The news continues to bedevil the contraceptive and religious freedom issue. I said if this kept up, that the Republican field would go down in flames. I said male chauvinism was at the root of it. And Ed said, no, it was family values and religious conviction. You’ve made my point, I answered. The church has always been patriarchical, has always kept women from fully realized roles in society, and that hasn’t changed even though today women can be priests and rabbis. Although there may be male clerics who are more ecumenical in their thinking, I’ll bet you anything that most resent the rise of females among their ranks. Ed saw my point.

I also wonder about Karen Santorum. Somewhere along the way she got religion and left the abortion doctor she had lived with for six years and who was 30 years her senior and had actually delivered her, to go to Rick because she wanted children. She got her wish – she’s had eight. One died, another has an illness that is usually fatal in infancy, and the other six are okay. If I were her, I’d have my tubes tied, since she can’t rely on Mr. Family Values to use birth control. Or maybe she enjoys her life as Mrs. Barefoot and Pregnant for the foreseeable future. Some women (Mia Farrow, Angelina Jolie) need to have as many children as they can, or adopt as many as they can, and are only fulfilled in this way.

If this persona doesn’t fit Mrs. Santorum, watch for a meltdown.

As a sidebar to the above, views of women had, I thought, come a long way since I started my working life in the 50s. The dress code was no sleeveless dresses or tops and, mind you, this was before air conditioning was the norm (and Chicago gets hot), no sandals or open shoes of any sort, and for job interviews, a hat and gloves.

In the 70s, when things had already changed a lot, I was stunned to be approached by the realtor of the building who wanted to show a prospective tenant, the view from my boss’ office on a high floor in an angled building, that showed all of lower Manhattan. As a bribe, he offered me gumdrops and called me “girlie”.

The VP for the corporation had an office on our floor, and one morning he was playing host to some guests and my boss, who had joined them, called and asked me to bring him coffee because “Arnold had baked” and was offering them cookies. When I got there, Arnold offered me a cookie if I would promise him to be careful not to get crumbs on the rug. As I walked out, I said, “No problem. I can be taught simple tricks.”

Arnold had been a pilot in WWII. He owned a small private plane and had crashed twice, both times walking away with only minor injuries. There was to be a corporate meeting in Chicago and he wanted the presidents of the three divisions he was responsible for to fly with him in his new private plane to get there. Louise, dear, wonderful Louise, who at the time was my boss’ girlfriend, said, “No way. I’d f… Arnold, but I wouldn’t fly with him.” In any case, the corporation had a policy that executives could not fly together so it was moot.

As a child attending the Greek Orthodox church, I went to join some boys behind the altar and was stopped because the area was forbidden to females. I didn’t think about it again until I was 16 and entering the church with my mom. The custom was to stop at the icon of Jesus at the entryway, kiss the picture and cross oneself. My mother said, “Don’t let your lips touch the picture,” and I asked her why not, and she said, “Because you are not clean.” The advice was good because of health reasons, but the message was women are not worthy because of who they are biologically.

To say I was outraged doesn't begin to cover what I felt. I never went back and had no use for any of the clerics after that. The bottom line is, whether there is a God or not and I have my doubts, all church dogma, all church behavior and customs, are relics of medieval thinking and have not evolved. Moreover, many of the customs invented by the church were designed to control others. For clerics, it’s the ultimate power trip. Add to this the mystical thinking that if you are devout, you have the divine right to impose your beliefs on others and you have the makings of a terrorist.

After all, it isn’t atheists who are killing abortion doctors and bombing clinics.