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The other side of the coin
Author: TriSec    Date: 02/11/2012 12:19:37

Good Morning!

It's been a busy week; new job syndrome, new commute, and lots of Scouting, too!

Even though it's snowing slightly, I'll soon be headed out to lead a walk through Rock Meadow in nearby Belmont for the store...we even have folks registered this time.

But on to the matters at hand. There's been a lot of debate this week about birth control. Of course, it's entirely regilious, and the heart of the debate according to the right is whether the President can force religious institutions to abandon their principles for the sake of fairness.

I don't suppose that he can, but in recent days there's been some softening of the administration's stance, and indeed some waivers granted. But despite all the histrionics, it doesn't really affect anything...at the end of the day, isn't it still the individual's choice whether or not they want contraception? Just looking at the Catholic Church...say for example, you have a network of Catholic hospitals in your city. (Boston does - the Caritas group). All the doctors, nurses, administrators, etc., are all technically employed by the Boston Archdiocese. All the President's position does is give access to these things to everyone. The hospitals don't provide concraception or abortion services, for example...but they can't prevent anyone from seeking those services elsewhere. That's all this should be about.

But I do want to ponder a child for a minute....mine. By now you know the long, convoluted road we took to get here. Mrs. TriSec and I did things old-school. I went so far as to go to adult confirmation classes so we could get married in the church with a full mass...and needless to say, our first night together was indeed our wedding night.

However....we knew we weren't ready for babies yet, so we violated church dogma from the very beginning. My theory has always been that it's a bigger sin to bring a child into the world when the parents are unwilling or unready, and the living situation might not be what it should be. In any case...we acted like newlyweds for a while, then eventually decided that maybe it was time.

And then nothing happened. We went over a year with no results, then gradually decided that the process wasn't working according to code. So, it was off to a series of doctors to find out what was wrong. Here's where we ran into trouble. Mrs. TriSec and I were de facto excommunicated by the church, simply because we wanted a child. You see, advanced reproductive therapy is every bit as bad as abortion according to the Catholic Church. While it hadn't been truly codified for quite some time, Pope Benedict has issued a catechism on the subject.


CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH - SECOND EDITION[2]

Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses' "right to become a father and a mother only through each other."

Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable. They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that "entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children."

"Under the moral aspect procreation is deprived of its proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of the conjugal act, that is to say, of the specific act of the spouses' union . . . . Only respect for the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of the human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the person."


So this finally brings me to my point. Re-iterating that the Catholic Church considers ART to be every bit as bad as contraception or abortion; where are the Republicans on this issue? None of them are lining up to denounce Boston IVF, nor has a single one of them assailed the practices that yielded "Octomom".

I do find it curious that the candidates pick and choose which part of the Christian belief system they want to enforce as policy. But even then, looking over the link I referenced above, it's only Catholic Dogma that is truly opposed. Protestants, most facets of Judaism, and even Islam are generally supportive of ART. Curiously enough, I could find no position on the subject from the Church of Latter-Day Saints, which may be relevant to the debate.

In any case...the double-standard is irritating to me. Most of the population will never have to do what we did for the sake of a child. But then again, most of the population will never have to have an abortion, either. Why does one get all the attention, while the other is barely mentioned at all? You can't have it both ways, folks.
 

13 comments (Latest Comment: 02/12/2012 03:05:18 by Raine)
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Comment by trojanrabbit on 02/11/2012 14:38:37
The snow is drifting slowly down, and the roads are wet. The only reason I went out is because someone is moving in downstairs and I felt it was better to get the wife's car out of the way.

Probably soon to be ex-Bruins goalie Tim Thomas decided to open his yap again trying to reverse Dixie Chicks himself out of town. This time on his Facebook page he blasted Obama on his birth control stance, defending the Catholic Church. The same knuckle-dragging mouth-breathers who jumped to his defense when he refused to meet with Obama when the Bruins were honored replied HURR DURR GO TIMMEH GO BACK TO KENYA OBAMMA. I'm sure they defended the Dixie Chicks not so long ago. And of course, Thomas will not speak with the media.

Comment by livingonli on 02/11/2012 17:37:00
Between that, and reading the CPAC coverage on Twitter, it is really showing that the right-wing has just gone completely batshit crazy.

Comment by Raine on 02/11/2012 17:41:08
I am of the opinion that this is NOT a religious issue -- it is being portrayed as one, but it still a further assault on reproductive rights.

The party of liberty and freedom is as such until it comes to controlling bodies.

Comment by Raine on 02/11/2012 18:06:17


Comment by livingonli on 02/11/2012 18:20:40
Lizz just posted on her twitter feed a link to the Craigslist ads for CPACers looking for gay sex. Some people are really deep in the closet where it's cold and lonely.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 02/11/2012 18:33:55
If there's 3 - 6 of snow outside, it's 3 - 6 microns.

Stop raping people, Breitfart? Is that all you have? Really?

Go cry moar, lardass.

Comment by livingonli on 02/11/2012 18:36:08
I think there's an inch of snow here and I've got Hockey Day in Canada on NHL Network today while kitty sleeps by the door since the radiator is there.

Comment by trojanrabbit on 02/11/2012 19:19:23
Lucky has his Cone of Shame on for a few more days and is sitting next to Mommy. Sophie's in her favorite chair in the corner out of the way. Haven't seen Cleo in a while, probably in the hallway sleeping.

Things will be hella busy in the next few weeks. Finally started demolishing part of our lab in preparation for my EMC chamber. Spent the first half of the week moving all the benches around compressing everything into half the space. All the plumbing and HVAC has to be cleared out of the area where the chamber is going. I suppose I'll get some flak when the water to the break room is turned off for a day and for 3 weeks of noise. I'll be pulling double shifts at least Monday & Tuesday to spend time in Andover.



I keep saying, it will be done soon....it will be done soon...it will be done soon.

Comment by livingonli on 02/11/2012 20:09:01
DC's supposedly about to get hit by snow.

Comment by Raine on 02/11/2012 21:44:48
Quote by livingonli:
DC's supposedly about to get hit by snow.

flurries at best here-- north of the city is supposed to get accumulation.

Comment by livingonli on 02/12/2012 01:36:11
RIP Whitney Houston.

Comment by Will in Chicago on 02/12/2012 02:05:52
RIP, Whitney Houston. May your soul find the peace and love that seemed so elusive to you in much of your life.

Most of the heavy snow yesterday hit a few counties east of me, so I lucked out. I hope everyone is well.

TriSec, I do not see this as a religious issue, but I doubt that the Catholic Church wants my opinions, as they would not even agree with me on theology.

Comment by Raine on 02/12/2012 03:05:18
that is all. I haz a sad.