as Richards are either saying that Planned Parenthood is doing a terrible job of passing out contraception or that you can’t get it at any old place {such as the grocery store, drug store, gas station, elementary schools – don’t get me started on that one}.
You can’t have it both ways. You can’t convince women who are truly empowered with the knowledge of how their bodies work that popping pills or sticking drug-filled devices in our bodies or even throwing away condoms {um, is that very green??} is good for us or our environment. You can’t convince us that the general public can’t find contraception without this mandate.
As a fellow Texan who actually photographed her momma when she was governor of our great state, I am deeply offended, saddened, and want to issue my own personal challenge to Cecile, who is past child-bearing age to consider my thoughts on this. She doesn’t speak for me. I am a child-bearing woman who understands exactly what my body was designed for…and I love and believe in a faith that teaches that I am made to be good and do good. Not succumb to what society thinks is “good” for me. No thanks, Cecile. You can’t sell me something I know is poison for my body.
No, Cecile, you don’t speak for me.
Does she speak for you?
*I am in no way dismissing what the Church teaches or denying that God is the ultimate Creator, but rather uniting a common belief that contraception is not just wrong, but bad for our health with non-Catholics who share this same view and do not use contraception for non-religious reasons.
