True story: I have a sister who's a member of Opus Dei. She also wears a chain cilice around her waist, and I hear tell that she's got the scars to prove it. But while I've always thought that was some kooky-ass shit (to say nothing of bearing 11 single-birth children + several miscarriages), she did at least have the choice to do all of that. (Before anyone asks: no, I really don't believe she was coerced into any of this. I've known her my whole life. She's just like this.) She really could have put the brakes on any part of that, if she wanted to, but she's a seriously dyed-in-the-wool believer who was ecstatic when the founder of Opus Dei was canonized. I'm convinced that giving up the (definitely metaphorical, but maybe also literal) self-flagellation is a choice she has never seriously considered.
These women? No such choices available. Straight up slavery and constant abuse for years.
A lot of liberals will point to The Handmaid's Tale as an example of what they fear may happen in the future. I'm a big believer in the value of fiction and narrative as tools for conveying complex ideas, but it'd really be great if people would get clued in: that's not fiction, and it's not only in some hazy vision of the future. It just doesn't usually happen to middle-class white people.
At any rate, best of luck to the plaintiffs in this case. I really hope they're all able to get whatever support they need.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/apr/14/argentina-human-rights-women-opus-dei-catholic-church-exploitation-abuse-celibacy-trafficking-allegations
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