Last month, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a final ruling in favor of the right to access in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Costa Rica. This is a win for women and Catholics and a blow to the bishops and conservatives who want to deny individuals the right to decide whether and when to have children.
But I've come to recognize the value of apprehension - because fear which is not squelched or pacified by the mental hocus pocus of pious devotion can be a great motivation for necessary change. Without the thought-stopping effect of 365 biblical "fear-nots," these days, when I am afraid, I have no other option than to actually figure out: What is so terrifying? Why am I scared? What should be done to prevent my fears from materializing in reality? What do I need to do differently?
Judith Shulevitz’s recent New Republic essay on how later parenthood is “upending American society” claims that delaying kids could lead us down a rabbit hole of genetic decline. But the evidence is inconclusive and somewhat anecdotal.
The story told by “The Secret History” isn’t just for Catholics. It gets to the heart of how we all make moral decisions and seek compassionate answers. Ultimately, the film is not just about history, but about how we live our faith today and where we want our church to go. More than that, it’s a vibrant declaration that we are not afraid.
It is an outrage that not only may it be difficult to physically access Plan B but also lack of information regarding emergency contraceptives can serve as an obstacle for young women who have been sexually assaulted.
Texas will begin gathering new and more invasive information about abortion-seeking people and abortion-providing doctors in 2013, thanks to new reporting requirements enacted by the Department of Health and Human Services, developed at the request of an anti-choice Tea Party lawmaker.
Rather than trying to convince people, especially women, to give birth in the socially-acceptable and medically-sanctioned 15-year window between college and age 35, why not change the way our society support families, so that whenever the moment for parenting arises, people have the support they need to do it successfully?
Texas Governor Rick Perry's office says it will rely on lawmakers to determine the appropriate punishment for women who seek abortions after 20 weeks if the state succeeds in banning such procedures. Who might these criminals be? Mothers. College students. High schoolers. Domestic violence victims.
In addition to gun policy reform, gender, and its entanglement with culture, economics, mental health and many other factors, requires serious attention.
