Pope Francis has been widely praised for his seemingly liberal comments on abortion, gay marriage and contraception. But Ruby Hamad argues his comments were not worthy of such praise.

Towards the end of Made In Dagenham, the film in which Sally Hawkins stars as Rita, a factory worker leading the Ford sewing machinists strike in 1968, Rita argues with her husband who is becoming increasingly alarmed at her political activism.

She is equally disappointed at his lack of support, and frustrated, he snaps that she should be grateful because, unlike other blokes, he hasn't "once raised me hand to you or the kids."

Rita is incredulous. "So, you're a bleeding saint Eddie? Because you give us an even break? That is as it should be! You don't go out on the drink? You don't gamble. You join in with the kids, you don't knock us about. Oh lucky me! For Christ's sake Eddie- that's as it should be!

Last week, Pope Francis found himself the unexpected darling of feminist and LGBTI groups for comments made during an interview with La Civiltà Cattolica, an Italian Jesuit journal.

In addition to stating his opinion on everything from the Second Vatican Council (good) to prayer (even better) to women priests (never), the Pope dropped this clanger:

"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible… when we speak about these issues, we have to talk about them in a context."

The New York Times was quick to make this comment the central focus of the 11,000 word interview and the world's media followed suit. It wasn't long before feminists, LGBTI activists (already thrilled with the Pope's apparently cavalier "Who am I to judge?" attitude to homosexuality), and progressives in general loudly sang the Pope's praises.

NARAL Pro-Choice America tweeted a thank you to Pope Francis on behalf of "pro-choice women everywhere."

The feminist website, Jezebel, usually known for its snarkiness, positively swooned over "the coolest pope ever", while satirist John Stewart branded him the "World's Greatest Father." From comedian Sarah Silverman to MSNBC host Chris Hayes, progressives were smitten by this "liberal" "freethinking" and "awesome" religious leader.

But the more I read these accolades the more I was reminded of Rita's struggle against the sexism of the 1960s workplace. The Ford machinists strike ultimately led to the passing of the UK's Equal Pay Act in 1970. Although a fictional character, Rita represented a composite of real life women who, fed up with being treated as second-class citizens, would accept no half measures.

"What do you think this strike's all been about?" She challenges her husband. "It's rights not privileges. It's that easy!"

There is no doubt Pope Francis' comments represent a progression from past church rhetoric such as Mother Teresa's insistence that abortion posed "the greatest threat to world peace", but he was also adamant that he fundamentally agrees with the Church's stance, "The teaching of the church… is clear and I am a son of the church".

Anyone who thinks the Pope is concealing a secret pro-choice agenda would be disappointed to learn that the day after the interview was published, the Catholic News Agency reported that Francis had spoken to a group of gynaecologists at the Vatican condemning abortion as the product of a "mentality of profit" and a "throwaway culture" (likewise LGBTI activists should note the Pope's clear demarcation between gay individuals and the gay lobby which he states is "not good").

How dire the state of reproductive rights become, that we hail as a hero someone who thinks abortion should be condemned just some of the time rather than all of the time?

Contraception, abortion, gay marriage. These are rights, not privileges. The over enthusiastic response to the Pope's measured but clearly anti-choice comments, indicates just how much feminists have allowed the anti-abortion movement to cloak abortion in shame.

In the revolutionary days of the 1960s, defiant women marched under banners seeking nothing less than "Abortion on demand and without apology". These days, feminists plead to "keep abortion legal", meekly suggesting that abortion be "safe, legal and rare".

Like Rita, we should be demanding our rights not begging for privileges. All over the world women suffer from a lack of access to contraception and abortion, a state of affairs that the Church has had no small hand in creating.

Australian feminists have looked on in horror as abortion clinics closed across America, victims of discriminatory regulations. And now we face a battle of our own with the possible passing of the Zoe's Law foetal personhood bill, which could lead to the criminalisation of pregnant women -something that is already happening with alarming frequency in the US.

In staunchly Catholic Latin American countries, girls as young as 11 are forced to give birth and women die of complications such as ectopic pregnancies, refused abortions even in cases when it is 100 per cent certain that continuing the pregnancy will result in the death of both the foetus and the woman carrying it.

And while the Pope's desire to focus on the poor is commendable, he would be wise to consider the link between poverty and lack of reproductive control.

Yes, there is promise in the Pope's words, particularly when he says effective change needs time, indicating he could be laying the groundwork for future reforms. As such, feminists are right to be encouraged.

But words do not necessarily translate into actions. Does the Pope's suggestion that the Church is "obsessed" with abortion and gay marriage mean he will suggest a new direction in how the Church influences public policy or only in how often priests rail against it at the pulpit?

The last time the world got this excited over an influential man's words he accepted a Nobel Peace Prize before going on to wage wars and drone strikes in at least five different countries. Rather than prostrate ourselves in gratitude, now is the time when feminists and other progressives should be applying the most pressure, to ensure that this time, words actually do inform reality.

Women should neither apologise nor seek permission for abortion. Bodily autonomy and agency is a fundamental human right, not a privilege.

Yes, the Pope's suggestion that the Church tone down its anti-abortion rhetoric gives us something of a break. But that is as it should be.

Ruby Hamad is a Sydney-based writer and filmmaker. View her full profile here.