Going Backwards?

10."responsible parenthood, which today, rightly enough, is much insisted upon, but which at the same time should be rightly understood. Thus, we do well to consider responsible parenthood in the light of its varied legitimate and interrelated aspects." and "With regard to man's innate drives and emotions, responsible parenthood means that man's reason and will must exert control over them"

To me, the Pope's words are just words of wisdom, not that I agree with everything he says, but this to me seems like some thing nice you would get in a fortune cookie, if they wrote paragraphs instead of sentences. In common none Pope language, it is saying that couples, when you get married, and then continue on to have sex if that is the order that it actually happened in, which is rare now days, you need to understand what you're getting into if your not using protection, and even if you are. You could be bringing a child into this world and need to understand how to raise a child correctly, knowing that this isn't a puppy you could give away if you want, this is your responsibility for the next eighteen years at least. I also quoted the part about the man controlling his emotions if he is not ready to have a cild because just going with emotions and innate drives could quite simply result in a child.

I agree with this part of the reading. Why would we not want couples to not understand what they are getting into when they have sex. We all know couples will engage in what is now such a socially constructed activity that has in many ways lost all remaining meaning that it originally started with, so why shouldn't couples know what's coming. This is good socially for the rest of us out in the public. We don't want people having babies and then leaving them for dead because they were uninformed this could happen, or misinformed. Also, whether or not we agree with peoples parenting techniques, this passage at least supports the fact that we don't want your kids running around recklessly and we hope you don't want them too either.

Politically, knowing whether or not you want kids, when a couple is considering if they want kids and taking the time to actually consider if they want kids, if they can afford kids, handle kids, enjoy their kids, this will help things like the Plan B pill, people will financially better off if they plan for a child before having it, and it will help generally in society, maybe we wouldn't find babies left in garbage cans, mom's microwaving their babies or babies left on door steps.

Psychologically, if no one ever had an opps or surprise baby, people overall would be better prepared. People wouldn't have these kinds of incidents, leaving them with no money, no day care, no health care to support their doctor appointments, and less welfare going to these peoples that couldn't afford this baby but had one anyway just out of a very passionate moment. For the consequences part, I think that is obvious.

To me, this is taking things to a different level. I feel like this passage doesn't want you to resort to a condom or birth control or the Plan B pill or anything like that. I feel like this is taking all the Bordo and the docile body changing as the world keeps spinning, but bringing the body back, not forwards. Meaning it isn't going toward the contraceptive options, but to the just don't do it option. This seems somewhat ridiculous. I completely understand and agree that couples should know the outcomes of having sex and that they should be able, prepared and ready to raise a child to be a good component and person of society, but it could possibly be saying in a world constantly revolving around sex, don't have it. Although there are so many ways to prevent a pregnancy, don't have it. Although it's on every television show, magazine cover, ways to improve sex, every KY commercial, every Victoria's Secret commercial, every alcohol commercial. You cannot get away from it. Seems like in a world recently created and completely turned around from no sex, to all about sex. It seems to me this passage wants time to rewind, it wants the world to go old fashion on sex when you can relate anything to sex.