Religious Extremism $5.00 “ Reason Often Makes Mistakes, but CONSCIENCE Never Does.” — Henry Wheeler Shaw
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THE NEWSJOURNAL OF CATHOLIC OPINION VOL. XXXIV—NO. 2 2013 Playing Hardball against Women’s Rights The Holy See at the UN JOANNE OMANG Keeping it All in the Family Europe’s Antichoice Movement NEIL DATTA Fatwas are Opinions MARIEME HELIE LUCAS At the Back of the Bus Ultra-Orthodox Judaism and Women DAHLIA LITHWICK ALSO: Book reviews by Bennett Elliott, Roger Ingham, Henk Baars and Eileen Moran WWW.CATHOLICSFORCHOICE.ORG Religious Extremism $5.00 “ Reason often makes mistakes, but CONSCIENCE never does.” — Henry Wheeler Shaw “ He who acts against his CONSCIENCE always sins.” — St. Thomas Aquinas “C ONSCIENCE is the most sacred of all property; other property depending in part on positive law, the exercise of that being a natural and unalienable right.” — James Madison “A good CONSCIENCE is the palace of Christ.” — St. Augustine “ I shall drink—to the Pope, if you please—still to CONSCIENCE first and to the Pope afterwards.” — Blessed John Henry Newman “But no man has a monopoly of CONSCIENCE.” — Mary A. Ward Great minds think alike. Subscribe to CONSCIENCE today $15 for a year’s subscription www.conscience-magazine.org Conscience EDITOR’ S NOTE THE NEWSJOURNAL OF CATHOLIC OPINION Executive Editor Jon O’Brien Editor David J. Nolan ELIGION IS NOT THE BARRIER TO PROGRESS AT THE UNITED NATIONS [email protected] or in parliaments around the world. Religious extremism, on the Contributing Editor Sara Morello other hand, is. Religious extremism ignores the moderate views of Editorial Adviser most religious people and those with no religion, and it has the Rosemary Radford Ruether potential to do serious damage to the health and well-being of Editorial Associate anybody in its path. Kim Puchir RMany religious people work for the greater good. Religious extremists, Design And Production however, have an immoderate, uncompromising approach to politics and, given Letterforms Typography & Graphic Design the chance, they would deny basic rights and require fundamental changes to Design Consultants the way most people want to live. Point Five, NY In this issue of Conscience, we examine how religious extremists seek to shape Conscience is published by Catholics for Choice. the world to their worldview. ISSN 0740-6835 Earlier this year at the United Nations-sponsored Commission on the Status of Women, the Holy See used its elevated status to try to derail a declaration condemning violence against women. This opposition to women’s rights is business as usual for the Holy See at the UN. Noted journalist Joanne Omang examines the history of the Holy See and considers what might be in store under Pope Francis. We then move to Europe, where Neil Datta has done significant research into the activities of various members of the European antichoice lobby. Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual He illustrates how the attempts to organize a coherent and effective opposition and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to women’s well-being and to reproductive health services are still at the birthing stage, despite having respect and affirm the capacity of women and men impressive resources at their disposal. to make moral decisions about their lives. We are very fortunate to be able to draw on the expertise of Marieme Helie President Lucas, a leading advocate with the organization Women Living Under Muslim Jon O’Brien Laws, who explains what fatwas are, and more importantly, what they are not. Executive Vice President She discusses the role the media has played in popularizing misunderstandings Sara Morello about fatwas, thereby strengthening fundamentalists’ agendas while down- Board Of Directors playing other Muslim points of view. Susan Wysocki, PhD, BSN, NP, Chair Finally, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick, currently working in Israel, examines the Sheila Briggs, MA Neil Corkery worrying influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews on the lives of women, as in both Daniel A. Dombrowski, PhD Israel and the US, they are seeking to curtail women’s rights. Does the religious Susan Farrell, PhD freedom of ultra-Orthodox communities trump women’s right to ride at the Janet Gallagher, JD John Lesch, JD front of the bus? Anthony Padovano, MA, PhD, STD As always, our letters page is open for your comments. Denise Shannon Rosemary Radford Ruether, PhD, Emerita Catholics for Choice 1436 U St., NW • Suite 301 • Washington, DC DAVID J. NOLAN 20009-3997 • USA • +1 (202) 986-6093 www.CatholicsForChoice.org Editor [email protected] Conscience is a unique magazine, and one we would like to get as wide an audience as possible. So, I have a favor to ask. Think for a moment. Ask yourself, do I know other people who I want to be as well-informed as I am? I’m sure you do, because inquisitive people always know other inquisitive people. So, please consider buying them a subscription as well. To purchase, please visit our website, www.CatholicsForChoice.org, or call us at (202) 986 6093. VOL. XXXIV—NO. 2 2013 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS “…it has been common practice for right-wing clerics to try and enforce antiwomen cultural practices by bringing in the sanction of Islam.” —MARIEME HELIE LUCAS, p28 DEPARTMENTS 1 Editor’s Note 43 Left Foot Forward: Advancing Sexual 4 Letters Rights in Britain 7 40 Years of Roe Stephen Brooke’s REP. BRENDAN F. BOYLE Sexual Politics: Sexuality, Family Planning and the 8 In Catholic Circles British Left from the 17 Cory L. Richards 1880s to the Present Day In Memoriam ROGER INGHAM 41 Unintentional Erotica 46 To Restore Eden: and Intentional The Paradox of Repression: Church Reform Church, State and Sex Christopher M. Bellitto Eric Berkowitz’s and David Zachariah Sex and Punishment: Flanagin, editors Four Thousand Years of Reassessing Reform— Judging Desire A Historical BENNETT ELLIOTT Investigation into Church Renewal Conscience offers in-depth, cutting-edge coverage HENK BAARS of vital contemporary issues, including reproductive rights, sexuality and gender, feminism, the religious right, church and state issues and US politics. Our readership includes national and international opinion leaders and policymakers, members of the press and leaders in the fields of theology, ethics and women’s studies. 2 CONSCIENCE VOLUME XXXIV—NO. 2 2013 FEATURES 48 Finding Shelter 18 Playing Hardball against Women’s Rights Outside the Big Tent: The Holy See at the UN Catholic Reform JOANNE OMANG Movements 22 Keeping it All in the Family Kathleen Kautzer’s Europe’s Antichoice Movement The Underground Church: Nonviolent NEIL DATTA Resistance to the 28 Fatwas are Opinions Vatican Empire MARIEME HELIE LUCAS EILEEN MORAN 33 At the Back of the Bus 44 Bookshelf Ultra-Orthodox Judaism and Women DAHLIA LITHWICK 50 Reports Worth Reading 36 Meet Some Religious Extremists 52 Postscript CATHOLICS FOR CHOICE Back Cover 39 GISA: Global Interfaith Index: When Extremism & Secular Alliance Becomes Law COVER: © ISTOCKPHOTO/GREGORY OLSEN, 2008 ABOVE: A RADICAL RUSSIAN ORTHODOX BELIEVER (R) THROWS AN EGG AT GAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS PROTESTING A PROPOSED LAW THAT WOULD BAN HOMOSEXUAL “PROPAGANDA.” © REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV, 2013 VOL. XXXIV—NO. 2 2013 3 LETTERS about: preventing abortions, between 150,000–900,000 or punishing women who immigrants living in Spain Closer to Home: have them. have been left uninsured. ALISON MCCULLOCH, PH.D. The new policy endangers Improving Abortion Tauranga, New Zealand the poorest of the poor and is entirely inequitable Access for the Women Spain’s Health Reform because women’s healthcare and Immigrant Women’s options are determined by in New Zealand Reproductive Health the area in which she lives IN “TRYING TO TURN BACK and the instructions issued the Clock on Abortion by her local department of EW ZEALAND ISN’T A passed), that the main Rights in Spain” (Vol. XXXIV, health. These women are particularly reli- factors determining the No. 1), María R. Sahuquillo also at the mercy of the law gious—or Catholic— content of abortion law mentioned the threat to concerning conscientious Ncountry, but as Margaret outside the Communist abortion access posed by objection, which protects Sparrow suggested in her countries were “the strength Spain’s current administra- providers who do not want article “Creaking at the of the Roman Catholic tion. Some women in the to perform a service but not Seams” (Vol. XXXIV, No. 1), political lobby and the emer- country have already lost those whose conscience the Catholic church plays an gence of an educated and access to reproductive health- would have them perform a outsize role in ensuring that politically articulate care. One consequence of the service not covered by the abortion in New Zealand women’s lobby.” Though health system reform imple- prevailing rules. The health remains governed by crim- other denominations have mented by Ana Mato, Spain’s law includes penalties for inal statute, as well as in grown more conservative on Minister of Health, Social those who provide care campaigning against abortion since the ’70s, the Services and Equality, has outside of the current stat- improving the services we battle over the new abortion been the denial of public utes, and given today’s do have. service in Invercargill, healthcare to undocumented economic uncertainty, many This role is nothing new. described in Sparrow’s immigrants. As a result of the providers sympathetic to In researching my own book article, shows that his anal- reform, among this popula- patients’ plights are loath to about the recent history of ysis still holds a lot of truth. tion only pregnant women place their jobs at risk. abortion politics in New What was most distressing and those facing a health If a woman seeks an abor- Zealand (Fighting to Choose: about the particular struggle emergency are now eligible tion, she has two options. The Abortion Rights Struggle in Sparrow wrote about—the to receive free healthcare.