“But this kind never comes our except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21
We are assailed! The scourge of abortion has received several recent blow as well as several embattlements in recent days. Many businesses and entertainers have taken their stance in the media, and they have our attention! Perhaps, though, not in the way they would have expected.
Recently, it was reported that Netflix employees rallied together to provide Planned Parenthood (the undisputed leader in the abortion industry) with $20,000. Small potatoes in the scheme of previous Title X funding that Planned Parenthood received: somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 million each year. However, it does send a message, especially when paired with the announcement that they, and others in the film industry, would “rethink” their productions based in Georgia after that state’s brave approval of abortion restrictions.
My immediate reaction to this news was a disappointment. That was followed by a sense that Netflix, as a corporation, is not aware of its users’ diversity, nor do they appreciate not having to swallow the politics of our entertainment providers. I took this to my family, and we took it to prayer. The result was to engage in what we, as a Catholic family, do best: prayer and fasting. We canceled our subscription to Netflix. We checked the “Other” box when they requested a reason for cancellation, and typed in “Your pro-abortion stance”. Let me add that we have 3 teenage girls and three younger children that all enjoyed watching Netflix’s programming. It was not an easy decision.
Now I know that if anyone at Netflix read that, they chuckled and thought of us as backward, low-brow fundamentalists that could be shrugged off. That’s fine. However, think of what Netflix would think if we, as members of the Church, banded together in this effort. We could make a difference in the only way that counts in business: the bottom line.
There are a lot of big businesses that are very difficult for most of us to boycott. Wal-Mart, Unilever, Mastercard, etc. have all put forth controversial views, but my family would have a very difficult time avoiding most offending corporations. Not so with Netflix. The company raised its rates at the same time as this announcement, so my family will save nearly $20 a month. We will find our entertainment elsewhere, and we invite you to do the same.