The message of motherhood
“I am mother!” cried “Saturday Night Live” host, and former cast member, Maya Rudolph on Mother’s Day weekend, On the show, she was dubbed the “Mother of the House of Rockefeller,” and she proceeded to recount some of the many characters she played throughout the years. I stopped watching “SNL” regularly when Adam Sandler’s “Opera Man” retired, so some of the bit was lost on me. But this idea landed: Even in a comedic context, popular culture was celebrating motherhood.
That’s no small thing.
We’re about to hit two years since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court and there is so much anger, confusion and sadness.
Rudolph’s performance reminded me of a video that the Canadian group Choice42 put together a few years ago called “So, You’re Pregnant…” It’s aimed at women who weren’t looking to have a baby.
“You have a choice. Take a breath. You can do this,” the video says. It’s the same kind of message women and girls hear if they find themselves in pro-life pregnancy clinics. “We’re talking about another human being here. And not just any human being.
Your baby. For whatever reason, this child was given to you. You were chosen to be this child’s mother. And no matter what’s going on in your life, you can rise up and take this on. You can rock this.”
And even if you’re not a parent — mothers and fathers need everyone willing to step up to the plate. I loved the spirit of the Rudolph feature because it conveyed this message: Mothers rock. I could imagine a mom going it on her own, having made the choice to embrace her motherhood however she could, appreciating the celebration and vote of confidence. Mothers need more of that.
“You’re already this baby’s mother. This child is already in this world, living and growing inside you,” Choice42 emphasizes. As the name suggests, they want women and girls to not be afraid that there are two of them now. This not “my body, my choice.” This is a love story to enter into.
And in talking about mothers, we can’t forget those who have grievously lost their babies through miscarriage or for other reasons. And those who heroically choose to give their babies up for adoption. And those who don’t even know what to do with the sorrow of abortion. And, yes, there are women who are mothers even if they are not raising children in the traditional way. Civil society needs them, too — the women who notice when someone is in need and come to their aid.
The Choice42 video culminates with the pregnant mother as a superhero, fighting for her baby against all the medical and other personal and cultural influences pressuring her to end the life of her child.
Rudolph did look a bit like a superhero in her opening.
And while I know “SNL” had no pro-life message in mind, I’m sure Rudolph’s pro-mother message gave some encouragement to viewers.
Women feel beleaguered.
Politics and media don’t help. I often worry that prolife activists — I am one — don’t always help, either. For many of us, this is not actually about a culture war, but love. The message Choice42 offers is: Mothers are capable of amazing things, and we will help.
So, be not afraid to say: “I am mother.” And don’t be afraid to help mothers, as well.
Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review magazine and author of the new book “A Year With the Mystics: Visionary Wisdom for Daily Living.” She is also chair of Cardinal Dolan’s pro-life commission in New York, and is on the board of the University of Mary. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com.
