One of America's most open and obvious pro-life families is the Duggar family from Arkansas. Most people who follow the news or watch cable TV on TLC or DiscoveryHealth have probably heard of them or even seen their shows. Their current show, "17 Kids & Counting" is my favorite TV series. It is so inspiring and refreshing to see a sincere, beautiful, conservative Christian family proclaiming the Gospel of Life so openly by just simply living their lives.
However, many people do not think it's refreshing...in fact, they think it's almost sickening. Today is not the first timeI've heard this sentiment. I've read vehement articles online and seen a bitter YouTube video of people expressing their views about this family. They complain that birthing 18 children is disgusting and should not be happening; they bemoan the fact that the children are sheltered and don't date until they're ready for marriage; and they think that it's weird the girls wear only skirts.
The main topic I want to address is the number of children issue. This is partly why I have a problem with the label of "pro-choice": with pro-choicers, the "choice" which is emphasized is abortion (along with contraception). If you are truly "pro-choice," then why can't you be okay with ANY decision a woman makes? If pro-choicers think a woman has a right to have abortion-on-demand and no one is allowed to judge her for her choices, then why can't mothers birth 18 (or more) children without pro-choicers complaining and judging her? I don't understand why having an abortion is only between a woman and her doctor, but then birthing dozens of children is the whole world's business.
Every family has its ups and downs, but the Duggar family is mostly positive: the children are not abused, they live frugally but are well-cared for, they are loved immensely by their parents and siblings, they are well-mannered and mature, and they are happy, healthy, and kind. What else could one want from a family?
But yet, liberally-minded people complain. Granted, they may think their comments are well-grounded, but my opinion is that many of them say what they do out of bitterness and jealousy because they know, deep down, that the Duggar's have something they don't possess, whether it is a wholesome family life, siblings, loving parents who are still together, or a genuine faith in Jesus. These words from the American public show what a self-centered and anti-life culture we have become. We live for our own pleasures, and if something (or someone) isn't convenient, then we just throw it away and move on with our lives. If we don't "get anything out of it," then it's not worth it.
However, I must go against the mainstream and commend the Duggar family for their witness to life and faith. It's not easy living their kind of life, but they are happy living it because they know it's the right thing to do. They have definitely inspired me and given me hope.
One more thought about the pro-choice rhetoric. If individuals are going to call themselves "pro-choice," then they should act like it. If they want to live up to their name, then they should be happy for Jim Bob and Michelle because of what they have chosen.
However, there is a catch to this: the pro-choice crowd could turn around and say, "Well, then why can't YOU say, 'If a woman feels like she should have an abortion, then she should have it'?"
Here's my answer: I'm not all about choosing whatever I want (although, since I'm not perfect, I am selfish sometimes). I'm all about choosing what God wants, and He wants us to CHOOSE LIFE. I'm trying to show I'm serious about my label, which is PRO-LIFE.
To learn more about the Duggar family, visit www.Duggarfamily.com
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Thanks so much for posting this, Malori. I have been thinking about the Duggars for a while- I admire them for their commitment to God and His will, and it's sickening to read the nasty comments that "pro-choice" people make. You hit the nail on the head in the third to last paragraph.
ReplyDeleteI guess the difference between the pro-choice movement and you is that we don't claim to know what "God wants." I think any human being claiming they have a direct line to the divine is pretty preposterous and arrogant - and imo, not very Christian. Talk about not knowing how to be humble before God...
ReplyDeleteAnother thing, though, is that you never bother to find out why feminists are not thrilled by the Duggar family - you just assume it's because of X, Y, and Z. The "OMG SO MANY BABIES HER POOR VAGINA HAHA!" argument is not coming from the feminist movement.
ReplyDeleteWhat concerns us more is the fact that the Duggars are representative of an extreme patriarchal movement known as the Quiverfull movement, which preaches that women's only role in life is to get married and have babies. It preaches that the father is the head of the house for everything, that women who disagree with their husbands in any way are sinning against God, and encourages them to raise their children in that way. It should be obvious why a worldview that women are not only NOT ALLOWED to be anything more than wives and mothers, but also not even allowed to disagree with their husbands on anything, would be problematic to feminists of any stripe. Instead of assuming that we're attacking her choice to have as many babies as she wants - no one is - why don't you look at what feminists have actually written about the Duggars and Quiverfull?
For a better analysis of the Quiverfull movement, look at the blog "No Longer Quivering" written by a number of former Quiverfull mothers:
http://nolongerquivering.com
tl;dr
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