The Issue of Parenthood

By: Grayson Filippis

Author’s Note:

This is a new segment of The Catholic Michigander that is designed for teens that want to know more about political and moral issues, as well as what we as Catholics believe regarding them. It breaks the issue at hand down into three parts: Issue Overview, Catholic Slant, and what I like to call the Adolescent Assignment. This will almost always be the shortest section of these articles because it’s just a quick debrief on what you as a Catholic teen can do to support the matter. I will generally follow a monthly theme, but I will also take requests if I see fit. If you would like to ask a question or bring a certain issue to my attention, please email us at themichigander21@gmail.com. Now, without further ado, the first ever issue of this new Catholic Michigander segment.

Issue Overview 

I chose this issue because we just recently celebrated Mother’s Day, in which we as Catholics also acknowledge Mary as our Heavenly Mother. The issue of parenthood has been a hot topic of debate over the last few years. The left side of the political spectrum is pro-choice, and believes that a woman should have the option to do what she wants with her body, whether it affects an infant or not, while the right wingers acknowledge the life of a baby after conception. But what about before the baby is conceived? Well, as of late, there has been a radical decline in babies being conceived, due in part by a 4b movement (a movement that essentially encourages women not to have children) that has intentionally left the nation of South Korea nearly barren, a trend that has spread to many of the countries around the world. Add that factor to over a million abortions last year, and you have a somewhat expected result. According to the United Nations, the World Fertility Report of 2024 recorded a staggeringly low 2.2 births per woman. This is below half of the fertility rate in 1960. As a result, the right side of the political spectrum is preaching that they are taking away one of the greatest superpowers and strengths of women: to be a loving and caring mother. 

As for after birth, fatherhood has been on quite the rollercoaster. You may or may not have seen the campaign titled “#Dadication.” These commercials exist because there have been conflicting trends in the last fifteen years in fatherhood absence patterns. According to fatherhood.org, the climax of fatherless homes thus far occurred in 2012, with a number of 20.6 million. This has lowered since then, with 17.8 million of these cases in 2023. So, what is the answer to all of this? What do we, as Catholics, believe about this issue? 

Catholic Slant 

As Catholics, we have an incredible role model that we should all try to follow, whether male or female. That role model is Mary, the mother of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. She is especially a powerful figure to many young women in the Church. Many would argue that Mary’s finest

moment was her Fiat (her yes to God, for those who aren’t familiar). In Luke 1:38, Mary proclaims to Gabriel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” Because of Mary’s yes, we have a Savior named Jesus Christ, who died for the sins of the world. So why, then, are there so many people saying no to parenthood, and instead turning it down? To understand this more, we may have to focus on Jesus on the road to Calvary, saying, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore…’” (Lk 23: 28-29). Imitating Jesus is key in our faith, and he was saddened greatly about this, so we should be as well. We could assume that Jesus was telling of today, as we have said that there are many women who are praised for aborting their children in their wombs or swearing off motherhood entirely. As Catholics, we must stand up for the rights of all the unborn. As for after birth and the fatherhood aspect, we have another model to follow. For those of you who guessed Joseph, you are correct. He, upon finding out that Mary was pregnant, had his doubts, but the Angel of the Lord reassured him that all would be well and Joseph trusted the Word. He then became the greatest human model of fatherhood we’ve seen in history. Joseph is greatly respected as not only a leader in Jesus’s life, but also as his protector and someone that young men should imitate as fathers. Ultimately, the two of them faced the most significant and challenging unplanned parenthood of all time, and yet, they both rose to the occasion to raise the Son of God, and all who are called to parenthood by the Holy Spirit have to look no further than the Holy Family as footsteps to follow in.

 Adolescent Assignment 

The Adolescent Assignment for this month is to educate yourself and to pray. This is a hard topic for teens to do anything about physically to stop from happening, but like G.I. Joe says, “Knowing is half the battle.” This is true here because you can’t prevent people from aborting their children or abandoning their responsibility as parents. So, what do you do with this knowledge once you have it? You share this knowledge with others. Have discussions and debates with family members and peers, keeping in mind that the discussions are appropriate to the time and place you are in. The other half of the battle is prayer. Us humans only have so much power over ourselves and certain events, and this is why we must go to God to ask for protection over the unborn and also for courage for all parents to protect the lives of their children. And in time, our prayers will save many lives and bring more parents and children closer to our Lord, Jesus Christ.