"Birth Control Is Selfish" ... The Message Society Doesn't Want To Hear

No Room for Contraception ^

[nrfcmedia]

"Birth Control Is Selfish" ... The Message Society Doesn't Want To Hear

This past weekend graduates of Saint Thomas University were treated to a surprising speech by 21-year-old graduating student Ben Kessler. Some graduates walked out, many jeered, and others spewed profanities in response to his speech.

Just what did he speak of which caused such an outcry? The War in Iraq? Border control? NSA spying? None of the above.

So, what exactly did Mr. Kessler do wrong? He touched society's third rail: contraception. Mr. Kessler had the audacity to call the use of birth control "an act of selfishness."

One would have expected some encouraging applause from the audience, after all St. Thomas is a Catholic institution. The reality is that many of these Catholic students and family members are themselves using contraception, and Mr. Kessler confronted their lifestyle and the use of contraception.

Mr. Kessler dared to speak about this issue and people didn't want to hear his message. What happened to the exchange of ideas universities are famous for? Where were all of the supposed "open minds" at during this speech? Instead of listening to his speech with an open mind, it seems that they were too busy keeping themselves ignorant by jeering and ridiculing him.

Society has a lust affair with birth control to the point of not being able to think outside of the box. We live in a contraception "matrix" where it's impossible to believe that there are any harmful effects on marriage, society, and the health of women.

This "contraception deception" is the primary force behind the attacks against the contra-contraception message.

For the most part, society doesn't want to hear the message. This message is that, in our culture, contraception leads to increases in abortion, teenage sex, affairs (and subsequent divorce), health problems, and statutory rape. These facts are apparent by simply comparing statistics.

Why are people willfully preserving their ignorance? For the past century, people have lived in a society that endorses the practice of a contraceptive lifestyle of easy, commitment free, and on-demand sex without challenging them to question possible adverse effects.

Mr. Kessler could have spoke about the start of a career, the discernment of a vocation, the undertaking of new responsibilities, or many other subjects related to graduation. But hopefully his bold message will help to his classmates to question the force-fed information they have heard all their lives concerning human sexuality and contraception and arrive at a more natural, healthier view of human sexuality.

The contraception debate is long overdue, and it is people like Mr. Kessler who are breaking down the walls of ignorance, selfishness, and deception. Society may be resistant to this message, but over time the truth will prevail.

[Antoninus]

Oh that's fine*. Unfortunately, it's not what youn posted.

Sure it is. You just think a life spent picking lettuce is not worth living. I disagree.

*of course, you are assuming that everyone wants children.

Funny, everyone wants to have sex, though. They just don't want to deal with the natural consequences of the procreative act. Such an attitude, if you ask me, is that of a adolescent.

[Scotswife]

"I'll bet all who attended will REMEMBER THIS SPEECH....any other speech given would have been forgotten within a month."

Maybe, maybe not.
And unfortunately many will remember it as the day some guy hijacked the graduation ceremony.

[Antoninus]

I think Teddy had six kids, right?

Seven, actually, if memory serves.

[sinkspur]

Sometimes, people need to hear the raw, unvarnished truth. Not every lesson has to be pleasant.

Let me tell you something. If one of my boys had spent four years busting his butt in college, and I had spent $120,000 for him to do that, only to have him be lectured to by one of his classmates about his selfishness because he's not out making babies on his graduation day, I'd collar the kid after the ceremony and tell him he'd better get off his high horse.

There's a time and a place for everything. This was neither the time, nor the place, for preachment about birth control.

[Petronski]

Birth control can be very selfish, but I don't think it is selfish categorically.

In this day and age, however, the practice of birth control is often very selfish.

[little jeremiah]

One for the list, if you want it. I agree with Mr. Kessler. Absolutely!

[Scotswife]

"Soooo....the students at this Catholic Univ. should just have an entertaining speech....wouldn't want to "offend." That's so MTV...."

Graduation ceremonies exist in order to honor the graduates. The focus should be on their accomplishments, recognition of their hard work, and positive inspiration for their future.
How many graduations have you been to?

Graduation ceremonies are not catechism classes - nor are they sex ed classes.

There are venues where this type of speech would be appropriate, but graduation isn't one of them.

[Torie]

Abortion has reduced the crime rate, so say some studies, because abortion is practiced in higher percentages by those who would be dysfunctional parents. In any event, the issue of crime rates and abortion is not something I think those that want to make illegal all abortions, should mention much.

[Wormwood]

Funny, everyone wants to have sex, though. They just don't want to deal with the natural consequences of the procreative act.

The natural consequence of jumping out of an airplane is instant death. Reason and science provided us with parachutes.

The same could be said about sex.

[Antoninus]

So, because it is a catholic university then all bets are off?

Huh? Contraception is a grave moral issue of our time. The Church has weighed in on it many times in no uncertain terms. It is a wholly appropriate topic for a commencement speech at a Catholic university. I would have taken it in a second over the pablum socialist do-gooder cr@p we got from Queen Noor of Jordan at my supposedly Catholic college.

Maybe next years speaker can give us the juicy details about when oral sex is acceptable and when it isn't.

You laugh, but I'll bet Smith, Mount Holyoke, or Evergreen have had commencement speakers address exactly this subject from the other perspective.

Or...maybe there are certain speeches that are better left for venues other than a graduation ceremony where the focus should be on the graduates.

Yawn. I'm sorry this speech offended your sensibilities and got your knickers in a knot. But I hardly think you're in any position to decide what's best for the graduates at a Catholic college.

[Nihil Obstat]

"But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, Weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck."

[Antoninus]

Perhaps he should have spoken of the Trinitarian progression. There are hundreds of years of wisdom on that topic as well, and it would have been similarly received.

No, it wouldn't have been similarly received. It would have gone right over the heads of most of the audience. The fact that so many had an extreme negative reaction proves that they understood what the speaker was saying--all too well.

[little jeremiah]

I appreciate all your comments. Spot on.

[Nihil Obstat]

unless you consider that every abortion is murder, then that kind of throws the violent crime statistics out of whack.

[Torie]

Change the definitions, and you get different results. But my comment was crime rates, for crimes that are on the books, as opposed to those that are not.

[ModerateGOOPer]

You seem to believe that since this is a Catholic University, the students are also Catholic. However, between 55-60% of students at the school are not Catholic.

[goodnesswins]

I've been to several graduation speeches....even gave a speech at one.....NONE of which I remember the content!

[Scotswife]

"Yawn. I'm sorry this speech offended your sensibilities and got your knickers in a knot. But I hardly think you're in any position to decide what's best for the graduates at a Catholic college."

Wow. Such arrogance and condescension from someone claiming to be a catholic.
Maybe there are other things that are "selfish", and maybe talking down to people at their own graduation could be one of them.

BTW - you don't know anything about so I don't really care if you think I'm in "any position" to do anything.

[Antoninus]

Fair enough post, but the comments made by the speaker are not in tune with Catholic lay thinking, is what I was suggesting.

Most lay American "Catholics" couldn't even recite the 10 Commandments, let alone give you an accurate summary of Church teaching on any issue. Again, this is the fault of our bishops more than anything else. In short, who cares what they think? They have chosen the secular world, so their opinion on Catholic teaching matters not one whit.

This near atheist thinks the comments have hectoring ring, that one size fits all, which is neither moral or wise, but obviously my point of view is irrelevant as to the internecine debate.

Fair enough. Perhaps it wouldn't work for you. The point is that a lot of us need "hectoring"--I prefer to call it a whack in the back of the head with a baseball bat--just to wake us up. Depravity has a way of lulling your conscience to sleep as it destroys you.

[Antoninus]

I'd collar the kid after the ceremony and tell him he'd better get off his high horse.

Would you claim to be a member of the clergy when you did it? Hypothetically speaking, of course.