Ignore the Naysayers: Womanhood and Motherhood are a Blessing
In speaking out against abortion because it kills a human being, I also feel called to speak to the importance of celebrating womanhood, motherhood and family life as deeply fulfilling aspirations for young women to have.
Womanhood and motherhood are under attack.
From French feminist Corinne Maier’s new book “Me First” which exhorts women to be selfish and avoid the trap of marriage and motherhood, to the incorporation of pro-abortion, trans activist Lindz Amer into the Paw Patrol writing team, the very idea of being a woman and our unique capacity to create and nurture a child within our bodies, is under attack.
This week I spoke with Sky’s Rita Panahi about the federal government’s plan to incentivise new mothers back to work as soon as possible based on an erroneous belief that women’s lower workforce participation is due to ‘harmful gender stereotypes’.
I don’t think this is best for new mums or for babies and I particularly take issue with the government’s language which refers to “the burden of care”.
Raising and caring for the next generation is a privilege, not a burden and it’s vital we push back on these insidious attempts to undermine the significance and importance of women and motherhood.
When I was a young woman I often felt confused by the conflicting messages I was receiving.
I was an ambitious young woman but when I met James and fell in love with him in my early 20s, I experienced, for the first time, this inexorable pull to marriage and family.
I didn’t know whether my desire for a big career and for marriage and children would be compatible and in my 20s and 30s, the uncertainty some times felt stressful.
Last week I turned 41 and I reflected on how rich and beautiful my life now is.
I’m so grateful for the blessing of a job that I love and the even bigger blessings of being married to my best friend and to have five beautiful children with him.
In speaking out against abortion because it kills a human being, I also feel called to speak to the importance of celebrating womanhood, motherhood and family life as deeply fulfilling aspirations for young women to have.
___
Republished with thanks to Dr Joanna Howe. Image courtesy of Unsplash.
3 Comments
Leave A Comment
Recent Articles:
21 August 2026
3.8 MINS
On Monday, more than 10,000 baby booties were laid in the shape of a cross on the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra, all pointing towards the chamber where that same morning, Nationals MP Llew O’Brien introduced the Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2026.
21 August 2026
1.8 MINS
Archbishop Fisher accuses ABC of bias in voluntary assisted dying coverage, demands formal investigation into impartiality breaches over telehealth ban debate.
21 August 2026
2.9 MINS
When five men are accused, "all men" bear the guilt — but when a woman errs, she's just an individual. This piece asks why identity logic only turns rigid on demand.
20 August 2026
4 MINS
Young Australians face a housing crisis decades in the making. This piece argues political choices—not fate—locked a generation out of the Australian Dream, and calls for national renewal.
20 August 2026
3.2 MINS
I've spent years fighting Australia's transgender policies in sport — facing court orders and police visits for it. Now Enes Kanter's WNBA declaration shows the tide may finally be turning.
20 August 2026
4 MINS
A new federal Bill seeks to guarantee babies born alive after an abortion the same right to medical care as any other newborn — reviving a debate first raised by Baby Samuel's story in Queensland earlier this year.
20 August 2026
1.4 MINS
Chelsea Clinton told a group of activists on Saturday that legalised abortion had been a good thing — not just because it gave women “the dignity to make our own choices”, but because it had added $3.5 trillion to the economy!
Great message!
Thank you Dr Joanna. What an endorsement of motherhood, of a rich life bringing up children and being married and also standing on God’s values and contributing to the community. What a blessing.
Thankyou Dr Joanna for taking a stand for women who choose to raise the next generation! I have worked most of my life and have just retired at the age of almost 76! I enjoyed my work and I was able to take time off to raise 4 children, all of whom are making a difference to society in their various careers. I count myself as truly blessed because now, in my older years, my children love and care for me in so many ways and I know that they’re only a phone call away! Bless you!