The Abortion Ban is Worse than You Think

Hi, I’m Ana and I’m a recovering Catholic. I’ve been seeing people write about the abortion ban, and I need to make a clarification. It’s much worse than that.

I’ve seen multiple, excellent articles covering the federal abortion ban. These articles are fantastic and well thought out. However, my only criticism is that they do not explain just how far this will go. As stated, I am a recovering Catholic. While most Christian sects are virulently pro forced-birth, Catholics are just as bad, but quieter about it. So I’m very familiar with their beliefs, a thing that I am still trying to work through with my therapist. But it gives me a lot of knowledge on this topic.

“How bad is it?”, you ask?

Well. Let me tell you. Obviously we know that this is going to affect abortions. But the concept “Life begins at conception” goes much deeper than that. Growing up in the Catholic Church, we were told that no birth control of any kind was acceptable, with the exception of Natural Family Planning, or NFP. Also called the “Rhythm Method”, which sounds way cooler than what it actually is. Now, ironically, statistics show that 99% of woman in the US have used birth control at some point in their lives. And in 2024, 86% of woman of reproductive age used birth control. So the chances that a Catholic or Christian conservative NOT using birth control is miniscule. So, it’s a lot of the same vibe as “The Only Moral Abortion is My Abortion”. Any woman (and there are many, unfortunately) who voted for Trump either didn’t think this would actually happen, or doesn’t care, or has the means to get birth control elsewhere.

So, why am I explaining all of this? Well, I needed to get those figures in your head. They’re important.

As a recovering Catholic, I know their ultimate goal

They want to ban all forms of birth control, full stop. When I was in high school “health class”, we were taught that hormonal birth control was abortion. No, I am not exaggerating. If you were raised Catholic, you know where this is going, and I would be shocked if you did not hear this during your time there.

Obviously, we know this is factual inaccurate. But, since when do the Catholic Church’s feelings care about facts? I’m actually surprised the church embraces evolution, because they can’t even handle a woman in a position of power. So, I’m going to go into the Church’s teachings on life. They mirror the broader Christian White Nationalist rhetoric, but neither is stupid enough to advertise the full extent of their blatant disdain for women. Even if a Catholic outwardly proclaimed these beliefs, much like people who deny pissing in the shower, statistics show they are a liar.

Now, here is how all forms of hormonal birth control and copper IUDs work:

• Stop or reduce ovulation (the release of an egg from an ovary).

• Thicken cervical mucus, creating a barrier that prevents sperm from entering your uterus and eventually reaching the egg.

• Thin the lining of your uterus so that a fertilized egg can’t attach and grow there.

Emphasis mine. So. Now let’s break it down. Here is the bill:

I highlighted that for a reason. That word, “preborn”, which is also used in George Carlin’s scary fucking accurate critique of the “Pro-Life” movement. You might wonder about that, because it’s incredibly vague. Here’s the legal definition:

Preborn child means a human fetus or embryo in 10-23 any stage of gestation from fertilization until birth.

So. How does all of this come together? Well. Glad you asked.

Let’s hear from our old pals, The Catholic Church.

So. Here is a quote taken from The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church and Academy:

Contraception and sterilization are not neutral medicine. They work against the natural gift of fertility, treating pregnancy as if it were a disease and fertility as if it were a pathological condition. Some methods can also act to prevent implantation, causing the early death of a newly-conceived human being.

Emphasis mine. And this is where this long ramble has paid off. See, “fetal personhood” is code for “Life begins at conception”. Here is an excellent PBS article on the history of Catholic opposition. I found this portion particularly interesting to see the shift in perspective.

On New Year's Eve 1930, the Roman Catholic Church officially banned any "artificial" means of birth control. Condoms, diaphragms and cervical caps were defined as artificial, since they blocked the natural journey of sperm during intercourse. Douches, suppositories and spermicides all killed or impeded sperm, and were banned as well. According to Church doctrine, tampering with the "male seed" was tantamount to murder. A common admonition on the subject at the time was "so many conceptions prevented, so many homicides." To interfere with God's will was a mortal sin and grounds for excommunication.

I actually thought that the jokes that “Every Sperm is Sacred” and that ejaculation was murder were exaggerations, so that was not on my bingo card. Welcome to Poe’s law…

Here is another excerpt from a different article, talking about birth control:

Some Contraceptives Can Cause Early Abortions

Advocates of contraception claim it doesn't cause abortions. However, that claim rests on an inaccurate redefinition of "pregnancy" as beginning only after an embryo successfully implants in the mother's uterus. This, then, excludes from the meaning of abortion all pills and devices that cause the death of an embryo before implantation. Yet it's scientifically indisputable that a new human life begins when an embryo first forms at fertilization—6 to 8 days before implantation.

Emphasis added.

So, why not get sterilized?

They hate sterilization too. Thankfully, since sterilization can’t be considered an “abortifacient” like the Church considers hormonal birth control, so the Christofascists will have to pull something out of their ass to make a ban actually feasible on these grounds. I’m not saying it won’t happen, but it’d be more challenging. Here is the church’s perspective:

The Catholic Church considers the body to be the temple of the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 6:19], and thus it should be honored, protected and preserved. This means that any mutilation of the body — including extreme “body modifications,” so-called “sex-change operations” and attempts to cripple it for social reasons (including sterilization) — is to be condemned. Such mutilations “violate the integrity of the human person”¹(Evangelium Vitae ¶3, Gaudium et Spes ¶27). Direct sterilization destroys the normal and proper functioning of a body system and is thus illicit in all cases.

They only want people to use the “Rhythm Method.” An old Catholic joke goes “What do you call a couple who uses the Rhythm Method? Parents” They want to force women to be a brood mare for the state. They want a “domestic supply of infants”. And they’re intimidated that woman have control over their lives and bodies. That’s all. They are frightened that their power will be stripped away. They love controlling people. So. Now that you have this exhaustive deep dive into this horrible bill, what can we do?

Here are ways to combat this law.

First things first. Take a deep breath.

Second, realize that this law has just been introduced. I wrote in my last article about identifying immediate problems and working from there as a way to keep from drowning. This is not immediate as of yet. This could take months. Just keep an eye on it’s movements.

Call your congress members to confirm that they will be voting against this law, if you feel they will be receptive.

Sign up for your representatives’ newsletter, as you will often get information before things are released. Doesn’t matter if you like them, because those newsletters give highlights to all impending legislature.

Do what you gotta do. Enough said.

Donate to funds for abortion. Get out and protest if you can. Organize with people either from the community or in other places and start laying the groundwork now so you can be prepared. Just remember, you have time.

And lastly, when writing about the bill, include this information. Make sure you let people know that this is where we’re headed, because it’s not being talked about, even though Clarance Thomas said this:

Thomas — an appointee of President George H.W. Bush — wrote that the justices “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell” — referring to three cases having to do with Americans’ fundamental privacy, due process and equal protection rights.

So. Please make sure people know EXACTLY how dire this will be if passed, and work to get a grassroots network. We can do this. We just need to breathe, and take it one thing at a time.