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Body Autonomy & Birth Control


As I was putting on my bra this morning, I thought how nice it is to no longer need to arrange that whole portion of my body for nursing access. How having a child makes your body Not Entirely Your Own in so many ways. Is it any wonder the Church warns against birth control? It short circuits the truth that we are all connected, that our bodies have a language of their own, that at our peril we belie the nature of sex by treating it as a consumer good, that we think that "my body, my choice" were ever possible, as in a social vacuum. As a mother who firmly supports my daughter *not* having to hug someone she doesn't want to, I embrace the importance of Body Autonomy, but let's not act as if our bodies aren't inextricably linked to others' or that sex doesn't have a meaning outside of our personal definition.

And it's a beautiful thing that the physical act of love is the initiation of self-gift, that would by its nature bloom and grow into more self-giving as parents. If we are to be Christ's body in the world, wouldn't we too, sacrificially and with delight, say, "This is my body, given for you"?

God, I so often fall short. Please heal me, to more wholehearted service in your world.

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