In case you missed it, this week Pope Frank told Catholics they didn't have to breed "like rabbits." But he also said large families weren't the problem -- our economic system was the problem. It was when he recommended the rhythm method ("natural" family planning) that he completely lost me. The man's got a masters degree in chemistry, he really should know better than to push something that's got a 24% effectiveness rate. It reminds me of the old joke: "What do we call couples who practice the rhythm method? Parents!"
So good on Nancy Pelosi, Catholic mother of five, for standing up and claiming her expertise:
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) confirmed during a news conference on Thursday,
in which she addressed women's reproductive rights, that she knows more than the pope about having babies."It isn't an ideological fight, it's a personal health issue," Pelosi said. "And as a mother of five, in six years, I have great standing on this issue. Great understanding of it. More than my colleagues."
Pelosi noted that years ago, while opposing legislation that threatened a woman's right to choose, her confidence in understanding the issue was challenged by a Republican congressman.
"One of the Republican members got up and said, 'Nancy Pelosi thinks she knows more about having babies than the pope,'" Pelosi recalled, before reasserting her knowledge on the subject.
"Yeah," Pelosi said. "Yeah. That would be true."
Pelosi closed out the news conference by noting that, ultimately, the decision is "up to women."
