"We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children."
-Pope, Paragraph 14- Unlawful Birth Control Methods
This quote from Humanae Vitae is basically saying that any use of birth control, plan b, or trying any way to prevent pregnancy from occurring is unlawful in the eyes of God. Not letting nature take its natural course is a sin against God. The paragraph is explaining how you shouldn't be able to regulate the number of children with contraceptives, God and nature will make that decision for you.
What the Pope is arguing for here is extremely offensive. I Understand that he believes that people shouldn't get abortions because it is killing new life, but I don't he think he should have a right to tell people that it isn't okay to prevent creating life. The Pope's argument has terrible political and social identity as well as psychological identity because it is directed at millions of women all around the world. He is trying to make everyone believe that his beliefs are the way the world should believe as well. He believes it is the only right way. In the psychological sense it takes a toll on women as well because women start to think they are sinning by trying to prevent themselves from having children. He completely takes over the freedom of choice and makes everyone feel guilty for their actions. He overlooks the fact that people have a right to choose whether or not they create life. Isn't it better to prevent creating life if the children aren't wanted at the time, or if the woman was planning on having an abortion anyway? Wouldn't you think that preventing that life from even happening is a better alternative? The Pope's argument here makes it clear that he doesn't think women's freedom of choice should be an option when it comes to creation. Women don't have a voice, they should let nature make the choices for them.
I think the Pope's argument is wrong and I completely disagree with what he is saying. I don't think a women using birth control is a direct intention to interrupt the number of children she wants to have, it's just a precaution for women. Maybe they aren't financially stable at the moment, they don't have a reliable spouse, they aren't ready to be parents. I think that birth control should be available to women because most of the time the women are the ones that are faced with the hardships of single motherhood. Women shouldn't have to feel guilty for using birth control. It's a right and freedom of choice. The Pope seems to be comparing it to abortion in a way but it's nothing like that because there is no baby even born yet. Yes, I agree that abortion is a sin, a crime or whatever and that it is tragic and terrible. BUT preventing a child from being born isn't killing anything, there is nothing to be killed. It's just a preventable method!! When and how you decide to have children shouldn't be connected to a completely different issue (abortion) because it is being put into the wrong context.
Birth control was created as a way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and to protect women. Half of the time women only use it as a way to control their menstrual cycle from being so strong. The Pope argues that preventing the creation of life is a sin and it shouldn't happen, but it's better than actually killing something that has already been created. Using contraceptives is not the same as getting an abortion, it just isn't and a persons decision to use birth control shouldn't be looked down upon. When it comes to preventing pregnancy It is, and always should be about the freedom of choice.
I do not think it is ok that the Pope makes women feel they are sinning if they dont want to create life. The Pope is very heavy on his beliefs and i agree he does become quite offending in his words. Just because a woman chooses to use birth control or other ways to prevent creating life does not mean she is trying to play God. I just believe the Pope should be a little more open to other's views and not so strong and extensive about his own. I do not believe it is unlawful to use birth control methods.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your statements on using birth control. Parenthood isn't something that can be taken lightly, and I feel like through the Pope's opinions of it (as well as many others), he's sort of brushing it off as if any waking minute of your life is the perfect time to have a child. Millions of factors come into play, like you said, such as financial stability, reliable partner, etc. It's also common for women who want to have children to use birth control methods for health reasons, such as hormonal imbalances, and it's through these methods that these women are able to conceive. And isn't that what the Pope wants through marriage? I feel that some people get too caught up in thinking that everyone who takes birth control only takes it so they can be reckless, when in reality, there's many other aspects of birth control methods that need to be taken into account.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a valid point you make, that preventing measures are not considered 'killing' an unborn child. If there was never a child being conceived, then it was basically nothing. And just because they prevented the conception doesn't mean that it was actually going to happen. A lot of the time, women will find that it is actually harder to get pregnant than they think. The Pope is so strict on what is considered preventing, basically including contraceptives as a form of abortion. One can tell that reproduction is something that is very dear to his heart, and he will fight for it.
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