Santorum: thank you for the contraception conversation

If a year ago, you told me that Americans would be discussing the pros and cons of  the use of contraception in every major news outlet, I would have questioned your sanity. Before I was old enough to vote, a series of Supreme Court decisions had legalized contraception, and during my single years, contraception became the easiest and cheapest medication available.It was pushed at me from every angle, whether I wanted it or not.  It was considered a must for healthy living, as necessary as your toothpaste or vitamins. The debate was declared officially over.
Now, thanks to Rick Santorum's bold comments in 2006

“I don’t think it works, I think it’s harmful to women, I think it’s harmful to our society, to have a society that says that sex outside of marriage is something that should be encouraged or tolerated, particularly among the young, and I think we’ve seen very, very harmful long term consequences to society,” said Santorum in a 2006 interview

 Santorum did the unthinkable;  he dared to call into question the accepted wisdom of society on contraception, all hell has broken loose. Look at the culture of death, its beside itself with rage over this issue!

 And we are all talking about contraception.On TV, on the radio, in the papers, on the web, and over the back fence.  And, contrary to conventional wisdom, that convention is a gotcha issue, toxic to a presidential campaign, its become a powerful unifying force according to Kathleen Gilbert at Life Site News;

The controversy could be seen as pumping renewed energy into America’s conservative religious identity, and by extension, its most religiously conservative candidate. The latest Pew Research Center poll found Santorum ahead of Romney nationally by two points, 30-28%.
The events are a felicitous twist for the senator who entered the race with a plan to enter territory few politicians are wont to go. Even before the mandate became front-and-center news last month, Santorum had already signaled that he was planning on bringing his views about contraception to the surface.
“One of the things I will talk about that no president has talked about before is I think the dangers of contraception in this country, the whole sexual libertine idea,” he said in an October interview.
As Rubin noted in her recent column, Santorum’s heretofore obscure effort has wound up radically successful. “Santorum’s beliefs about contraception have injected Catholic theology into a presidential campaign season that was supposed to be all about the economy,” she wrote.

I  believe that because forty years of contraception on demand has so negatively affected women's health (read Dr Gerard Nadal on how the WHO considers the pill a Class 1 carcinogen) and relationships (the steep decline of marriage and the objectification of women  is directly related to removing procreation from sexual relations) that we as a society are beginning to realize that the Catholic Church was right when she alone remained the only Church to maintain the ban on contraception.Before the Lambeth Conference of 1930 ALL major religious groups banned contraception. And,  disobedient Catholics, as well as our non-Catholic bretheren may be rethinking the wisdom of Humanae Vitae, thanks be to God.
We can thank Obama for the resplendent display of ecumenical unity against the HHS mandate, with the "We are all Catholic" now movement, but without those courageous comments by Santorum setting off a firestorm once they surfaced in an attempt to discredit him as a viable candidate, I doubt this conversation would be taking place.
Catholics, make good use of this evangelical opportunity of a lifetime. Remember it was the Church's stand on contraception which brought us outstanding converts like Dr Scott and Kimberly Hahn. When the Church shows her wisdom boldly,   it is irresistible. People who at first rant and rave, are really listening. And hearts will change if we continue to proclaim the truth that contraception is wrong with clarity and without shame.

Read the entire Life Site Article here.