Babies, the Pill, and Infertility

I have a theory. A theory about birth control and infertility treatments. I cannot tell you how many women I know who have been on the pill for about 10+ years, recently got married, and have now decided to get off the pill and try for a baby. And they cannot get pregnant. Their brains have simply stopped telling their bodies to ovulate. That is SCARY. So, they go to an infertility doctor and get put on another pill just to get pregnant. I cannot say this is true for everyone, but my anecdotal evidence leads me to suspect that a little more (well ok A LOT more) research needs to be done to assess the effects of prolonged birth control use on womens' fertility. I have a hunch that the results will be devastating. Thoughts?

Photo here

Beating Breast Cancer

When I was in high school I participated in a 5 K race on Mother's Day that supported breast cancer research. My friend, A, had several relatives who were trying to beat or who had beaten breast cancer, and it seemed like a worthy cause. I remember the beautiful race through Philadelphia, feeling united with thousands upon thousands of people for a good cause.

About 8 years later, I know someone personally who is trying to beat breast cancer, and the treatment is absolutely wicked. She's a tough cookie though, and seems to be pulling through well. Her prognosis is great, and for that I'm grateful.

The month of May brings much breast cancer awareness with it, and I find it fitting since it is the month of Our Dear Lady...why wouldn't we support women? But the more I read about our culture, the less hopeful I am that we're going to beat it (or at least help prevent many cases) with our current policies and educational strategies. Something needs to be done!

Let's take the Susan G. Komen organization for starters. The most notable group in the movement to cure breast cancer donates a significant amount of money to Planned Parenthood. Sure, it's done in the name of mammograms and breast health services, but from what I've read, there is nothing stipulating that any money goes directly towards those services. Once the money is in PP's hands, they are free to allocate it however they deem appropriate. Now, it's bad enough that the money is going to PP, but the fact that research supports a pretty strong correlation between abortions before a full-term pregnancy and the onset of breast cancer (in addition to the use of oral contraceptives and hormones during menopause) cannot be ignored. Therefore, the largest organization committed to eradicating breast cancer is contributing to an organization that can actually provide "services" which can cause breast cancer. When I found this out, I was horrified. Here's a really great video which explains it all.

In addition, the "recommendations" in the new health care bill encourage doctors and women to wait until age 50 to get mammograms instead of starting at at 40. Thank goodness for the American Cancer Society which is refuting this and circulating the invaluable, life-saving recommendation that women at 40 get yearly check-ups.

So, what's a pro-life, pro-woman person supposed to do? The first step is education. Tell women about the link between abortion, oral contraception, and hormones and the onset of breast cancer. Secondly, contribute to organizations who are really trying to eradicate this cancer from society. These organizations pledge not to fund abortion facilities or research that is destructive to nascent, embryonic life.

Let's get to it!

Health Care Vote 3/21

Readers,
Please please call or email your Representatives if you have not already and ask them to vote NO on the Healthcare bill. I say this not to push a political persuasion, but because this bill WILL allow for taxpayer funded abortions. YES, it will. Get info here at Americans United for Life - and do your part to save human life, showing true care for health.

Elsewhere

Friends, I have a slew of links for you today. Some wonderful, others...well...

First: You simply must read, in its entirety, Jeremy Lott's piece in the newest American Spectator about Pope Benedict, "The Great Consolidator." A snippet:

Less attention was focused on Benedict's first homily as pope, at a Mass of the College of Cardinals. He opened with the usual boilerplate. "Catholics cannot but feel encouraged to strive for the full unity for which Christ expressed so ardent a hope," he said. He promised to be "especially responsible" for promoting that unity. Benedict acknowledged that he had been "entrusted with the task" of strengthening his "brethren" -- a word that is fraught with meaning in ecumenical circles as Rome has taken to referring to non-Catholic Christians as "separated brethren."

Then he said something extraordinary and perhaps unprecedented: "With full awareness...at the beginning of his ministry in the Church of Rome which Peter bathed in his blood, Peter's current Successor" -- that is, I, Pope Benedict XVI -- "takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers. This is his ambition, his impelling duty." These words were brought to my attention by Keith Fournier, an ordained Catholic deacon who enthused on Catholic Online that "What happened [in October] is just the beginning."

THE ONLY THING IS, it wasn't the beginning. Far from it. The present pope may not go down as the Great Unifier, exactly. He's likely what people today call "too divisive" to pull that off, and it's hard to see why he would want to. Benedict knows how to use divisions to great effect. He takes Christ's statement from the Gospel of Matthew, "I did not come to bring peace but a sword," quite seriously.

Read the whole article here. Seriously. Read it. It brings hope, and you'll need it after these next two items.

Second, a few life-issue related links, both HT: American Papist. A group in Milwaukee called "Catholic for Choice" has recently encouraged young Catholics to use contraception. Thankfully, the Archbishop-designate Jerome Listecki has issue a statement regarding this group, saying:

While people can call themselves whatever they want, it is my duty as a bishop to state clearly and unequivocally that by professing and disseminating views in grave contradiction to Catholic teaching, members of organizations like “Young Catholics for Choice” in fact disown their Catholic heritage, tragically distancing themselves from that communion with the Church to which they are called. We pray that they may reconcile their position which is contrary to the Catholic Faith they claim to profess.

In considerably more shocking news (also brought to my attention by AMP), at the climate summit in Copenhagen, a British group has been promoting a program to offset carbon emissions by working to eliminate the birth of African children. LifeSite news reports:

suggests that people in wealthy first-world countries should "offset" the carbon cost of their jet-setting lifestyles by paying to prevent the births of poor children in the developing world.

John Vidal, the Guardian's environment editor, wrote that the OPT's report suggesting a "radical" plan to cut carbon emissions was the "best bet" to reduce global warming trends. In August, the OPT issued a report claiming to have made a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to work out exactly how much "carbon emission" a child born in the developing world costs.

Vidal pointed to the claim in the OPT report that the 10 metric tons of carbon emitted by a single return flight from London to Sydney could be "offset" by "enabling the avoidance of one unwanted birth in a country such as Kenya."

This isn't planting trees people; this is KILLING BABIES for the sake of your ridiculous lifestyle. I just can't even begin to express my shock and anger over this.

Come Lord Jesus, and do not delay!

Some More Women Warriors on Abortion and Health Care

Here is great (well, also sad) Youtube video of some women giving their testimonies about the damage abortion has done to them. Fr. Frank Pavone and the Priests for Life organization produced it to give us all an idea of the repercussions that abortion inflicts upon women -- especially in view of what the proposed Health Care Reforms would do for the abortion industry. Let's listen to the voices of our mothers and sisters and inform others to make the right choice about health care reform!

Let's pray...

...for the change of hearts of the parents and for the child who could feel so unwanted.  And let's pray for all of us who have ever felt unwanted.  Readers and sisters, much love in Christ! 

Doctor's Office Follow-Up

Hi Sisters! Just a little follow up to our many posts on going to the Doctor.

I took commentator Louis' advice: I went to cathmed.org, which linked me to a site called One More Soul. One More Soul has a list of contact for Catholic doctors by state and by type of doctor. It's a great resource!!

I found a doctor on there, and made an appointment. He was a great doctor, informing me of what vaccinations are currently made from aborted fetuses, and then told me that the Vatican has not officially stated any thing about the ethical and moral responsibility of receiving these vaccines. He also gave me information about classes on the Creighton method for when I may need it. In fact, even though I am not married, he told me that I could still attend these seminars and that it is a good thing to know how my body works. Anyway, hope these resources help you. Praise God for informative and faithful doctors!!

HPV Vaccine Part 2

Wow, Julian, I totally know what you are dealing with. TOTALLY!!!!!! And the Doctor's Office. I had similar experiences as my Magdalene sisters -- to the point where I refuse to go the gynecologist unless I absolutely have to -- which in all actuality is probably not the best thing for me. My interview with the doctor happened both during and after a very intrusive exam. During the exam: "Do you need a prescription for birth control?" "No, I don't need it." At the end of the exam: "Are you sure you don't need birth control?" "No, I don't need it." After the exam: "Are you sure you don't need birth control?" "I am not sexually active, so NO, I don't need any birth control." I began thinking -- what is this guy (problem number one -- male doctor!) thinking?? What is he trying to say to me. I was in tears.

With respect to the HPV question: I've been mulling over this exact same question too. But I am still skeptical about HPV vaccine. There's just something about vaccinating to prevent a disease that I can prevent by my behavior. And I DO NOT think it's appropriate to give this vaccine to little girls. What is that telling them about the hook-up culture?

But Julian brings up the main point -- for women who are trying to safeguard their virginity -- what about my future spouse who does have a sexual history? And men cannot be tested for this disease or immunized. I don't have the answer to this. I think I am not eligible for this vaccination anymore; from what I understand, you cannot be any older than 25 -- and I'm practically on the eve of my 26th birthday-I am so old!! This is an issue that women really, really need to consider.

I think a tremendous resource for women, especially women in the DC area is the Tepeyac Family Center, who have several Catholic gynecologists. Perhaps they could be a better mentor. It is a real struggle for us, because we women are the ones who ultimately suffer the worst effects -- cancer. HPV can devastate our reproductive systems. What are your thoughts, readers? Have any of you had to deal with this problem??

The Doctor's Office: A Chance to Witness

Nurse: I assume you use safe sexual practices.
Agatha: (flatly) I don't have sex.
Nurse: You know just because you don't get your period regularly doesn't mean you can't get pregnant.
A: I don't have sex.
Nurse: Yes, but they told you that you can still get pregnant when you don't have your period.

YES! But you can't get pregnant if you don't have sex!

Julian brought this scene up in her second post about being a vigin in a doctor's office (her first post is here. I don't have anything especially interesting to say on the subject. It is one of those common trials that those of us who try to live chaste lives confront often enough. I have a handful of stories myself.

Commentor Louis suggested a number of proactive ways to overcome this difficulty, but I have a hard time doing any of those things (besides pray, of course). I hate doctor's offices enough as it is, and don't really want to get into a debate with these people. But I do always try to stand firm on the subject, too. At least (for a brief moment), we are a witness to an older and better way of life.

HPV Vaccine: To Immunize or Not to Immunize

Gardasil: a vaccine which has raised many eyebrows in the Catholic world. I was initially staunchly opposed to the vaccine when it came out. "Why on earth would I put that in my body if I am practicing abstinence? Why the heck would parents vaccinate their children with something that is still not medically certain? Is the government going to mandate that children receive this like the measles vaccine? If I get it or parents immunize their daughters, are we 'okaying' the behavior by which it spreads?" These questions raced through my head, and I quickly made up my mind to dismiss the thought of ever putting it into my body.

But as I grow older and continue dating, I have begun to think differently. Certainly my commitment to safeguarding my virginity has not changed. But I wonder, what are the chances of winding up with another virgin? And because I don't limit myself to men who have not had any sexual experience and because HPV symptoms do not present themselves in men, I wonder if I should consider vaccinating myself. Those who choose abstinence are really no longer immune to the devastating effects of sexually transmitted diseases anymore, as they have been something of an epidemic in our culture. If I am called to marriage, then I very well may have to deal with the reality of a spouse who suffers from such a condition. And so, what I am to do?

The Arlington Catholic Herald, a diocesan newspaper, writes the following:

The Catholic Church teaches generally that immunizing against disease is an important and morally responsible action. There is nothing intrinsically immoral associated with providing or receiving the HPV vaccine. It is necessary to acknowledge the prevalence of HPV, the many deaths and other health problems it has caused, and the appropriateness of combating it. The four types of HPV that the vaccine is designed to prevent cause 70 percent of cervical cancers and 90 percent of genital warts.

The Catholic Medical Association says the following:

The fact that HPV is spread primarily by sexual contact does not render vaccination against it unethical. Healing and preventing diseases, no matter what their source, are acts of mercy and a moral good. Prevention of HPV infection is distinct from, and should not be construed as encouraging, the behavior by which HPV is spread.

Women, any thoughts? What's a Magdalene sister to do?

The Doctor's Office

Last night I was talking with Agatha and another friend about going to the doctor.  I wanted to bring our conversation back to this topic, which I addressed way back when we started this blog. Why is is SO hard to go to a doctor and upon explaining that you are not sexually active you are treated as some sort of medical anomaly or a risk to your own health?  I just went to the doctor last week, and after she closed the door there was a poster for 24 different types of birth control methods (including IUD's, which quite frankly, scare me to death!).  Agatha told us about a recent experience in which the doctor REFUSED to acknowledge her abstinence as a preventive measure or foolproof way of practicing "safe sex."  How do we take back control of the doctor's office? 

Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of ...Winter?

The female brain. Mine goes about two miles a minute, and it's powered by guilt. Does anyone else suffer from this complex? I was out with two friends last night for dinner and a movie, and all I kept thinking about was the long checklist in my head of things that I need to get accomplished for work and at my apartment this weekend. My head was SPINNING. I hate the fact that I can hardly ever be present with people, or with myself. I dreaded waking up today because of the amount of things that I need to do, and the fact that I have to squeeze them in between two other weekend outings.

Whoah, Julian!

You have been blessed with THREE opportunities to see friends this weekend and to kick back and take your mind off of work.

(Back to the first person...) I don't know why this happens everyday. Why do I spend my life rushing around from one task to the next? Why is down time so hard for me? Why do I feel so guilty when I haven't accomplished each task with 100% effort behind it?

No wonder I'm having a spiritual dry spell these days. I can't even slow myself down to enjoy friends without guilt, let alone to sit and say hello to God. I could use suggestions for creating some white noise in my head and in my heart...

Secular Sex

I need help! 

My self-declared atheist student, a fine young woman who just got into MIT early decision, has started to confide in me and come after school to argue philosophical and religious points back and forth - the confiding and bantering I equally enjoy.  She has recently come and confided that she is worried that our generation is using sex to express the fact that they are profoundly lonely and that they feel it's the only way to experience intimacy.  She says that some of her friends (which may in fact be her) think that they want to have sex just to say that they aren't a virgin before going to college, some of them admittedly don't want to feel anything and are numb from depression, and others just want to see how it is with someone they like or wouldn't mind giving it a go with.  She is concerned, and wants advice.  She also asked me to help her craft a non-religious argument as to why premarital sex is "bad," or at least harmful for the parties involved.  Now, in our sexual ethics course we have covered this head to toe with psychological statistics, philosophical reflections, and science to back up the Church's claims that the best sex takes place in the safe and intimate context of marriage.  But this doesn't seem to be enough for her.  Can you please help me (by tomorrow afternoon), formulate a strong argument for her?  She desperately wants to know.  And please pray for her.  She is too smart not to be a follower of Christ...she has the intellectual capacity to be a doctor of the Church, but she is still resisting grace.  She is so special; I just love her.  Okay, thanks! 

Response to V-Day

Thanks for the great subject matter, Edith.  A few years ago my alma mater banned the V. Monologues from being performed onstage, although the work was still permitted to be read in class, so as not to jeopardize academic freedom (even at a Catholic institution), which I respected.  We were one of the first colleges in the country to do so, and I'm proud to have been there when the decision was made.  Of course it was controversial, and many women genuinely argued that silencing their performance would only contribute to the neglect of the horrible abuse that so many of God's daughters endure.  

If only it were a play that truly did justice to presenting the reverence and awe of womanhood which should be protected and safeguard in its carefully crafted and delicately constructed physical structure by God.  I understand the concept (at least in a postmodern world of literature and philosophy that we live in) of focusing on the physicality of the woman and locating the center in the place in which violation dreadfully occurs but when the vagina is speaking FOR the woman, then all of Edith's concerns ring true.  

Violence against women might be better prevented by cultivating wonder of our mind and body's gifts and all that we bring to the table.  I'm not sure if the Monologues are actually accomplishing this when the most intimate part of the female body, which is something so special around which we should remain reticent, is exposed in front of an audience.  It seems so counter-intuitive.  

Let's pray for all of the victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, especially some of our friends and family.  

Put a Ring on It

Sorry for not posting recently. I've been proctoring midterm exams, grading 200 essays, and lesson planning for next week. Thank goodness for a five-day weekend!

I don't particularly have an "intelligent" topic for the post, but I just wanted to provide a few thoughts. Yesterday I went to the first of two book clubs I'm in (to exercise my brain in other subjects besides theology), and I was so excited to think, banter, and work through things with my colleagues. We read Plato's Meno, which is a Socratic dialogue about the definition of virtue. It was fascinating to see how the characters worked through particular virtues in order to arrive at the essence of virtue across the board. In the end, Socrates says that virtue can neither be taught nor learned, but rather is given by "divine dispensation." I took this to mean (in the Christian tradition), how ultimately perfecting a life of virtue (for him, completely overcoming vice) is aided by divine grace. True enough, but I am still wondering if trial and error through experience might be a better, more natural, temporal, and human way of living the happy life. Anyway, my friend and I went to see Bride Wars afterwards in order to do something mindless. The script was very bad, but the dresses were stunning!

I also must admit that I am a really big fan of Beyonce's new album (not it's cover), not only because the beats are good for working out, but because many of her songs are actually empowering for women (and believe it or not she has a really great version of Ave Maria with modern lyrics about Mary throughout!). Anyway, I recommend checking it out. Though I'm a fan of the beats in hip hop and R&B, I find that the lyrics usually degrade women. Anyway, I'm ready to workout again today and feel positive about myself, my feminity, and my body. Hope you feel the same. :)

A Testimony...

I wanted to post a little snippet of a beautiful testimony a woman posted on Zenit (a Vatican News Agency) today. The post was in response to an article on prenatal testing, which is something that all of us women will come to face as we begin our families, if we are so called to married life. Here's a little snippet. Read the whole post here.

A little over eight years ago, my niece heard these words from a woman, "I will not bring this child into the world." The woman was not an expectant mother, she was my niece's OB/GYN. . . . Three months later, my niece gave birth to her second child. He was taken that week into surgery where they implanted a VP shunt to drain the excess spinal fluid to allow room for his brain. They were told their son probably would not see, hear, talk or walk.

Today, this young boy attends second grade, is preparing to make his first communion, sees and comments on the beauty that surrounds him, asks his grandma to play the piano for him, is surprisingly articulate and is able to walk. While he has occasional seizures, he is a thriving little person deserving of care. Ultimately, he is a child of God, deserving of the special place in this world that God intended for him.

We are all children of God. We all deserve a chance at life, because we trust in God's word through the Prophet Jeremiah: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jer. 29:11) Our God is truly an awesome, loving God. As women, we participate in that love in such a unique, amazing, and privileged way. I am so grateful for my femininity, I am so grateful to God for His love and the ability to respond to it. Let us continue to pray for the world, that all will know the depth of the love the Lord has for us.

So absurd...

...but I need to post it! 

A good hair day can make all of the difference, can't it?  I just bought myself a new hair dryer (a Conair) and it's completely changed my mornings.  I spend about 1/3 of the time I did with my last one, and it's making it look so healthy, even though it's completely dry and dead in the indoor heat.  I don't have to use a curling iron or straightener to make it look finished.  I got so many compliments today at work, which brightened up my day.  Anyway, I recommend the brand.  And I recommend treating yourself to something fun and frilly once in awhile.  A splurge on yourself...hair, face, body... is sometimes just what the doctor ordered!  

I also think that we should compliment each other more.  You never really know if making eye contact with someone and smiling or when saying to a stranger how much you like what they are wearing or doing can change the course of someone's day.  A beloved Dominican sister once told me that.  And she saved my life by smiling at me! 

Stay beautiful :) 

Some Reflections on the 'Changes' Promised from Obama

As inauguration day quickly approaches, I want to take some time to consider the future of our country under Barack Obama's leadership. I admit, it is pretty awesome that an African-American was so overwhelmingly chosen as this nation's leader. But, I am really, well, not excited about the 'change' our new president seeks to implement. Let me explain. In his speech given to Planned Parenthood in 2007, President-Elect Barack Obama asks us all to reflect:

"What kind of America will our daughters grow up in? Will our daughters grow up with the same opportunities as our sons? Will our daughters have the same rights, the same dreams, the same freedoms to pursue their own version of happiness? I wonder because there’s a lot at stake in this country today. And there’s a lot at stake in this election, especially for our daughters. To appreciate that all you have to do is review the recent decisions handed down by the Supreme Court of the United States. For the first time in Gonzales versus Carhart, the Supreme Court held—upheld a federal ban on abortions with criminal penalties for doctors. For the first time, the Court’s endorsed an abortion restriction without an exception for women’s health. The decision presumed that the health of women is best protected by the Court—not by doctors and not by the woman herself. That presumption is wrong. . . . We know that five men don’t know better than women and their doctors what’s best for a woman’s health. We know that it’s about whether or not women have equal rights under the law. We know that a woman’s right to make a decision about how many children she wants to have and when—without government interference—is one of the most fundamental freedoms we have in this country."

So, I am wondering about this to do about 'women's health.' Now, as a woman, I am clearly concerned with these so-called women's issues. But I want to pose the challenge today to Mr. Obama and all my fellow women. I have to ask the question: is abortion truly a women's health issue? What makes it so? Is abortion really about 'equal rights under the law?' I was under the impression that women were already given equal rights under the law, so when did this become an issue? Is abortion a 'right' in the sense of the Founders of this nation? Do not women already decide how many children they would like without government interference? Indeed, Obama's commitment to the Freedom of Choice Act would accomplish just that: government interference. But I want to ask a deeper question. If we go back to Edith Stein, after whom I am named, and reflect upon her notion that the deepest feminine yearnings are to achieve a "loving union" with others, then what does abortion mean for our femininity? How does abortion accomplish this kind of loving union? Doesn't abortion literally root out that possibility? So, I put the question back to our President-Elect: What kind of American will our daughters grow up in? How will we nurture them? 

Hippocratic, I mean, Hypocritical Oath

Doctors are supposed to be looking out for our health.  Doctors who are female are supposed to intuitively know our bodies, hormones, emotions, and well-being.   They are supposed to take an oath that says they are going to treat us as more than our diseases, more than mere biological matter.  Shouldn't they also treat us with respect? 

I have gone into two doctors' offices now in which I have dumbfounded the attending, as if I had this mind-blowing medical mystery that needed to be solved.  The disease?  Virginity.   "Really? Not yet?  You're in your mid-twenties! You should definitely get the HPV vaccine, because you'll probably start soon."  Or the condescending OBGYN: "Still not sexually active, Julian?"  

Is the concept of choosing one's virginity and safeguarding it so foreign that now one cannot even enter her doctor's office to ask for medical advice without being judged?  Checking "N/A" under the million questions about sexual activity on a medical form really shouldn't make me sweat profusely under the lights in the waiting room.  I should have the luxury of reading a magazine that will tell me how walking ten minutes a day will make me drop 20 lbs (see, it's a lose-lose situation, I guess.  It was easier when there were plastic blocks to play with at the pediatrician's office).  

I should be looked at by doctors as a healthy, well-formed, strong, and happy woman.  If virginity has become the disease, then I think more people should catch it.