Women and children: part 2

I know the blog post I just wrote said whatever women did with regards to having children they were open to criticism. And I know that I am now going to look like a massive hypocrite but this is not about judging women for having children, it is about judging the obligation and pressure that these particular women are put under, whether they realise it or not. I am talking about a recent piece about the Quiverfull movement, as described in a recent BBC magazine piece. It was an interesting piece that talked in particular about the spreading of the movement to the UK. For those who are not familiar, the focus is on having a 'quiver full', which translates to having as many children as you can, coming from psalms.

My criticisms stem from reading this piece about one of the influential writers/speakers within the movement; Nancy Campbell who is behind the Above Rubies ministry. Campbell argues that modern women seem to have forgotten their biological function, to have children. That having children is the highest achievement a woman can have. This is the bit I hate. It demeans women with children and belittles those who can not have children. It also seems to seek to sweep aside all the incredible achievements that women have worked and fought for in the last 120 years. The article is well written and interesting, it is promoting a documentary called 'The womb as a weapon'. Before I comment further I feel I need to better understand this movement, but my immediate reaction to the article is that this movement seems to seek to reduce women to a biological function and purpose. It undermines the work of women outside of their uterus and the achievements that women have made.