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.
I make it a general rule not to have idiots speak for me.
(come on… let’s start a trend of responses)
No, Cecile, you don’t speak for me either!
She doesn’t speak for me!
Thank you for this post, Martina. I’m so happy I found your blog recently. You said exactly what was on my heart and you said it so eloquently. She absolutely does not speak for me!
I will go to jail. I will die for my church. No, Cecile. You do not speak for me. Continue to pray for Mr. Obama and Miss Richards.
I haven’t had much of a chance to get into this yet, but I do know one thing for ABSOLUTE CERTAIN: The people who make up PP and that like are the very last ones who would ever allow someone who disagrees with them to “have a say”. That’s totally laughable that they would come up with such a slogan. They don’t mean it.
Fabulous, Martina! I am also offended, as a Hispanic, that PP targets my people and other minorities as if we were some unwanted culture! Cecile does not speak for me! I do not want to poison my body with artificial agents and then in turn pollute the Earth! No thanks, this Catholic has a brain that can understand basic reproductive biology and can figure out how my own body works…no need for junk in me to do it the easy way and then hurt me and others in the process!
Fr. Hollowell sure has a way with words. I’m so pleased to see one of our priests so vocally involved. There are now opposing campaigns going on, telling Cecile Richards and Planned Parenthood that they don’t speak for us! I’m posting photos on my blog, http://www.DesignsByBirgit.com
No Cecile! You do not speak for me!
Cecil Richards does NOT speak for me…I only rely on one voice of authority and since He is the Creator of the Universe, I want to follow him.
I agreed with LAURA RODRIGUEZ. Thank You!
Loved the post and Fr. H’s challenge to Ms Richards. AMEN!
Since 5th grade in Miss Hamilton’s Class I have had a Voice! One that got me into trouble plenty as I learned the lessons of not talking in class without permission and writing those pages of “I will nots….” which she promptly shredded in front of me after all that writing; and now ……. I write everyday….. and the voice in me guided by The Holy Spirit having given me the decency of a well formed conscience, the moral courage to take a stand and a set of pipes that cry out regularly on injustice and man’s inhumanity to man…… has NO PROBLEM speaking out in a loud voice …… you do not speak for me, Ms. Richards!
PP is trying to racially cleanse our society, control populations until they are erased from this society, a wolf disguised in sheep’s clothing and pandering to the youth in our culture of diversity making birth control, abortion and any aid available to seduce women into thinking that they are helping to provide “choices” to them to help in creating a better life ……
Advertising and marketing spend so much energy in their media selling products to women to have their bodies so completely pristine and to rid them of every natural function that women don’t know how their bodies work and if Mother Teresa of Calcutta can educate uneducated, poor and very humble women in countries she has served showing them how to regulate their births without harming themselves or going against their culture or the teachings of the Church then it only makes sense that educated, prosperous, modern women of our culture can learn the same …. it’s not that complicated and doesn’t take that much time to educate one’s self on the biological cycle and have a thermometer and calendar handy…..
I do not want my tax dollars nor my charitable donations used by the federal government to provide birth control for the promiscuous or lazy, the self centered and liberal …..
And in lieu of writing a novella, I will wrap up my rant by adding that the “good Catholic girl” in me, also has the well formed conscience and the compassion to know that we do not have to like these organizations or their misguided leaders…. but we do have to pray for them ….. and pray against them ….. but mostly pray for them and their conversion and ….revelation and the hardest thing of all …. to do what God asks of us ……to love them………
I am an advocate of all life, the born and unborn, the elderly and infirm, I have no children of my own, a blessing I never received ….. but am a mother to many…. and I will “not go quiet” over these issues, Roe v Wade was passed when I was in High School, and that was a long time ago!! So, this is a 39 year old War, at least …… too many casualties……and I pray that I see an end to it in my lifetime.
Peace & Love
I am so proud of Fr. Holowell and I am so glad he is standing with us in the Pro-Life movement. We need more good priests like him who are so articulate to voice “I HAVE A SAY!” I am praying for Ms. Richards and the members of P.P. to have a change of heart like Dr Nathanson long ago who was a top abortionist and then worked to undo some of the damage he did for all those innocents he aborted. My prayer is: “May God have mercy on me, and bless Ms. Richards and the members of P.P.” Fr. Colm Rafferty.