The author of Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture is interviewed by Kathry Lopez on National Review Online:
LOPEZ: What does the new “free birth control for all” policy of the United States mean to you?
TOMEO: That according to those in the current administration, there is only one acceptable ideology in this country — pro-contraception and pro-abortion. It’s their way or the highway, as the old saying goes; and it is very eye-opening as the lines are becoming much clearer. I see this, though, as a great opportunity for all people of faith — particularly in the Church — to 
lead the way in the fight for our basic constitutional rights.
LOPEZ: What do you think when you hear Catholic conscience protests dismissed because so many Catholics don’t practice what priests don’t even preach?
TOMEO: Most people go at least ten miles over the speed limit; that doesn’t make their actions correct. There is a very high percentage of young people who engage in underage drinking. That doesn’t mean we should lower the legal age limit to 14 just because “everyone” is supposedly doing this or that. To me, this is such an immature response. Just as with particular laws we have established in society, the Church has also established her own set of teachings for our benefit. It seems that this type of argument is only brought up when we are dealing with issues below the belt. I also question some of the statistics that the anti-Catholic pundits are using when it comes to the number of Catholics using contraception.
LOPEZ: Why is the Catholic Church worth being a part of or defending? You have noticed that its leadership is male and you’re not, haven’t you?
TOMEO: The truth of Church teachings is proven right over and over again in the natural law. Theology of the Body expert Christopher West says, “The truth of Church teaching is proven in the pain of those who reject it.” All we need to do is look at the continual breakdown in society to know that the Church teachings are spot on. If what the world is selling is so wonderful, why is there so much misery attached to it? For example, if we were meant to jump from relationship to relationship, then why do we see so many problems attached to sexual promiscuity — namely, extremely high rates of sexually transmitted diseases and the emotional turmoil that comes from this type of existence? This is just one example of why the Church is worth being a part of and defending. What the Church teaches not only offers what’s best for Catholics but what is best for all of humanity.
In terms of the male hierarchy, we need to see it as the servanthood roles established by Christ as opposed to roles of power. We need to stop thinking of the Church as some sort of a company with a glass ceiling that needs to be broken. People need to stop thinking in terms of sound bites or catch phrases when it comes to the Catholic Church. If they took the time, as I finally did, to sit down and see what the Church has to say — particularly about women’s rights — they would be very pleasantly surprised. I would highly recommend a reading of Pope John Paul II’s 1995 Papal Letter to Women as well as his ground-breaking document Mulieris Dignitatem (On the Dignity and Vocation of Women). I don’t have too much patience for people who throw stones at the Church when they haven’t given her reasoning, writings, and teachings the time of day.
Read the entire interview. Learn more about Tomeo's book here.
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