By Jim Tonkowich
On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled that girls as young as 15 must have access to over-the-counter “emergency” contraception, to the so-called “morning-after pill.” According to NPR, while Planned Parenthood was pleased with the decision, other pro-abortion groups were incensed and vowed to fight so that children 14 years old and younger can buy all the contraceptives they want.
Now “Plan B” is not an abortion pill. That is, it works to prevent pregnancy if taken soon after sex, but will not cause a miscarriage if a woman is already pregnant (at least not usually). For that, you still need a prescription — at least for now.
I read this story in light of the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview‘s annual Wilberforce Award banquet that I attended on Saturday. Named for William Wilberforce (1759-1833), the great British Christian, politician, abolitionist, and social reformer, “the Wilberforce Award recognizes courageous leaders who are making an impact on the social ills of the day, showing perseverance and selflessness in combating injustice and making a positive change in the values and character of society.”
This year the honor went to Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “in recognition of Dolan’s efforts on behalf of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty in America…”
While Cardinal Dolan didn’t mention the morning-after pill, his remarks upon receiving the award speak directly to the culture — or possibly the utter lack of a culture — that believes so urgently in contraception for little girls.
“The human project,” he told us, “is about babies. A man and a woman are made for babies. Culture is all about babies. Our lives are at their best when centered not upon ourselves, but upon babies.”
After discussing the sending of a baby as God’s plan for our salvation, he went on to comment, “Culture is simply humanity’s best effort to protect the baby, the mother, the father. Culture’s purpose is to embrace, nurture, and protect the baby, the mother, the dad and to see that this precious infant has the embrace of the community to grow in age and wisdom until — guess what? — the baby is an adult, can tenderly and faithfully love a spouse, have his or her own baby, and the sacred cycle begins again.”
If that’s true, he said, and it is, then our culture is in jeopardy. We are redefining “the nature of the relationship that procreates the baby,” that is, marriage to suit adult proclivities. We zealously promote abortion pills in our health insurance laws and across the globe. Babies have become “choices based on convenience or desire to complete a lifestyle.” Nowhere is that more obvious in the manufacture of babies “unchecked by ethics.” And we are increasingly inhibited from passing on our faith, convictions, and morality to the next generations.
This, he insisted, “is not a culture at all. It might be a brave new world, but it is not a culture.”
While there is a great deal of darkness to curse, Cardinal Dolan lit candles. “To renew and transform a culture,” he said, “calling it back to its basic role of protector of the baby, mother, father, and family is, I propose, very much in the spirit of William Wilberforce.”
We need to reassert, he said, “the law of the gift,” something popularized by John Paul II, yet “as old as God’s Word” and available to everyone in the nature of reality. “The law of the gift holds that we are at our best, we act most in concert with what our Maker intends when we give away in love to another what we most prize in ourselves.”
This law of the gift perfectly obeyed by Christ, he said, is “the battery that energizes the engine of culture.” Using that law to transform “a culture gone astray is a most heroic purpose indeed.”
A culture that wants to be sure that kids 14 and younger have access to contraceptives is wildly disordered. A culture that does not have the moral sense to protect its babies and its children is, as Cardinal Dolan suggested, no culture at all.
But as church historian Robert Louis Wilkin has written, “Christianity is a culture-forming religion, and the planting and growth of Christian communities led to the remaking of the culture of the ancient world along with the creation of a new civilization, or more accurately several new civilizations.”
It can happen again if Christians will live out the law of the gift in our homes, marriages, families, churches, schools, workplaces, communities, and world. It won’t be easy, but it can happen again. And if that seems hard to believe and you need some inspiration, a biography of William Wilberforce is a great place to begin.
This blog post originally appeared as an article on the Religion Today website.
Comment by eMatters on May 3, 2013 at 3:12 pm
Once again, the illusion of consequence-free sex trumps parental rights, medical risks and more.
President Obama, Planned Parenthood and the rest of the radical Left are in favor of all children having unrestricted access to the “Plan B morning-after pill,” though for now the limit is 15 because one judge picked that age. But what if another judge says it is 14, or 10? Elections matter, and this is what you get when you stay at home or don’t understand the worldviews of those you are voting for.
Not only is this terribly dangerous for the children, but it aggressively usurps parental rights. They are saying that as a parent you have no right to know if your kids are having sex or taking powerful drugs. If it is legal for 15 yr. old children to buy them over the counter, why won’t adults buy be able to buy them and give them to kids in schools?
Like so many other birth control methods, this will give a false sense of security and increase pregnancies, abortions, diseases and emotional damage.
In nearly every other area of life and health 15 yr. olds are treated as not having the ability to make important decisions: Voting, alcohol, smoking, military service, whether to go to school, whether to take Advil at school without parental consent, drive, get tattoos, curfews and more. Yet the Left wants this powerful drug available to your daughters and sons and grandchildren.
I’m waiting for statutory rapists and pedophiles to use this and similar Leftist actions as a blanket defense. If 15 yr. old girls are mature enough to consent to sex with those 17 or younger and to purchase strong medicines by themselves, what is morally significant about their partners being 18 or over? “But your honor, the State considers the 15 yr. old to be mature enough to consent to sex with a 17 yr. old and to buy these powerful drugs. Why isn’t she mature enough to consent to sex with an 18 yr. old, or a 21 yr. old, or a 31 yr. old?”
And note that sales aren’t limited to girls. Just think about all the guys who will buy these pills and use them as part of their seduction schemes. “Just take this pill tomorrow and there will be no consequences” — right?!
Worse yet, many of the extremists don’t want an age limit at all. And in a sense they’ve already achieved their goal. Since 15 yr. old children can’t drive they typically don’t have identification, so pharmacies will ultimately have to take their word for it.
Comment by Marco Bell on May 3, 2013 at 4:27 pm
Very good article from a non-reproductive Catholic, whose work is no doubt worthy of distinction. Congratulations Cardinal Dolan!
Too bad the image used in the article wasn’t flopped, so that the pregnant woman would have her wedding band on her left hand. As it is now, it would appear that she isn’t married… Ooops!
Comment by bronzebrunette20 on May 5, 2013 at 12:31 pm
This is bullshit.
Why not worry about yourself and not interfere in the lives of others?
Comment by skotiad on May 6, 2013 at 10:02 am
Interesting point of view. Is that typical of all people your age?
Last time I checked, “worrying about yourself” was called “selfishness” or “narcissism.” Maybe you hadn’t heard about this, but Christians are called to do something called “love of neighbor,” though you appear to call it “interfering in the lives of others.” Most people would say that saving lives is a good thing, including the life of a very defenseless and voiceless unborn child. Children matter, families matter. What is there about this that you cannot grasp? Try looking outside yourself, it’s a fascinating world out here.
Comment by Marco Bell on May 7, 2013 at 8:10 pm
Dear Skotiad,
The responder (Bronzebrunette20) was simply stating her opinion, which happens to be the same as mine, and millions of women who think Christians have enough to worry about without telling them, they must go full term with a baby that isn’t wanted.
And it’s not indicative of age, but of so many other things that Life throws at you.
Unwanted pregnancies can be undone, thankfully!
Raise your own children, and leave other parents to decide what is best for their circumstances… Thank you.
Comment by eMatters on May 8, 2013 at 9:42 am
@Marco Bell — Abortions “undo” unwanted pregnancies in the same way that infanticide or any other murder does. It kills an innocent human being. Using your logic, parents could kill toddlers if it was “best for their circumstances.”
Comment by skotiad on May 8, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Mark thinks it’s OK to kill someone who is inconvenient. I can accept people who have different points of view, but it just doesn’t fit with his “compassionate” label.
“Unwanted pregnancies can be undone, thankfully!” Yes, isn’t that great? What an advance in human ethical thought! Maybe we can progress as far as the Dutch and snuff out the elderly. Someone over the age of 60 ought to be careful about gloating that inconvenient people can be killed with a good conscience. Being on the receiving end of that “compassion” might not be so pleasant.
Compassion, inclusion, caring about the vulnerable and the marginalized… ah, liberalism SOUNDS so good, until you see how they actually feel about human lives. No conscience at all. See what passes for “thought” among the artsy crowd, no commitment in marriage, no commitment to any child they might happen to conceive, just a life centered on pleasure and no sense of loyalty to anyone else. I guess these people are hoping that the “compassionate” Kermit Gosnell becomes a hero.
Comment by raybnnstr on May 9, 2013 at 6:36 am
I’m glad we’re able to click on the links to people’s web pages. Not exactly pleasant to see how people in their 20s toss logic and common sense aside, while fancying themselves to be “caring,” but we do need to be aware of this situation. Reading bronzebrunette’s “reflections” had the effect of making me glad I’m NOT young, as I can find no common ground with people who care nothing for others and who fancy themselves at the center of the universe. Our educational system has had the unfortunate effect of producing people supremely selfish but with a righteous attitude that would put the Pharisees to shame. America, you have this to look forward to: a generation with no respect for life, no concern whatsoever for the helpless, and completely intolerant of other points of view.
Comment by Marco Bell on May 9, 2013 at 8:45 pm
Dear Raybnnster,
You needn’t blame our educational system for Bronzebrunette20’s opinion.
It is simply her opinion, and it apparently upsets you, but that’s also understandable, given that you seem to find pleasure in being a voyeur by trolling our webpage or Facebook page. But that’s okay too, if it helps you to put a face to our religious and political positions. Why we aren’t given the same option is also understandable. I’m a visual person, and I’ve already imagined
how you might look, so we’ll leave it at that!
I truly do enjoy these exchanges, but I’m becoming aware that some of the bloggers are beginning to encroach on my personal space a bit more than I find comfortable, so I’m saying adieu to you and to the rest of the ‘group’ for an undetermined time.
I wish you all the best in your Life, and I hope your daily struggles are guided by the Holy Spirit. Oh, and let us all know how many of the unwanted babies you will be adopting.
Peace be upon you my friend. oxox
Comment by eMatters on May 11, 2013 at 3:02 pm
“Oh, and let us all know how many of the unwanted babies you will be adopting.”
It was predictable that he would use that fallacy at some point. It is a go-to canard for pro-aborts. But protesting an immoral act does not obligate you to take care of its victims. Just as you can protest child abuse without having to adopt all the children, you don’t have to adopt children before you can protest the crushing and dismembering of innocent human beings in the womb. It is a remarkably simple concept, yet pro-aborts either can’t or won’t see it.
Having said that, I’ve been a volunteer/donor/board member at a pregnancy center for over 10 years. We help the needy with our own time and money, so unlike people like Marco, we are doing something about the problems.
And I know countless Christians who have adopted and our church is very active in helping people with adoptions.
So once again, a major failure for pro-abortion reasoning.
Comment by Donnie on May 8, 2013 at 9:04 am
Since Roe V Wade has been the law of the land, there has been over 50 million abortions. That’s 50 million babies murdered in cold blood.
According to Wikipedia, the current population of Canada is 33 million. Imagine if the entire population of your homeland, plus 17 million was murdered in one fell swoop.
Comment by Marco Bell on May 8, 2013 at 10:30 am
Donnie,
If all you can fixate on, is the reduction of population by abortion, then you are taking a very short-sighted perspective regarding demographic dynamics.
Those abortions represent more human suffering than just the lack of deliverable babies over half a century. You will never be able to surmise the conditions under which those decisions came about, so it seems overly simplistic to think that an entire population of a country, like Canada would cease to exist by using those numbers to (poorly) illustrate it.
If every one of those pregnancies were delivered, it’s probably likely that you would be complaining that they are draining the public coffers by trying to support them, as there would no doubt be some depending upon Government support.
Please be realistic in your perspective. Not every sperm needs a name, and not every pregnancy will come to fruition. Freedom of CHOICE!
Comment by raybnnstr on May 9, 2013 at 6:48 am
Donnie, they don’t think, they just repeat the cliches: “Freedom of choice!” They find some phrase that will fit on a bumper sticker, then just repeat it over and over, the way a three-year-old gets stuck on some phrase they like the sound of. They can’t grasp that the “choice” to kill a human being is a BAD choice, then they turn around and pretend they care about “the planet” so, heck, the best way to care for the planet is, kill millions of children. I don’t understand people who hate human life, I just can’t grasp that.
Comment by Donnie on May 9, 2013 at 9:36 am
Marco,
Another thing to consider. One of the more tragic consequences of abortion is how it has provided perfect cover for sex offenders. Many young girls are forced into abortions to cover up crimes committed by dads, uncles, brothers, adult boyfriends, etc. Planned Parenthood actively coaches them into lying and overlooking why they got pregnant in the first place. Even VERY young children. 12 year olds…
And as an aside, one of my favorite bloggers, The Anchoress, once pointed out “If it’s not a baby, you’re not pregnant.” Certainly one of the best secular rejoinders to pro-abortion lunacy I’ve ever heard.