Photo curtesy Gloria Steinem
Last year I was fortunate enough to see Gloria Steinem speak at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
Steinem is the founder and former editor of Ms. Magazine and a tireless advocate for women’s rights. She is also childfree (although at 66, she married for the first time and became a stepmother to then 26-year-old actor, Christian Bale.) 40 years later, Steinem is still as vivacious as ever, and her work is still relevant.
It’s hard to believe that in the 21st century women around the world are still fighting for basic human rights, and that women in supposedly developed countries, such as the U.S., are still fighting for their reproductive rights. But here we are.
The governor of Virginia thinks we can’t be trusted to make a decision about motherhood, the Pope calls infertile couples who use reproductive technology “arrogant”, and radio talk show personality Rush Limbaugh apparently has a very low opinion of women who want to choose when, or if, to bring children into the world.
So, in honor of National Women’s History Month, here’s to an ageless Chero: Gloria Steinem.
I “met” Gloria Steinem at a book signing about 20 years ago — stood in line my entire lunch hour to get her books signed (I think it was “Revolution from Within”) — & my mother & I went to see her speak, atso about 20 years ago, & she walked right by us through the convention hall.
She is definitely one of my heros, childless or otherwise.
So, if the Pope is calling women who seek out technology to become pregnant arrogant, isn’t that, by extension, the Catholic church’s way of acknowledging infertile women aren’t abnormal, evil, unnatural and in need of shunning?
Clearly the rest of the Catholics online don’t agree. {sigh}
The reason I admire the Catholic Christian church is that she is a place for both sinners and saints, and there is room for divergent opinions. On our planet she looks very flawed indeed, yet Jesus still loves his Bride completely, without reservation. He did all the work to save us and now works with her to remind us there is still hope for our flawed and fragile lives.
We live in a world that is broken and there are many voices trying their best to defend life — for both the mother and child. Sometimes people need to hear the voice that supports mother, sometimes they need to hear the voice of the unborn child.
Yes, the Catholic Christian church teaches that reproductive technology is missing the mark because she believes that life begins at conception. God bless her for identifying the areas where we need the wisdom of God and the saving work of Jesus.