more Catholic cray cray on BC

[Boltingmadonna]

Once again, I partook of the poisoned holy koolaid of EWTN this morning, just to see what they were up to these days. Benedict Groeschel, a kindly little gnome in a Franciscan robe, interviewed crazy lady Mercedes Arzu Wilson. Groeschel has a PhD in psychology from Columbia. Wilson has several honorary doctorates, including one from (gasp) Franciscan University of Steubenville, and is a consultant to the "Pontifical Council for the Family," meaning the Pope thinks she's hot stuff. You can watch her in action here:

So, neither of these supposedly well-educated people apparently knows enough to detect dozens of obvious lies told on today's program. Honestly, I don't know if this qualifies as snark, but I'm so mind-boggled that I simply have to vent. Mods, feel free to move me if necessary. These are the "facts" presented to us today:

BC ruins everything. BC destroys a woman's libido and makes her a bad mommy because hormones.

People call to thank Wilson's outfit for saving their marriage by getting them off the Ebil Pill so they can be normal again.

BC is poison and is only sold to silly women because money! Proof: steroids are illegal, but BC has hormones in it, so it should be illegal too.

If you ever used BC, you have "participated in killing a child."

Women are foolish and have been deceived by BC, just like Eve in the garden of Eden.

BC is like Hitler. BC is "the final solution."

"Steroid hormones" = "female hormones." BC causes heart attacks and cancer.

Pharma companies admit the Pill causes abortion. It's right there on the label, but foolish women don't read the label.

"Studies" show a woman on the Pill would get pregnant from 1 to 4 times a year, so if there's no baby, that means she's been having invisible abortions.

"If you go back 30 years, you have killed more babies with BC than the entire population of the world!" [My husband, who works with statistics, says this could be true if seven fertilized embryos per second had failed to implant due to BC for the last 30 years.]

There is no overpopulation. We are having a population implosion! Europe is committing suicide and will become "Moslem."

When you get pregnant, the baby produces "certain substances" that prevent breast cancer.

Planned Parenthood has imposed pornographic sex education on public schools.

"The Devil's treasure is pornographic sex education." [i'm not even going to argue with that one because I have no idea what it means.]

"They get billions of dollars from the government to destroy the innocence of children."

There is a place for education about sexuality--in higher level college courses.

People who use NFP never get divorced. A woman is only fertile for 100 hours per month.

BC causes infertility. BC depletes your nutrients.

Vasectomy causes Alzheimer's.

Yes, the Catholic Church is determined to eliminate birth control if at all possible. Having realized that most people like it, their current strategy is to convince women it will kill them, ruin their marriages, and above all, that it is the same as abortion. If they can spread this lie, they won't even have to convince women it's true. They only need to get politicians elected who will criminalize abortion, and as if by magic, BC will be outlawed too. It's all part of God's plan.

[sassycupcake]

These are the "facts" presented to us today:

Severing the vas deferens causes a disease of the brain?

I guess that's the ultimate proof that men think with their genitals :lol: :lol:

[Witsec7]

Severing the vas deferens causes a disease of the brain?

I guess that's the ultimate proof that men think with their genitals :lol: :lol:

Yes but a reversal surgery means you can fix stupid :lol:

[Peas n carrots]

Is it time for the Catholic Church to die yet? Really, this information is brought to you by the same folks who allow children to be molested and cover it up. They are not to be trusted.

Says a graduate of a Jesuit university.

[YPestis]

It's really amazing that the Catholic Church still allows this type of misinformation. They actually do have science advisors who are respectable and reputable. They are a big advocate of the fight against global warming while half the US are still debating whether the science is real or faked by evil atheistic scientists. Why can't the Church do their due diligence on women's health? Why are they not as persistence about stamping out misinformation among their own advocates when it comes to birth control? If they want to convince women that birth control is not good for them, being vague about the science of it will not help their case. The Church needs to seriously look at changing their stance on birth control, on women in the church if they want to remain relevant in today's world.

[ADoyle90815]

It's really amazing that the Catholic Church still allows this type of misinformation. They actually do have science advisors who are respectable and reputable. They are a big advocate of the fight against global warming while half the US are still debating whether the science is real or faked by evil atheistic scientists. Why can't the Church do their due diligence on women's health? Why are they not as persistence about stamping out misinformation among their own advocates when it comes to birth control? If they want to convince women that birth control is not good for them, being vague about the science of it will not help their case. The Church needs to seriously look at changing their stance on birth control, on women in the church if they want to remain relevant in today's world.

QFT.

[luckystone]

Isn't this one quite close to being true? Aren't most women fertile for like 3-7 days pre-ovulation (have never tried to conceive or use NFP so I could be wrong on this), so 100-something hours?

[notacleverpony]

In the interests of fairness (even though I hate playing fair with an institution like the RCC), you have to bear in mind that this does NOT represent the attitude of the average American Catholic, layperson or clergy.

EWTN is the Vision Forum of Roman Catholicism, about as traditional as you can get without going full sedevacantist. They've got a (comparatively) sophisticated media platform, a slick public image, and a crapload of useless conferences at which to peddle their snake oil of a patriarchal, Quiverfull (though they'd never use the term), "perfect" life. Growing up, if my parents' TV wasn't set to Fox News or "Law & Order," it was on ETWN.

At least this was with Father Groeschel and not Johnnette Benkovic. She still gives me the jibblies.

[longskirtlotsakids]

Isn't this one quite close to being true? Aren't most women fertile for like 3-7 days pre-ovulation (have never tried to conceive or use NFP so I could be wrong on this), so 100-something hours?

Yeah, I don't know what they are trying to prove here though. I don't think most men are really into abstaining for 100 hours.

[mirele]

It's really amazing that the Catholic Church still allows this type of misinformation. They actually do have science advisors who are respectable and reputable. They are a big advocate of the fight against global warming while half the US are still debating whether the science is real or faked by evil atheistic scientists. Why can't the Church do their due diligence on women's health? Why are they not as persistence about stamping out misinformation among their own advocates when it comes to birth control? If they want to convince women that birth control is not good for them, being vague about the science of it will not help their case. The Church needs to seriously look at changing their stance on birth control, on women in the church if they want to remain relevant in today's world.

This is the same organization whose head (Josef "Benedict" Ratzinger) said condoms do not protect against disease.

Yeah, they'll lie to you, lie, lie, lie, lie. They've been practicing the lying for Jeebus (not to be confused with that guy in the Gospels) for centuries now.

[singsingsing]

Women are only fertile for a certain number of days, BUT sperm can live, what - up to five days, I think? You have to take that into account, plus possible variability in when you become fertile and when you stop being fertile each month, and basically you end up not having sex for half the month. That's not even getting into what happens if your cycles are screwed up, especially after having kids. I was reading a Catholic blogger a couple months ago who was desperate and begging for help, because no matter which method she used, NFP just never worked at predicting her fertile times for her after she'd had kids. She was about to have her fourth baby and she didn't want anymore for a long time, possibly never. Because she refused to use birth control (I'm telling you, the Catholic Church has these people believing that using birth control is tantamount to murder), all she could do was just not have sex with her husband for months.

[Boltingmadonna]

Yes, it's true women are only fertile for a few days. But it's also true that sperm can live up to 5 days inside a woman's body. So, to be safe, you basically can't have sex until after you're sure you've ovulated and the signs of fertility have faded. Abstaining only during the time the woman is fertile means that you'll probably end up pregnant from sperm that are still hanging around from before. Any time you have sex between the end of a woman's period and the time when she's definitely no longer fertile, you're taking a chance that she'll ovulate early and you'll be welcoming another little blessing.

Another point that I've never seen addressed by NFP advocates--maybe because it would completely mess up their thing--is the possibility that a significant percentage of women occasionally ovulate twice in the same cycle.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3927-women-can-ovulate-more-than-once-a-month.html

This would be the most logical explanation for two of my four pregnancies. Anyway, how long an egg survives in a woman's body isn't the only relevant factor for avoiding pregnancy. This is just their way of making it sound like, oh it's so easy and simple, you dumb sluts who won't use NFP are too undisciplined to abstain for just a couple of days! The reality is way more complicated than that.

[fundifugee]

Planned Parenthood has imposed pornographic sex education on public schools.

"The Devil's treasure is pornographic sex education." [i'm not even going to argue with that one because I have no idea what it means.]

"They get billions of dollars from the government to destroy the innocence of children."

Sounds like someone is butt hurt because they figure destroying the innocence of children is supposed to be THEIR job.

There is a place for education about sexuality--in higher level college courses

Because by that time they are not vulnerable kids anymore. Wouldn't want vulnerable kids to know that what you are doing is rape, pedophilia, and criminal.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I dont understand why they think not telling kids about sex til theyre in college or the day before their wedding is a good idea.......its not like its going to stop them, teenagers still have feelings whether you tell them or not because its natural, and its not like we need to be told about sex to do it, at some point, it comes naturally as its sort of an instinct, animals dont have to have the talk from their parents.

It would be easier to tell them how, and give information on how to stop them getting pregnant, and that sex is only for someone you really love.

[Peas n carrots]

Sounds like someone is butt hurt because they figure destroying the innocence of children is supposed to be THEIR job.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Anxious Girl]

So condoms don't destroy the millions of sperm babies everything?

[Deleted06]

A couple of days ago, after one of his Knights of Columbus meetings, my husband told me "abortion causes breast cancer." Apparently they learned this gem at the meeting. Why does he insist on telling me this crap? It just makes my head hurt.

[JMarie]

BC is poison and is only sold to silly women because money! Proof: steroids are illegal, but BC has hormones in it, so it should be illegal too.

But insulin is also a hormone. Should that be banned as well?

When you get pregnant, the baby produces "certain substances" that prevent breast cancer.

This one is somewhat true. When I was in nursing school, I was taught that the saying used to be "fair, fat, and forty," in describing the typical breast cancer patient (yay me, I'm all three!). More recently, my profs said, there were several studies about why nuns get breast cancer at much higher rates than the general public. The shift in hormones during pregnancy can lessen the chances of getting breast cancer later in life. I remember something about my prof stating that women who had their first child very "early" (fourteen-ish or younger) or very "old" (forty-ish or older) have about the same chances as someone who has never been pregnant.

Hey, people at EWTN, here's some food for thought:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/08/s ... nt-cancer/

[Nothing2CHere]

BC causes infertility.

My child is a miracle, then, because this Catholic, who was taking birth control pills for at least the last ten years, conceived within two months of no longer taking them. I should have been infertile! :shock: Call the Vatican!

[Deleted05]

*glances at thyroid replacement pills*

I guess I'll go tell my type I diabetic cousin to lay off the insulin. Since hormones should be illegal and all that.

[darareaksmey]

There is no overpopulation. We are having a population implosion! Europe is committing suicide and will become "Moslem."

Ahhh, you have buried the lead. If Catholics keep using BC, there will not be enough of them and Pope Bennie will be surrounded by infidels.

[Librul]

In the interests of fairness (even though I hate playing fair with an institution like the RCC), you have to bear in mind that this does NOT represent the attitude of the average American Catholic, layperson or clergy.

EWTN is the Vision Forum of Roman Catholicism, about as traditional as you can get without going full sedevacantist. They've got a (comparatively) sophisticated media platform, a slick public image, and a crapload of useless conferences at which to peddle their snake oil of a patriarchal, Quiverfull (though they'd never use the term), "perfect" life. Growing up, if my parents' TV wasn't set to Fox News or "Law & Order," it was on ETWN.

At least this was with Father Groeschel and not Johnnette Benkovic. She still gives me the jibblies.

This is so much true.

EWTN as the Catholic Vision Forum is a great analogy. And NO they do not represent sane Catholics. They do represent the growing fundie and trad element in the Catholic Church. Patriarchal doesn't even describe this arm of St. Peter. Hatred of women comes closer. Actually hatred of laity is fairly accurate.

[samurai_sarah]

In the interests of fairness (even though I hate playing fair with an institution like the RCC), you have to bear in mind that this does NOT represent the attitude of the average American Catholic, layperson or clergy.

EWTN is the Vision Forum of Roman Catholicism, about as traditional as you can get without going full sedevacantist. They've got a (comparatively) sophisticated media platform, a slick public image, and a crapload of useless conferences at which to peddle their snake oil of a patriarchal, Quiverfull (though they'd never use the term), "perfect" life. Growing up, if my parents' TV wasn't set to Fox News or "Law & Order," it was on ETWN.

At least this was with Father Groeschel and not Johnnette Benkovic. She still gives me the jibblies.

I agree with you that this doesn't represent Catholic mainstream. Unfortunately, the mainstream isn't nearly as loud as these nutters. And the way things are within the RCC right now, the moderate mainstream isn't making the policies.

[Hane]

A couple of days ago, after one of his Knights of Columbus meetings, my husband told me "abortion causes breast cancer." Apparently they learned this gem at the meeting. Why does he insist on telling me this crap? It just makes my head hurt.

By the same token, shouldn't miscarriage cause breast cancer? As far as a woman's body is concerned, isn't it essentially the same process?

[heinz57]

BC is poison and is only sold to silly women because money! Proof: steroids are illegal, but BC has hormones in it, so it should be illegal too.

But insulin is also a hormone. Should that be banned as well?

When you get pregnant, the baby produces "certain substances" that prevent breast cancer.

This one is somewhat true. When I was in nursing school, I was taught that the saying used to be "fair, fat, and forty," in describing the typical breast cancer patient (yay me, I'm all three!). More recently, my profs said, there were several studies about why nuns get breast cancer at much higher rates than the general public. The shift in hormones during pregnancy can lessen the chances of getting breast cancer later in life. I remember something about my prof stating that women who had their first child very "early" (fourteen-ish or younger) or very "old" (forty-ish or older) have about the same chances as someone who has never been pregnant.

Hey, people at EWTN, here's some food for thought:

http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/08/s ... nt-cancer/

IIRC the pill slightly increases the risk of breast cancer, but decreases the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancer.

So I wonder how they interpret that...