| Pope Benedict XVI on Protection of Life
"Christianity, Catholicism, is not a collection of prohibitions:
it is a positive option. It is very important that we look at it again
because this idea has almost completely disappeared today.
We have heard so much about what is not allowed that now it is time to
say: we have a positive idea to offer, that man and woman are made for
each other, that the scale of sexuality, eros, agape, indicates the
level of love and it is in this way that marriage develops, first of all
as a joyful and blessing-filled encounter between a man and a woman, and
then, the family, which guarantees continuity among generations and
through which generations are reconciled to each other and even cultures
can meet.
So, firstly, it is important to stress what we want. Secondly, we can
also see why we do not want some things. I believe we need to see and
reflect on the fact that it is not a Catholic invention that man and woman
are made for each other so that humanity can go on living: all cultures
know this.
As far as abortion is concerned, it is part of the fifth, not the
sixth, commandment: "You shall not kill!". We have to presume
this is obvious and always stress that the human person begins in the
mother's womb and remains a human person until his or her last breath. The
human person must always be respected as a human person. But all this is
clearer if you say it first in a positive way" (INTERVIEW OF THE HOLY
FATHER BENEDICT XVI IN PREPARATION FOR THE UPCOMING JOURNEY TO BAVARIA
(SEPTEMBER 9-14, 2006).
"Looking at the past three decades and considering the current
situation, it is impossible not to recognize that in practice defending
human life today has become more difficult because a mindset has
developed, entrusted to the opinion of the individual, which has gradually
debased its value. One result of this has been the decrease in respect for
the human person, a value at the root of all civil coexistence, over and
above the faith professed.
The causes that lead to such painful decisions as abortion are of
course many and complex. If, on the one hand, faithful to her Lord's
commandment, the Church never tires of reaffirming that the sacred value
of every human being's life originates in the Creator's plan, on the other
hand, she encourages the promotion of every initiative in support of women
and families in order to create the favourable conditions in which to
welcome life, and the protection of the family institution founded on the
marriage between a man and a woman.
Not only has permitting recourse to the termination of pregnancy not
solved the problems that afflict many women and a fair number of families,
but it has also made another wound in our society, unfortunately, already
burdened by deep suffering. (TO THE MEMBERS OF
ITALY'S PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT Hall
of Blessings Monday, 12 May 2008). |
From Ozamiz on the 25th of May of 2009 on
Contextualizing President Obama’s Speech at Notre Dame: Contraceptive
Mentality.
When people react automatically to a situation without thinking of
consequences we have a "mentality".
Contraceptive Mentality occurs when partners enjoy the pleasures of sex
without the discomforting fear that their sexual activity could lead to
the procreation.
As "contraceptive mentality" becomes better established it
assumes the character of being inevitable which, by contrast, makes any
opposition to contraception seem more and more unnatural and
incomprehensible.
At the very core of the "contraceptive mentality" is a fear
of something which is perfectly natural—babies.
The present "contraceptive mentality" makes this point
difficult to remember since the popular cry to permit teenagers to use
contraceptives when they "make love" is based on an understandable desire to
reduce the incidence of teenage abortion.
And that is what President Obama would equivalently mean when at the
Commencement Exercises in Notre Dame he said: "So let us work
together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. …"
Abortion advocates object to the phrase "reducing abortions."
It connotes that there is something bad or immoral about abortion. Their
solution? Change their language but not their position.
In 2007 Sen. Obama stated,
in support of The
Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, "that: We
must do more to help low-income women and college students access
affordable contraceptive drugs. No woman should be turned away from
university clinics and health centers because the cost of prescription
drugs is out of reach. Access to contraceptives is essential to lowering
the rate of unintended pregnancies in this country, and we need to make
sure these drugs are affordable and accessible." In other words, the
central component of Sen. Obama's work in reducing abortion rates is
increasing the use of contraceptives and access to contraceptives.
Over the past 40 years in the United States, illegitimacy has exploded,
divorce has skyrocketed, and abuse of women and children has increased.
It's not difficult to connect the sociological and political dots and lay
much of the blame on rampant contraceptive usage in its society.
And this is what the RH Bills are trying to introduce into our society
under the guise of obviating abortions.
There is only one way to reduce abortion, and that is to reduce its
cause, which is in the contraceptive mentality. |
