There's a debate raging over the issue of reproductive health and population management.
Again.
This time, the bill in question is named "An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development".
The Catholic Church has voiced its staunch opposition to the bill.
The bishops say that the bill is pro-abortion.They say that the supporters of the bill are "murderers" and "anti-life", that the bill "legalizes abortion" and promotes the use of "abortifacients".
Some priests have even gone so far as to threaten the denial of the sacrament of communion to "pro-abortion" politicians.
The Church says that using contraceptives is wrong, that couples should only use "natural family planning" methods.
The Church says that the passage of the bill into law would lead to the eventual legalization of abortion and euthanasia, thus perpetuating a "culture of death".
The Church also said that the Earth was the center of the universe. They also threatened astronomers like Galileo and Copernicus who said otherwise.
Oops.
What the bill actually proposes is the establishment of a coherent national population management policy.
The Philippines currently has no national policy on population. Instead, local government units are left to decide for themselves how best to deal with issues of population and reproductive health.
The bill also has provisions for "mandatory reproductive health and sexuality education" in schools and the guarantee of the availability of "the full range of family planning methods, techniques, and devices" for "couples and adults of reproductive age".
A related bill in the Senate provides incentives for couples who decide to have only two children. However, there will be no penalties for families who have three or more children, so the proposed law is nowhere near China's draconian "one-child policy".
Nowhere, absolutely nowhere, is abortion legalized in both bills. In fact, abortion is repeatedly stated to be illegal and punishable.
As a Catholic, I find it disheartening that the people I was brought up to respect and follow would resort to spreading lies and misinformation and to name-calling in their attempt to stop the reproductive health bill.
Every time I hear mass I cringe whenever the priest or an announcer discusses the issue, knowing full well that the congregation is being fed half-truths and outright lies.
And this from people who should know better.
Aside from the moral issue, the Church should think more about the state of the nation.
With 88.7 million people as of the last census in 2007 (see this press release), the Philippines is dangerously close to becoming overpopulated.
This year, the population is projected to hit 90 million. That's more than a million new mouths to feed, bodies to shelter, children to educate, and workers to employ.
Didn't we just experience a rice crisis? Aren't fuel prices rising everyday?
Many schools are forced to hold classes under trees or in corridors while the children share books and seats.
A family of six needs more than 800 pesos to survive for a day. The current minimum wage in Metro Manila is just a little less than 400 pesos.
Granted, these problems are not caused solely by rapid population growth. However, these problems are exacerbated by the addition of more and more people.
Some babies are even unwanted by their parents.
There are about 400,000 cases of abortion in the country every year.
Abortion, one of the sins condemned by the good bishops, can be linked to lack of education and poverty. Coincidentally, the very bill they demean as "anti-life" seeks to provide proper education and to properly manage one of the many causes of poverty.
Teaching children at the proper age about reproductive health will discourage "experimentation" and unwanted pregnancies before marriage.
Giving married couples -especially the poor ones- access to every available means of planning their families also reduces the incidence of unwanted or unplanned pregnancies.
Having less children will also increase the quality of life, especially for poor families - imagine having to feed eight mouths AND sending them to school with a minimum wage job.
I do not understand why the Church wants to block any reproductive health and population management initiative in the country.
They keep invoking a a 40 year-old papal encyclical called "Humanae Vitae" which was promulgated by Pope Paul VI.
It was never explained in church, only mentioned as the reason why they were calling on everyone to join prayer rallies to protest the reproductive health bill.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal explains it as "about the beauty of conjugal love", whatever that means.
The point is the Church has not fully explained its side to the people. It has resorted to threats and name-calling, to lies and misinformation. I will not go so far as to call the bishops and priests hypocrites, but their actions do tend to border on it.
The Philippine Constitution states that the separation of Church and State must be absolute. In our "democratic" society, the Church has every right to air its views and opinions. However, we must draw the line at its use of threats and misinformation.
If the Catholic Church wants to stop this bill, I hope that they will stay away from engaging in political maneuvering to get what they want. They must refrain from doing the very things they condemn politicians for.
If they want to stop the passage of the bill, the priests and bishops should instead talk to their flock and explain why they should not vote for the politicians who support the reproductive health act.
Of course, I have no intention of seeing the Church succeed in stopping the bill. I want the bill passed this year.
The country needs a coherent national policy on population and reproductive health. We can ill afford a future where our archipelago of 7,100 islands is filled to the brim with people competing for every available resource and service.
If we do not want this to happen, we have to act now.
Again.
This time, the bill in question is named "An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development".
The Catholic Church has voiced its staunch opposition to the bill.
The bishops say that the bill is pro-abortion.They say that the supporters of the bill are "murderers" and "anti-life", that the bill "legalizes abortion" and promotes the use of "abortifacients".
Some priests have even gone so far as to threaten the denial of the sacrament of communion to "pro-abortion" politicians.
The Church says that using contraceptives is wrong, that couples should only use "natural family planning" methods.
The Church says that the passage of the bill into law would lead to the eventual legalization of abortion and euthanasia, thus perpetuating a "culture of death".
The Church also said that the Earth was the center of the universe. They also threatened astronomers like Galileo and Copernicus who said otherwise.
Oops.
What the bill actually proposes is the establishment of a coherent national population management policy.
The Philippines currently has no national policy on population. Instead, local government units are left to decide for themselves how best to deal with issues of population and reproductive health.
The bill also has provisions for "mandatory reproductive health and sexuality education" in schools and the guarantee of the availability of "the full range of family planning methods, techniques, and devices" for "couples and adults of reproductive age".
A related bill in the Senate provides incentives for couples who decide to have only two children. However, there will be no penalties for families who have three or more children, so the proposed law is nowhere near China's draconian "one-child policy".
Nowhere, absolutely nowhere, is abortion legalized in both bills. In fact, abortion is repeatedly stated to be illegal and punishable.
As a Catholic, I find it disheartening that the people I was brought up to respect and follow would resort to spreading lies and misinformation and to name-calling in their attempt to stop the reproductive health bill.
Every time I hear mass I cringe whenever the priest or an announcer discusses the issue, knowing full well that the congregation is being fed half-truths and outright lies.
And this from people who should know better.
Aside from the moral issue, the Church should think more about the state of the nation.
With 88.7 million people as of the last census in 2007 (see this press release), the Philippines is dangerously close to becoming overpopulated.
This year, the population is projected to hit 90 million. That's more than a million new mouths to feed, bodies to shelter, children to educate, and workers to employ.
Didn't we just experience a rice crisis? Aren't fuel prices rising everyday?
Many schools are forced to hold classes under trees or in corridors while the children share books and seats.
A family of six needs more than 800 pesos to survive for a day. The current minimum wage in Metro Manila is just a little less than 400 pesos.
Granted, these problems are not caused solely by rapid population growth. However, these problems are exacerbated by the addition of more and more people.
Some babies are even unwanted by their parents.
There are about 400,000 cases of abortion in the country every year.
Abortion, one of the sins condemned by the good bishops, can be linked to lack of education and poverty. Coincidentally, the very bill they demean as "anti-life" seeks to provide proper education and to properly manage one of the many causes of poverty.
Teaching children at the proper age about reproductive health will discourage "experimentation" and unwanted pregnancies before marriage.
Giving married couples -especially the poor ones- access to every available means of planning their families also reduces the incidence of unwanted or unplanned pregnancies.
Having less children will also increase the quality of life, especially for poor families - imagine having to feed eight mouths AND sending them to school with a minimum wage job.
I do not understand why the Church wants to block any reproductive health and population management initiative in the country.
They keep invoking a a 40 year-old papal encyclical called "Humanae Vitae" which was promulgated by Pope Paul VI.
It was never explained in church, only mentioned as the reason why they were calling on everyone to join prayer rallies to protest the reproductive health bill.
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal explains it as "about the beauty of conjugal love", whatever that means.
The point is the Church has not fully explained its side to the people. It has resorted to threats and name-calling, to lies and misinformation. I will not go so far as to call the bishops and priests hypocrites, but their actions do tend to border on it.
The Philippine Constitution states that the separation of Church and State must be absolute. In our "democratic" society, the Church has every right to air its views and opinions. However, we must draw the line at its use of threats and misinformation.
If the Catholic Church wants to stop this bill, I hope that they will stay away from engaging in political maneuvering to get what they want. They must refrain from doing the very things they condemn politicians for.
If they want to stop the passage of the bill, the priests and bishops should instead talk to their flock and explain why they should not vote for the politicians who support the reproductive health act.
Of course, I have no intention of seeing the Church succeed in stopping the bill. I want the bill passed this year.
The country needs a coherent national policy on population and reproductive health. We can ill afford a future where our archipelago of 7,100 islands is filled to the brim with people competing for every available resource and service.
If we do not want this to happen, we have to act now.
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