in my VIEW NOTEWORTHY
in my VIEW NOTEWORTHY continued from page 8 The tricky question of birth control Over the years, the Chaldean News has attempted to cover some of the difficult and pressing social issues that affect society and, therefore, our community. These issues include homosexuality, interracial marriage, drug abuse, spousal abuse and abortion. Covering these issues in the community is a challenge. Very few people will speak on the record and the older generation would prefer not to hear, see or deal with these issues at all or ever. This month, there is a feature on the issue of life and abortion, (see page 18). Tangential to this issue is the question of birth control, its use, purpose and the Church’s stance on it. On the latter point, to the best of my knowledge, the Catholic Church still holds the position that birth control is immoral. I am not advocating moral relativity here, but it is a fact that the vast majority of American Catholics just flat out ignore the Church’s teachings on birth control. It also seems that the Church ignores the Church’s teachings on birth control since it is almost never discussed in homilies, bulletins or other Church media. (The reason I hedged above about the Church’s position is because it rarely ever comes up.) The bigger challenge, the greater moral problem and the issue on which Catholics are more united against is abortion. It seems obvious that one of the best ways to reduce and prevent abortions is to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The Catholic Church seems to allow this type of family planning by condoning the rhythm or calendar method. Now, it is not difficult to argue that there is a distinction between this natural method of birth control and artificial contraception. But one could also argue that it is a distinction without a difference. Most forms of contraception attempt to accomplish the same outcome as the rhythm method — preventing the fertilization of the egg. There seems to be multiple ways to accomplish this that are all safe and effective. The rhythm method, on the other hand, is less effective for women with uneven menstrual cycles or other related health issues. Arguably, it is also less effective for uneducated women and those without access to good health care. The rhythm method also contradicts human nature and the physiology of sexual Michael G. Sarafa SPECIAL TO THE CHALDEAN NEWS intercourse between a man and woman. The Church, as it should, has a hierarchy of what’s important. It has priorities. So on the question of life, we hear more about abortion and less about capital punishment, creating the moral conundrum that life is more important for innocent babies than for criminals. Intuitively, that is pretty easy for most of us to get our arms around. But in reality, there is no difference as it regards Church teachings. The Church hands out annulments of marriages with great regularity but condemns otherwise good Catholics for embracing homosexual rights or being pro-choice. The Church opposes war, but American Catholics and Church clerics regularly support pro-war politicians because they also happen to be pro-life. Thus, in the Catholic Church’s world and moral order, almost nothing rises above abortion in terms of abhorrence. If this is true, it might be well to look at more realistic ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies from occurring in the first place. Abstinence and counting days are not the only answer. The Catholic Church could move closer to its goal of preventing and reducing abortions by coming out of the medical dark ages, embracing common sense change, listening to the moral compass of its followers on issues that are really outside of theology, and being consistent with itself. Who am I to judge, Pope Francis recently said about those with alternative views, if they also are seeking a relationship with God. It doesn’t seem that the use of other forms of birth control would necessarily interfere with a relationship with God for otherwise good practicing Catholics. I don’t really know, of course, and anyway, who am I to judge? Michael Sarafa is president of the Bank of Michigan and a co-publisher of the Chaldean News. Ring Their Bell The Salvation Army of Metro Detroit is seeking volunteer bell ringers throughout Southeast Michigan to lend a hand during its 2013 Red Kettle Campaign. Individuals, families or groups are needed to fill bell ringing shifts at nearly 450 red kettle locations throughout Metro Detroit from November 8 through December 24, excluding Thanksgiving and Sundays. Sign up online at www.ringbell.org, where you can pick your date and location. All monetary gifts collected help local families and individuals in times of need, with donations remaining in the community they are given. People Ron Boji has been appointed to the state Transportation Commission by Governor Rick Snyder. The six-member commission is the policy-making body for all state transportation programs. He is the president of the Boji Group, where he manages, develops and leases the company’s real estate portfolio. He fills a vacancy and will serve as a Republican. Boji will serve the remainder of a three-year term expiring December 21, 2014. Ranae Hamama has joined Madonna University as an undergraduate admissions officer. A Madonna alumna, she works with students in Wayne County who are considering transferring to Ranae Hamama Madonna University. She previously worked as a Refugee Specialist/ESL teacher at Lutheran Social Services of Michigan, and before that, she taught fourth grade at Universal Learning Academy in Westland. She is involved at both St. Thomas and Mother of God and the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce. Krystal Hermiz made the Rising Stars list for Michigan Super Lawyers. An associate at Secrest Wardle Law Firm of Troy, she was named in the Personal Injury Defense area. Farah Hanley has received a Krystal Hermiz Good Government Symbol of Excellence, also known as a Director’s Coin, from the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget. She is the manager of the Medicaid and Mental Health Budgets in the Department of Community Health, State Budget and is an expert on Medicaid. 10 CHALDEAN NEWS NOVEMBER 2013
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