To start things off, this article from the UK's Daily Mail newspaper, an interview with Carl Djerassi, one of the inventors of the birth control pill:
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the licensing of the pill in the UK, and in October Professor Djerassi celebrates the 60th birthday of his scientific discovery.
Professor Djerassi believes that, with more of today’s women delaying motherhood for economic reasons, his own invention could soon be redundant.
‘There are an enormous number of well-educated, proficient women who, when facing the biological clock, first pay attention to their professional ambitions,’ he says.
‘Before they know it they are in their 30s. By the age of 35, they have lost 95 per cent of their eggs, and the rest are ageing rapidly.
Sooner or later, in the next 20 years, more young people will freeze their eggs and gametes in their 20s, and bank them for later use.
They will do away with the need for contraception by being sterilised, and withdraw their eggs and sperm from the bank when they are ready to have a child via IVF.’
The purpose of this particular post isn't to go into the Catholic Church's teaching on contraception (for those who are interested, you can find it here). Suffice to say I am opposed to the use of contraception, because of its effect on society, what it means to be a woman, sexuality, families, the environment, marriage, and so on.
Instead, I am interested in the social implications. As a single 28-year-old Catholic woman, the above article and its prediction terrifies me. I do not want what is proposed by Djerassi for my future, nor, God willing, for my future children. The track taken by the article initially startled me, but after giving it thought, should we be really surprised? We have already taken God out of the equation through the use of contraception, relegating children to "When we are ready" or "We don't like kids, so we won't be having any."
Food for thought...
- "Men may be jerks, but women are insane": From Real Clear Politics. Agree, on all points.
- "Where Have the Good Men Gone?": From the Wall Street Journal. "Wait, did I date this guy?"
- "On Dating Nice Catholic Girls": From Patheos.com. Don't agree with everything (you'll never get me to admit all the blame lies with women), but certain things made me go, hmmmm.
- Art of Manliness: A favorite of both the Badger Catholic and me. What does it say if there's a need for a blog encouraging manliness?
However, as a friend recently said, "I have met every eligible Catholic bachelor and I'm just not interested." So there's that. I haven't made up my mind on that statement and what it means, but I do know it seems more difficult to meet like-minded people than it was for our ancestors. In the absence of meeting a like-minded Catholic man, I am certainly going to pursue my career, as opposed to frittering my life away.
I would like to know what others think of this. Is the Daily Mail article an indication of the times (and what's to come)? Is Djerassi's future already a reality?
In conclusion, as the Daily Mail article says, "If you can have sex without babies, the progression is to have babies without sex."
8 comments:
I am a very odd duck. I am 31, have done a ton of youth and adult ministry (since I was 21). I have come to one conclusion - our view on marriage and families is totally warped in this country.
It has caused marriages to happen too late.
It has caused increase in divorce.
It has caused an increase of infidelity.
It has caused a warped view on child-bearing and the process of it.
I have no doubt that if we go down the same destructive path we are on this becomes a very real possibility and not just some doomsday warning. I know folks in their mid to late 20's that have been "trying" to have children for a year or two and are already into "solutions."
Babies are seen as a "commodity" or "product." People "aren't ready" for children, or "want 1 or 2". They factor them into their life like a car, house and boat. They dont view them like a spouse or vocation. They are a choice not a reality. They are to be managed and not lived.
Sorry for the rant, but as someone not to far removed from that "culture" I am just shocked how easily we are tricked and deceived into believing what we do about children and child-birth.
As a 24-yr-old young man, Joe, I agree completely with your assessment. Marriage as pop culture sees it is basically a legal agreement between two people to have sex with each other, terminable at will by either party for any reason whatsoever. It's a very sad situation.
You're also right, I think, that children are increasingly being seen as a burden or an entitlement rather than a gift from God.
I have a question for you though, Joe. Given that many of us Milennials, including some of my friends, grew up in homes broken by divorce or infidelity, why do many Milennials support legitimizing homosexual relationships? I just don't understand why many of my peers think that's a good idea.
FTSOH:
I don't want to derail Virginia's post into a tangent, but I will briefly answer your question. Obviously it is my opinion. But I think it is the old "college trap." Younger folks want to consider themselves open minded and tolerant. They don't really know what that means or entails, so they think that it means ACCEPTING of whatever comes at them.
In other words, they don't have any real moral compass. They aren't really religious, and so for them morality comes down to being nice and tolerant to people. Nice usually means allowing people to do whatever they wish. So then, when something like Homosexuality and Marriage come up they argue that it is prerogative. They base their arguments on the failings of heterosexual marriage from a statistical standpoint, and base everything on demographics. Again, they have no moral or philosophical compass, so it is better to allow than disallow, ergo tolerance and nicety.
This actually touches on Virginia's point and answers where the"FEAR" she has is coming from. Lurking behind IVF and frozen embryos is the fact that these women have no morality (at least in a systematic sense) to rely on. "If it feels good, do it" is the extent of any imperative they might have. So you get what we have here - which is a no-holds-barred type of approach to child bearing, and really anything else that used to be addressed by virtue and morality.
Thanks for the insights!
I wish Matt up up worthwhile posts like this! Great job filling in!!!!
Thank you Anon:) Though I do wonder what the missing word in your comment is...
Although after further reflection on the Anonymous comment... Matt and Hollie, is that you?? Saying "I wish Matt wrote up worthwhile posts like this"?
Great post. Not us, I'm too full of myself to not claim my comments... :)
You can tell everything about a person from asking them one question; what do you think of contraception. Accepting it means accepting all the Frankenstein science that goes along with it.
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