Mississippi Amendment 26

Hi.

I'm Veronica.

26 year old celibate female. I don't use oral contraceptives. I never have.  Since I was twelve, I didn't believe in it.

Why? Thanks to the internets and a holistic view on medicine, I decided a long time ago, it wasn't safe.  My position is only further strengthened by my Catholic faith.

Currently, making the rounds on facebook, you'll see many people doing the social media blitz for Mississippians against amendment 26. Amendment 26 seeks to implement what a person is. Mainly, girls are all up in a tizzy because their oral contraceptives could be taken away from them due to the loose wording.

Granted, as a Catholic, I should whole heartedly be for this amendment, and theoretically I am.

BUT...

What I do not like is that we are trying to make the laws of man, the laws of God. In a perfect world, that would be one and the same. (Some days, I think that is exactly what Heaven is).  But when laws like this are made, I feel like they run against our Christian mission.

Even if people are not religious, most morally ethical people, agnostics, and even the atheists, follow the rules of man.  Thus, when we enact laws like this, we're forcing the very souls we're trying to win over into subscribing to our belief system when they aren't ready or willing to yet. In turn, that only causes more animosity towards the cause.

I think it's much better and more fruitful to our Christian mission to live out the Gospel in our every day lives, almost quietly. There's no need for big laws or mandates; let the Holy Spirit work through you.

Since I became Catholic (that's three years if you are counting), I haven't had sex. Not for a lack of want, but because I do not want to have a baby, I do not believe oral contraceptives are safe (in fact, most hormonal pills aren't safe for women, but the insurance companies have found ways about hiding the facts), and I do not want to be forever involved with a boy who didn't think I was worth marrying.

On a regular basis, when people my age inquire about my celibacy, I get responses of, "you go girl. you're doing better than I could do." They like the fact that I walk the walk and talk the talk. I think this does more good for the Church and her beliefs than any man-made law ever could.

The answer is simple here, to me, really. Define person as from the moment of conception, and girls, don't have sex.  But we don't live in that kind of world.  I think the best way to convince people of our Faith is to live it out, day by day, moment by moment.

"Always preach the gospel.  If necessary, use words." - St. Francis