This verse, introducing the pronouncement of the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-30), is one of the most curious in Scripture. And one of the funniest: as if the Holy Spirit awaits or needs the approval of the Apostles. It is also an important verse, as it expresses the character of revelation. Like our Lord, revelation exists as a paradox. It is both human and divine: conveying divine truths in a human manner. And any attempt to “solve” this paradox, to separate or oppose these two dimensions, leads either to fundamentalism or modernism.

Consider Scripture first of all. At every Mass we hear the reading proclaimed as “The Word of the Lord.” And our response assents to that. It is indeed God’s Word – that is, His truth spoken to us. He is the author. But His Word comes to us through human means. God inspired the human authors to write in such a way that His Word takes flesh in their particular styles and genres. Their humanity is not an obstacle but a means of revelation. Just as the Word Made Flesh spoke and acted in a specific time and place, in a particular manner and style, so also the written Word of God carries the particularities of its human authors.

This means that the interpretation of Scripture can be somewhat tricky. In order to interpret accurately the divine truths we must appreciate the human mode in which they arrive – the style, genre, vocabulary, setting, context, etc. But this human enfleshment also brings a great richness. Scripture is not just a flat recording of truths and events. Rather, we get to appreciate and enjoy the various styles of the authors. We have straight historical texts, the beauty of the Song of Songs, the awe-inspiring (and confusing) imagery of Ezekiel and Revelation, Luke’s simplicity, John’s lofty dialogues, Paul’s powerful personality…and so on.

Contrast this with the Muslim understanding of revelation. Allah did not employ Mohammed’s human intellect and will. Mohammed’s style and personality do not show up at all. Instead, he was caught up in ecstasy and dictated word for word what he heard from the angel. He was not an author in any sense but merely a recorder. The human dimension has no place in Islamic revelation.

There is, of course, a Christian fundamentalism. It seeks to defend Scripture as the word of God by insisting on a literal interpretation of everything – leaving little to no room for the human dimension. This does not work, because Scripture was not written to be read that way. Thus fundamentalism requires some serious mental gymnastics. It means insisting on an absurd interpretation of some verses (Call no man father…) and denying the sane interpretation of others (For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink…).

On the other extreme we find those who insist on Scripture’s human dimension to the exclusion of the divine. Although done to varying degrees, this always has the same result: the eventual reduction of the Bible to mere human opinion. Useful, to be sure, but just another volume in the canon of religious literature. This modernist view has found hearing most especially in the mainline protestant denominations, whose decline witness to its danger.

The divine and human dimensions of revelation we find also in the Church’s decrees. When the Church teaches doctrine, she communicates divine truths (the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Eucharist, etc.) in a human manner (Councils, Encyclicals, etc.). Some have a fundamentalist approach to Church teaching – not brooking any development of doctrine or diversity of language. Others see doctrines as, again, expressions of human religious sentiment. They are time bound statements that “evolve” according to (surprise!) what the world thinks.

“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us…” Scripture and dogma reflect the divine/human paradox of our Lord Himself. Evidence again that the Incarnation is more then one dogma among others. It is a paradigmatic truth of our faith. If we hold the paradox of the Incarnation in our minds and hearts, we will also hold other doctrines accurately and peaceably.

Teaching high school Catholic morality classes, I always feared parent-teacher conferences. The first year, I braced myself for heated debates with parents concerning the issues of marriage, premarital sex, contraception, and abortion. Oddly, those issues never came up. What did keep coming up was the class where I said that humans have higher intelligence than animals, and animals don’t make moral choices. In short, that human life is higher than animal life. That is what they wanted to debate.

Many a parent came prepared to prove I was wrong with amazing stories of the intelligence and love exhibited by their dogs. More than once I was tempted to agree that it was indeed possible that their dog was more intelligent and loving than their teenager. However, what I had discussed with the students was not merely my opinion but fact: humans have a higher intelligence and can do what animals cannot do – the capacity for self-reflection, love, and moral choices. Your dog is not wondering why it exists or if God exists, wondering how much you love it and how it can love you better. As imperfect as we are, and as doggone cute as animals can be, humans are a superior form of life. Of course, one could wonder as our “furry fecal friends” (credit to a friend) have trained us to pick up and walk through our neighborhoods with their “waste” swinging from our wrists.

It is imperative for Christians to be good stewards and care for creation, protecting it through actions and laws. But then I think we should be consistent and do the same for human life. I took some time to look at the  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It is a wonderful site, and I learned a great deal about endangered species and ways to protect them. A man from Georgia will spend 6 months in prison for unlawfully acquiring loggerhead sea turtle eggs in violation of the Lacey Act. Imagine 6 months in prison for taking potential turtles. You will also go to jail if you kill the Florida salt marsh harvest mouse, if the mouse is pregnant! Average litter size 10-12 – yikes!  The American Bald Eagle – one conviction, per bird, per egg. Take a look – plants are protected, too!

I was struck when I read that endangered species are protected under the Lacey Act. I recalled another law that was named after the pregnant woman killed by her husband, the “Laci & Connor Law,” or the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Same name, different spelling.

Under this law, it can be double homicide if you kill a pregnant woman. Or murder if a miscarriage occurs or the baby dies because the mother is attacked. Though varied and with many qualifiers, it is law in some form in 36 states.

I can see why the other 14 states would hesitate to enact the Laci & Connor Law. It is already confusing and controversial in light of abortion laws – sometimes it is murder to kill unborn life, and sometimes, it is a choice. It is understandable that Planned Parenthood, the National Organization for Women and NARAL all fought this law.

Yet, what a blessing the Laci & Connor Law is for our nation, as Ariel Castro, according to prosecutors, will be charged with murder in the beatings that killed five unborn babies from one of the women he held captive. And the latest good news is that Dr. Kermit Gosnell is convicted of three counts of murder. Yes, we are on the right track for justice and protection for humans too!

This is worth a read on the subject: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/getreligion/2013/05/death-penalty-in-cleveland-horrors-wait-who-died/

How are you honoring your mother for the important May celebration this coming Sunday? You’ve got to do it, and she deserves it. While mothers all over the nation will be receiving breakfast in bed, flowers, cards and a host of other gifts, did you know the Church was celebrating this holiday for centuries? We called it Mothering Sunday, and we gave roses.

Long before Anna Jarvis held her memorial and started her campaign for Mother’s Day on May 12, 1907, and long before President Woodrow Wilson nationalized Mother’s Day in 1914, there was the Catholic Church. In the early Church, there was a deep sense of gratitude to the sponsoring church or Cathedral that birthed the Christian into a life of grace. As a result, an ancient and indulgenced tradition developed of visiting one’s mother church or cathedral where one was baptized on Laetare Sunday.

As a natural outgrowth of this tradition, the children would return home to visit and spend the day with their parents. As part of the celebration, “mother cakes” or simnel cakes were prepared. As you might imagine, roses were used in the churches, because the flower matched the vestments of the day. After Mass, it became tradition to take the flowers home to your mother. Additionally, “[o]ne tradition presents Mothering Sunday as an honor to St. Anne, the Blessed Mother’s mother, during which children would ‘go a’mothering’ and bring flowers, gifts and sweets to their mother.”

I hope that you have planned something, because we all know that if mama ain’t happy, nobody is happy. Besides, this is a great way to combat the culture of death by giving thanks and honoring the one who chose life that you may live.

To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ (Mt 11:16-17).

The Church always walks the same path as her divine Founder.  Like Him she encounters those who accuse her of contradictory crimes and vices.  They find her too worldly, and at the same time out of touch with “the real world.”  They insist that she stay out of politics and condemn her for supposed silence on issues. In short, the world demands that the Church be human and then complains that she is not divine.  Thus in a roundabout way the Church’s critics reveal the paradox of the Church: like our Lord, she is both human and divine.

That the Church is human is all too apparent.  Of course, when most people talk about the Church being “human” they are referring to her failures (as if that is all it means to be human).  But the human dimension of the Church continues in heaven, where there will be no failures.  That the Church is human means primarily that she is built out of the living stones of individual human persons.  She exists in the world in a human manner and through human means.  She continues the presence of Christ by human words, actions and relationships.

Unfortunately, since our human nature is fallen and wounded, the Church’s human dimension also appears in weakness. This often scandalizes because we hope to find purity and strength in the Church but instead encounter quite the opposite. And yet, as much as we ought to find holiness in the Church, it is in another sense not surprising that we encounter weakness.  The crowds in Jerusalem encountered human weakness in our Lord. Not, to be sure, moral weakness.  But weakness nonetheless – the weakness of a man betrayed, beaten, scourged, and crucified. The crowds looked and, seeing the man of sorrows, in effect asked, “That? Is that God?” The Church always walks the path of her Founder.  So people look upon the Body of Christ and, finding her laboring under human weakness, they ask, “That? Is that the Church of God?” Indeed she is – appearing in human nature and laboring under human weakness, as did her Lord.  And just as our reaction to the suffering Lord should be one of pity and not outrage, so also we should respond to His Body, the Church suffering from the scandals of her members.

Our outrage at scandals and weakness in the Church comes from the fact that the Church is more than merely human – and we sense that to be true.  She is, as we confess every Sunday, holy.  This dimension of the Church is not as clear to us, just as Jesus’ divinity was veiled by His humanity.  We call the Church “holy” because she bears God’s own life and grace.  She teaches divine truths and administers the Sacraments of salvation.  Her very soul is the Spirit of God.

In a sense, it should not surprise us that the Church suffers (and always has suffered) scandals.  Not only because our Lord promised that it would happen (cf. Lk 17:1) but also because any human institution suffers them.  What should surprise us is that the Church has survived her scandals.  No other human institution could survive the scandals that the Church has seen.  That she can survive them hints at the fact that she is more than merely human.  Her weakness that endures testifies to something more than human at work within her.  She is human, yes, with all the weakness that comes with that.  But at once she is also divine, the Body of Christ.

Comfort with this paradox makes a heart truly Catholic.  It enables one to trust in the Church as Christ’s voice and presence in the world – the very oracle of God, as Newman said.  It likewise enables him to see scandals in the Church for what they are.  He can see the horror of a scandal, and yet not stop trusting the Church.  He knows the Church is at once divine…but also in need of reform.  A person with such faith is not undone by scandals, because he knows the Church consists of weak human members (like himself).  He knows that the Church is a pilgrim, en route to heaven, and always becoming more perfectly what she is.

Next: Revelation

Every so often a veil of lies is lifted, forcing us to look at the truth of a situation we may otherwise have chosen to avoid.  This was the case back in the late 1990’s when Americans were confronted with the gruesome truth about partial birth abortion, watching as Congress debated whether or not it was “needed” to preserve the “health of women.” During those debates, the country recoiled, learning exactly how barbaric partial birth abortion really is. Those debates had such an impact that even today, many who self-identify as “pro-choice” are quick to say that they are not in favor of partial birth abortion.

24 week preemie (photo cred: Dallas Brown)

Again, today, the thin façade of civility is peeled away from the abortion industry so that the American public has to take a good look at the “choice” it has made to tolerate legalized abortion.  The Hermit Gosnell trial has stunned, shocked and horrified all who have had the stomach to follow it.  What went on in the Gosnell facility is the same thing that goes on in every abortion facility, the slaughter of unborn children. No matter how we size it up, the end result of abortion is one dead human being and a vast number of wounded souls, not the least of which is the mother of the child.

I remember reading an article in a prominent newspaper in which the author was bewildered about why the child homicide rate had skyrocketed over the past 30 years.  It was 2003, just thirty years after the Supreme Court of the United States of America legalized the killing of unborn children in the U.S.  I remember thinking, “Can they seriously fail to make the connection between legalized abortion and the vast rise in the child murder rate?”

The Gosnell trial has given us an opportunity to see one of the greatest scourges in the course of history in full force.  The question becomes, will people of good will take heed of the destructive reality of abortion?  There has been much talk of peace lately, and I continue to harken back to the words of the late Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who said,

“…the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child – a direct killing of the innocent child – murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?”

Let us not lose this opportunity as a nation to do the right thing, to look at abortion for what it is – the taking of innocent human life – and change barbaric abortion laws to defend the rights of children in the womb. Maybe then, as Blessed Teresa predicted, the world will become a safer place for all.

I once had a conversation with a college student who was pretty disgusted about her perception that the Church ignores the protection of the environment and animals, but always talks about sexuality and tells people what to do or not do in the bedroom. “After all, God created everything and commanded us to take care of it, right?” She had a point. The conversation was typical, and one I have had countless times with all ages.  It is a tennis match of their excellent points about contraception that truly sound plausible and logical, and my returns:

• They say: Over-population.
  • I say: Well, I’ve heard some pretty convincing information that there is not accurate scientific proof it is a problem – Population Research Institute. Also, it makes me go “hmmm.” Funny that those of us who made it through pregnancy alive are so determined to stop more from coming. Reminds me of Ronald Reagan’s great quote: “I’ve noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.”
  • They say: Health reasons.
    • I say: “The Pill” won’t solve a problem (such as the “disease” pregnancy), only deal with symptoms. Doesn’t it seem silly not to deal with the problem? Not to mention the fact that the health risks in taking artificial hormones can be so detrimental. Women never know that! AND – I’ve asked a nurse and a few doctors – is there any other medicine that stops a bodily function from occurring as it is designed to do?? (Answer: only Antiperspirant)  But really, none that they can think of. Does anyone have an answer? I find going to the bathroom during a movie annoying – what about a pill to stop urination? Would there be any bad side effects from shutting down a bladder?
    • They say: Unwanted babies and an end to abortion.
      • I say: I REALLY want to agree with them. It is so very logical. Using contraceptives will stop pregnancy. No surprises, no abortions. I am BEGGING someone to help me wrap my mind around this anomaly! We’ve had tons of contraceptives for years! Legal, easily obtained and (except for Georgetown grad students, apparently) free or rather inexpensive. WHY, WHY, do we still have 1.2 million abortions a year?  52% of pregnancies are unintended. Seriously, is it me?

These two don’t always come up, but I like throwing them in:

• Marriages: Better with fewer kids, means less divorce.
  • The divorce rate in America is 50% percent of first marriages; 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce. This is in an era when contraceptives are nearly ubiquitous. I’m not even going to search for stats on infidelity.
  • Happy Women: A woman would be in control of her body, have better relationships with men, feel better about herself, happier and never used or taken advantage of.
    • How’s that working out ladies? Have you noticed depression and low libido on the list of The Pill’s side-effects?

My college friend finally talked about her reasons for taking “The Pill.” She had this great boyfriend. Apparently the experiment to abstain worked for her, but not so much for him, so she needed to not get pregnant. She didn’t really want to talk about that. Poor kid! We moved quickly onto other topics.  I decided just to appeal to her “granola-environmentalist-Whole Foods” side. I couldn’t resist, and sheepishly said, “I sure hope you wash down your artificial hormone pill with organic milk!” She snapped her head up, she looked at me with shock, and said, “I never thought of that before!” I was more startled by her illogic than she was by my question. Yeah, most of us do suffer from cognitive dissonance disorder.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s statement to the Curia last December 20^th captures this ideology most succinctly: “The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man’s fundamental choice where he himself is concerned. From now on there is only the abstract human being, who chooses for himself what his nature is to be.”

And so it happened: man said it is not good to destroy, pollute and abuse nature. Though shalt recycle, save whales and drink organic milk. Then man said, my body – whatever!

For an introduction on this series on paradoxes, read more here.

“A paradox is contrast and not contradiction.”  This quote from Cardinal Ratzinger gets quite nicely to the heart of this series.  A paradox does not violate the principle of non-contradiction.  It involves an apparent contradiction that contains a deeper truth. A contrast but not a contradiction.

Think of it as tension.  Now, we usually consider tension to be a bad thing.  We do not like tense situations or to feel tense.  We try to avoid tension in meetings, in conversations, etc.  But tension often serves very good purposes.  Tension bends the bow to make the arrow fly.  It tugs the sailboat forward and raises bridges over the water.  If we allow the tension to slacken, then the arrow falls short, the boat is dead in the water, and we are stranded on the far shore.

So it is with paradox: two seemingly contradictory things tug at one another. In the tension between them lies the truth.  The tension makes it work. If you resolve the tension in favor of one pole or another, you lose the paradox and the truth with it.  For the paradoxical truth to endure, the tension must remain.

The fundamental and paradigmatic paradox in Catholic thought is, of course, the Incarnation.  In theological terms, the “hypostatic union.” Jesus of Nazareth is God made man…fully divine and fully human, true God and true man.  Not partly divine and partly human, like some Greek demigod.  He is a divine Person who possesses both a divine and a human nature.  Clearly, this is a paradox, a tension: how can one person be both things? But to receive the truth of Who and What He is, we must allow these seemingly opposed truths to tug at one another.  We must allow the tension to remain.

The desire to reduce the tension between the human and divine has led many theologians to ruin.  The frustration with this paradox and the attempts to “solve” it characterize the first millennium of the Church.  Some reduced the divine in favor of the human (Arianism; Nestorianism).  Others reduced the human in favor of the divine (Docetism; Monophysitism).  But whichever direction they may have favored, their fundamental error was always the same: eliminating the tension…and losing the truth.  The glory of Catholic doctrine is to define the Incarnation without violating its mystery.

Jesus Christ cannot be tamed, reduced to our comfort level.  He is always dangerous because He calls us beyond our own way of thinking.  He will not allow the truth of Himself to be grasped fully by us, lest we think we control Him.  Indeed, this is the constant temptation: to make Jesus comfortable, more to our liking, easier to manage. The paradox of the Incarnation reminds us that we cannot claim to know Him entirely.  We must instead bow down before this mystery of faith.

The Incarnation is not one of many paradoxes; it is the pattern of others.  In the Catholic faith we discover again and again this tense union of the divine and the human. It is the common thread that helps us understand the Church, doctrine, Scripture, and ourselves.

Next: the paradox of the Church.

More than one author has commented on the centrality of paradox in Catholic thought. One century ago, Robert Hugh Benson published his Paradoxes of Catholicism. Later, Henri de Lubac wrote his Paradoxes, and then, More Paradoxes. Along the same lines, but in a slightly different vein, Anthony Esolen has his Ironies of Faith. Chesterton and, well before him, St. Augustine loved to traffic in the wordplay that paradox enables.

A paradox is something that in one sense appears contradictory but, upon further reflection, emerges as true. And indeed at the heart of Catholic doctrine we encounter precisely this reality: that there are three Persons in one God, Jesus is both God and man, the Virgin is a Mother, the Lamb is a Shepherd, and so on. But the place of paradox in Catholic thought goes deeper than this. We can say that paradox characterizes – not just a doctrine here and there, and not even the highest dogmas – but, in fact, the very pattern of catholic thought.

Consider, for example, the parables of our Lord. More than one of them delivers its lesson in a shocking, paradoxical manner that forces us to surrender our worldly way of thinking and submit to the Lord’s. The tax collector goes home justified, not the Pharisee. The younger, dissolute son – not the older, obedient one – enjoys his father’s blessing. The dishonest steward is commended, and the unjust judge is godlike!

Paradox is also essential to Catholic worship. At Mass most especially we find that God draws near, but remains far off. We find in the Church’s prayer both great intimacy and transcendence. The sacred Host both reveals and conceals Him. And Chesterton’s paradoxical line from The Man Who Was Thursday summarizes well the liturgical vestments: “these disguises did not disguise, but reveal.” Ultimately, in the Liturgy indeed we find mystery. And mystery rests on paradox.

Perhaps most importantly, paradox calls for a certain disposition in us in order to grasp it. It is something both reasonable and beyond our reach, and that can make us uncomfortable. Both three and one…both God and man…both Virgin and Mother… These paradoxes have been the occasions for many theological shipwrecks. And the pattern of heresy is always the same – discomfort with the mystery, discomfort with the paradox, wanting to solve it one way or another. Those who, for the sake of ease try to eliminate the paradox, who try to smooth out all the seemingly rough spots of Catholicism, inevitably fall into doctrinal error. They reduce the Son to a mere creature, Jesus Christ to a mere man, and Mary to only a mother.

Paradox therefore calls for humility – indeed, docility, that willingness to be taught. Pride is to think that we can grasp all of reality and fit it into our minds. Humility is to recognize that reality is greater than we can grasp or comprehend. Paradox resists the proud and lifts up the lowly.

In this Year of Faith, then, perhaps a consideration of the pattern of paradox in Catholic thought might help us appreciate what we profess. So, with this piece as an intro (and with apologies to Benson, De Lubac, and somewhat also to Esolen), this column will examine different Catholic paradoxes. It will examine not so much each particular doctrine, but rather those ways of thinking very much at odds with the world, seemingly at odds with common sense, but more profoundly true – and satisfying – than anything else.

Sometimes I think that I’ve been working for the Diocese of Arlington central offices for quite a while – after all, five years is a pretty respectable run, right? However, as we celebrate Bishop Loverde’s 25^th anniversary as a bishop, I admit that my years of working for the Church pales in comparison to Bishop Loverde’s commitment and love for the flock he shepherds.
I can honestly say that so much of the reason that the Chancery staff is blessed to work here is because of Bishop Loverde’s leadership. Not only, as the Herald outlines in their comprehensive anniversary issue, has he led us in so many areas, including multicultural ministry, pro-life ministry, evangelization and vocations, he is also a personal example of holiness and love for the Lord.
Bishop Loverde often talks about discipleship, about a personal encounter with God. I see this personal discipleship in my interactions with him. At the beginning of each one of our meetings, he sincerely takes a moment to bow his head and thank the Lord, always remembering to pray for the intercession of the patron saint of my office. When he discusses ideas for pastoral letters or Arlington Herald columns, one can see that this is not just work to complete, but an opportunity for him to share the faith that is so central to his life. One cannot help but be hopeful for our Church when he talks with great enthusiasm about the faith of young people he has confirmed or the seminarians he has visited.

My family with Bishop Loverde at my son’s baptism (photo credit: Stacy Rausch)

During my time here, I have come to a deeper appreciation of all of the responsibilities of being a bishop. Bishop Loverde so evidently carries in his heart all of the people in the diocese, constantly striving to “encourage and teach with patience” (his episcopal motto).
I am encouraged the most by the example he sets. I often say that there is no way that I could keep up with the schedule he follows – the Holy Spirit must be with him! He travels throughout the diocese, works into the evenings, and still finds time to dedicate to prayer and to greeting each one of us individually, always remembering what is going on in our lives.
On this 25^th episcopal anniversary, I thank God for the shepherd he chose to give the Diocese of Arlington, which He chose to give me. Celebrate by praying for Bishop Loverde, that he may continue to humbly serve and to courageously lead as our shepherd.

]]> http://encourageandteach.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/shepherding-through-teaching-and-example/feed/ 1 encourageandteach My family with Bishop Loverde at my son's baptism (photo credit: Stacy Rausch) http://encourageandteach.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/what-do-girls-need/ http://encourageandteach.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/what-do-girls-need/#comments Thu, 11 Apr 2013 20:57:00 +0000 encourageandteach http://encourageandteach.wordpress.com/?p=2495 ]]> By: Sr. Clare Hunter

What do girls need? Well, a federal judge in New York has decided that they need more contraceptives. No worries that a minor might be alone in her fear, panic, shame, and potential life-altering situation. No, this judge knows that all she needs is to be able to purchase Plan B, an emergency “contraceptive,” without any adult supervision whatsoever. She won’t have to talk about what happened last night. Is she in love? Did she make a mistake? Was she used or abused, tricked or forced into an act that could result in creating a new human life? Nope – no one needs to know.

We are sending the message that she really doesn’t need someone to walk with her in love and support, but she does need a way to quickly take care of a problem. I am certain that most young women will have no problem hiding another secret from their parents, bringing more drama to their circle of friends, or looking for more attention from the man she so longs to have love her.

I’m dying to speak to the judges, politicians, doctors, nurses, all those in favor of unrestricted access to Plan B. I wonder if they googled what I did and found studies that say, “Study: Newer Birth Control Pills May Double Blood Clot Risk”? Um, Plan B is “The Super Pill” – just a monster dose of that risk. Of course there are side effects, listed at multiple medical sites: “Nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, tiredness, dizziness, changes in vaginal bleeding, breast tenderness, diarrhea, or headache may occur. This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.” [emphasis mine] Contact somebody? But that would defeat the point of buying it without adult supervision. So, now we expect her to tell her mom or dad so she can go to a doctor? That is, if she is able to tell someone. What if she is having blood clots, convulsions or cardiac arrest?

The debate is still on as to whether this drug causes abortion by not allowing a fertilized embryo to implant in the uterus. So far, studies indicate that pregnancy can still occur with Plan B. Let’s be clear, if ovulation has already occurred….you could get pregnant! Therefore, it‘s obvious that providing these pills to young girls will not only expose them to a potentially harmful contraceptive but also to an abortion-inducing drug.

When I give talks to groups of all ages, the moment that is the most silent, squirm-free and breathless is when I talk about the deepest longing in all our hearts: to be completely and totally accepted and loved for who we are, not because of what we do, or look like, but to be embraced and smiled upon in total love. To live a life without fear of being rejected, used or hurt – ever! I am sure the boys and men agree, but the women, the girls, freeze, they stare intensely, almost in a look of shock, that I have “read their souls.” Is giving them more access to contraceptives really giving our girls that love?

Well, O.K., then…if we are really looking for laws to help women, I have a few to propose. I think each state should pass a law that says every father must spend a minimum of one hour with his daughter(s) daily. He must hold her hand, hug her, kiss her cheek, tell her she is precious, beautiful and loved, exactly the way she is. He should teach her to be chaste and protect her from all harm. A father with sons must teach them to be respectful, chaste and protective of women. A mother must also spend a minimum of one hour with her daughter(s) each day. Mothers must teach their daughters how to dress modestly and to respect their bodies. All violations of these laws will result in fines, manual labor, service hours or arrest.

Does legislating such behavior seem excessive to you? Well, I think it’s far better than the federal government trying to enable young girls’ usage of drugs that could harm them and potentially destroy new, innocent life.