Texas Bill SB-1 Threatens to Make Casual Sex Harder to Come By

SB-1 is the bill that seeks to ban abortions after 20 weeks and require abortion clinics to uphold medical standards of safety. It passed the Texas House and is now on to the Texas Senate. Enter Ben Sherman and his sexual panic. His admission proves what the Church has been saying for decades now, that abortion, contraception, and all this sexual "freedom" has turned more and more men into pigs and more and more women into objects to be used, abused, and then abandoned.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - "Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings-and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation-need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection."  Humanae Vitae #17

In sharing his Bro-Choice thoughts about Texas bill HB-2 (now SB-1) and why it's so critical to guys in Texas that it be promptly squashed, Ben Sherman has given us the latest bit of proof that Pope Paul VI was a prophet.

SB-1 is the bill that seeks to ban abortions after 20 weeks and require abortion clinics to uphold medical standards of safety. This is the bill that Wendy Davis and her pink sneakers are now infamous for having filibustered the first time around in the state's House last week.  It had the votes to pass and indeed would have passed if not for the shenanigans employed by Davis to push the voting past midnight. Thankfully, Governor Rick Perry had the courage to call another session and bring the measure up for a vote again, and this time it passed.  Now it's on to the Texas Senate.

Enter Sherman and his sexual panic. Actually, I have to give the guy credit for being honest at least. Sherman's admission just proves what the Church has been saying for decades now, that abortion, contraception, and all this sexual "freedom" has turned more and more men into pigs and more and more women into objects to be used, abused, and then abandoned.

He tried to make a good show of being deeply concerned for the health and well-being of Texas women -- especially sisters, mothers, girlfriends, and wives, you know, the women that guys really care about -- but the weight of his argument, the nitty-gritty of it is that SB-1 will kill the mood and thus spoil the sex lives of Texas guys. (I can't call them men.)

After all, he points out, if a woman doesn't have the assurance of abortion to fall back on when the birth control fails, she's a lot less likely to give the guys the casual sex they want without strings attached.

"Your sex life is at stake. Can you think of anything that kills the vibe faster than a woman fearing a back-alley abortion? Making abortion essentially inaccessible in Texas will add anxiety to sex that will drastically undercut its joys. And don't be surprised if casual sex outside of relationships becomes far more difficult to come by."

"It's clear: if the Legislature basically takes away a Texas woman's right to choose, having sex becomes a much, much riskier proposition for woman and men."

"For those of us who like girls - you know, like them like them -- and want to have relationships with them that may last anywhere from a few minutes to many years, we need to think about how this bill, by curtailing the bodily autonomy and sexual freedom of women, hurts us, too."

Isn't it nice how the "bodily autonomy" of women is so very, very important to Sherman? It's so dear to him because that's what ensures his own satisfaction. It's also what safeguards his freedom -- freedom from responsibility and parenting, that is. Sherman realizes that women don't become pregnant on their own, and if those unwanted and unplanned pregnancies can't be gotten rid of, then suddenly there's babies who need fathers!  And man, Sherman's just thinking of all those poor guys out there who aren't ready to be a father and how unfair SB-1 is to them.

"Your freedom to choose is at stake, too.  While it is ultimately a woman's choice whether to have an abortion, many women choose to make that decision with the man involved. Do you want that decision ready-made for you by politicians in state government? Not if you value freedom, you don't.
You want to decide when and if to have kids. This bill will force thousands of Texas men into unplanned fatherhood by making it impossible for women to access an abortion in the event of an unplanned pregnancy. Even if you want to have kids, you probably don't want an accident to make you a father before you're psychologically ready and able to care for a child. If you don't want kids, you don't want the narrow, personal views of politicians in the state government to force you to have them."

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Let's take it one thing at a time. If only SB-1 really did make abortion inaccessible to women in Texas! If only it really did do away with abortion in Texas. But it wouldn't. It seeks to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. That's 5 -6 months into pregnancy, when the child can feel pain. Abortions after this stage are also more dangerous for the mother. (Sherman, meet the Morbelli family.) You'd think Sherman would be hesitant to subject women he cares so much about to procedure that presents a real danger to their lives. But clearly, tearing a tiny child into pieces is a "medical procedure" that simply must be preserved for the sake of Sherman's sex life.

Now to this issue of "unplanned" fatherhood. (Boy, those pesky sperm that just sneak out and crawl up into a woman's private parts and make these annoying and inconvenient babies that nobody planned on!)  Sherman, I hate to break it to you, but sex makes babies. If you're not willing and ready to welcome a child into your life, then keep your pants on. It's that simple. If you engage in sex, then you'd better be man enough to accept the consequences of your actions.

No one's playing a nasty trick on you, forcing you to become a father. If you become a father, you did it yourself. You become a father the moment you help conceive a child. Human Biology 101.  No one in the state government has any interest at all in making you or anyone else a father or mother.

The interest is in the life of the child in the womb, who is innocent and does not deserve to die because Sherman or anyone else is too immature, too selfish, too irresponsible, too whatever to accept the reality that the child is a human being who has the right to live.

Sherman's attitude and words should be a giant wake-up call. It's the most recent exhibit demonstrating that abortion and contraception have done nothing but cement the objectification of women into society. Women are simply bodies to be used by men for their own satisfaction, then discarded and abandoned.

Casual sex with no strings attached is the order of the day, so let's make sure the women can "take care of" any unwanted things that might result. It's in the guys' best interest to make sure women have the "freedom" to abort at any time for any reason. It's just so hard to coax a gal into bed without the promise of abortion waiting afterward.

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Spare me the fake-poignant argument that defeating SB-1 is about concern for your girlfriends and wives and sisters, Sherman. You made your point perfectly, and I thank you for your honesty. "And don't be surprised if casual sex outside of relationships becomes far more difficult to come by."

Ladies, is this really the best we can do? Seriously? Why on earth would any of you consent to this degrading treatment? A real man builds his house on a secure foundation first. Then he commits himself to a woman for life before he makes children with her. He accepts the responsibility for all his actions and doesn't leave the burden on the woman he purports to love.  He certainly doesn't condemn his child to death for the sake of his sex life.

But I guess until enough women tell guys like Sherman to get lost, until enough women start valuing their own bodies, until enough women realize that abortion is not empowerment or freedom or progress and that the child in the womb has the right to live and be born, then guys like Sherman will continue to objectify women, use them for selfish pleasure, and leave them to deal with any "unplanned" consequences. 

And babies will continue to be sacrificed on the altar of sexual gratification because, as Sherman so aptly reminded us, we can't risk any anxiety that might undercut the joys of sex.

I can only speak for this Texas woman. May God hasten the day that abortion is no longer acceptable to any man or woman in Texas, and may SB-1 be a solid step toward that day.

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Jennifer Hartline is a grateful Catholic, a proud Army wife and homeschooling mother of four children. She is a contributing writer for Catholic Online. Visit her online at Wake Up, Deborah!

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