Discussion: Proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008
You may be aware that there’s a growing debate on the proposed “Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008″ filed in the House of Representatives. Rep. Edcel Lagman as the principal sponsor (the Fact Sheet and the Explanatory Note to House Bill No. 17, substituted by HB 5043, is here). As appearing in an Inquirer report, Cong. Lagman pointed to certain key features of the Bill, which “promotes information on and access to both natural and modern family planning methods, which are medically safe and legally permissible. It assures an enabling environment where women and couples have the freedom of informed choice on the mode of family planning they want to adopt based on their needs, personal convictions and religious beliefs.” Reproductive Health includes:
1. Information and access to natural and modern family planning.
2. Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition.
3. Promotion of breast feeding.
4. Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications.
5. Adolescent and youth health.
6. Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).
7. Elimination of violence against women.
8. Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health.
9. Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers.
10. Male involvement and participation in reproductive health.
11. Prevention and treatment of infertility.
12. Reproductive health education for the youth.
Some commentators pointed out certain falsehoods in the bill, among others that “there’s no empirical data that shows that overpopulation causes poverty.” An article appearing at the website of Pro-Life Philippines criticizes the bill. The argument is anchored on the “established fact that the connection between contraception and abortion is not only inseparable; there is a close identity between them.” An article at CBCP News quotes Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz in saying that the Reproductive Health Bill is “inimical to health.” Arch. Cruz raised certain “practical questions,” including the following:
Should the issue on reproductive health be more objectively and properly called instead “unreproductive health”?
Is health good if this is deliberately rendered unfruitful, intentionally made unproductive or unreproductive?
Are those advocating for zero reproduction certain that they themselves have not in any way reproduced someone – like a bubbling son or a cute daughter?
On the other hand, those who agree with the bill point out to the fact that it simply gives couples a choice when it comes to family planning. The informal poll is found below.
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Essentially, family planning via contraception is something actually that would be most heavily pursued by parents – I myself would like, for reasons of wanting to be able to provide a proper education, enough food, clothing, etc to my children, my partner and I would like no more than 3 children.
How then, to reconcile this with a young couple who have a healthy sex life but, responsibly, also want to provide properly for the children they want to have? Recommending abstinence only does not work (and is blatantly unfair to the wife, as it is implicit that in our society it is acceptable for the husband to find sex elsewhere, but the wife, having no contraception to rely on, cannot have an affair without running the risk of becoming pregnant! Double standards suck!) and is likely to contribute to the deterioration of the relationship (and with divorce being illegal, trapping both spouses in unhappy marriages? I do not see any sanctity of marriage in that.)
Even allowing that contraception does fail, the availability of contraception reduces the risk of STDs, pregnancy, and yes, reduces the chances of a couple / mother seeking abortion.
Proper sex ed provided to the people (especially the poor) may help also reduce the violence against women (especially spousal violence) and change the attitudes of men towards contraception as a whole. A conversation held with the household help by my mother indicated that the reasons why men resist using contraception include
-it does not feel as ‘good’
- cannot find out if the woman is cheating on him
and other reasons which I cannot recall at this time but do continue on a similar vein.
Also in the lower socioeconomic classes, men are more likely to beat spouses for refusing sex based on not wanting to get pregnant.
There are lots more reasons but the truth is, I’m sick and tired of listing them again and again and of the whole misogynistic attitude we have in society cloaked by being religiously devout, so I’ll stop here.
I agree in toto with Rory. In addition, it is highly unfair to anchor arguments on rhetorics and metaphors (“unreproductive health” “bubbling son” “cute daughter”) when what we have at the present is a real situation of overpopulation and poverty.It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out the correlation of these two factors. What is at play here are simple arithmetic and common sense.
We are at the age of information, always ready and at hand. It is really up to us whether or not we utilize this or just sit idle and balloon just like a big fat couch potato and wait until stroke or comatose kills us.
In a desperate move to justify their (Catholic church)campaign, they even use the plight of countries wherein majority of the population consisted of old people and have problems instead of repopulating due to the shortage of the young among them. This illustration does not address poverty at all and all the other consequences of overpopulation. And if ever such miracle happens in our country then let us cross the bridge when we get there. Like what they say, “it is easier to get fat than to slim down”.
It angers me that the Philippine Catholic Church is being hypocritical on this topic. I really do think that we have a chance of lifting our country from this murky situation just as long as we have the humility to acknowledge that we are in it instead of closing our eyes on our countrymen neck-deep of poverty among all others.
GOD HELP US ALL!!
Rory/Ayagnom, I agree with you, but I am wondering why no one seems to argue against the bill here…I was expecting those “thousands” who joined the rallies against the bill to give a persuasive argument. I’m concerned that in the absence of a more valid argument against the bill, they will resort to attacking the proponent of the bill, principally Congressman Lagman. I hope Mr. Lagman stands his ground.
I know we should focus on the arguments, but Im sorry….I just have to say this. Adding to what Jake said, Lagman should not be afraid of the catholic church if he believes in the bill he filed. The church will not excommunicate him, as the church has not done that against obvious personalities. The catholic church is also not a significant factor in elections, unlike other religions.
halu poh can you help me with my assignment about reproductive health?? take care always…
Anjanette, we don’t know how to help you because you didn’t spell that out in your post. Besides, looking for the answer is the “fun” part of an assignment…good luck.
why..this page is so helpful to me..
anyway, tingin ko naman po eh sa kalagayan ng bansa nating ngayon ay mukhang kinakailangan na talaga ang isang ganitong patakaran..oo, mahalaga ang buhay ng tao..masaya ang malaking pamilya..pero gaya nga ng sinasabi, minsan kailangan din nating maging praktikal sa pagdedesisyon..gaya ng pagpapamilya..maraming tao ang nagrereklamo sa mahirap na buhay na meron sila..sa mga maraming anak, tingin ko naman ay dapat nilang tingnan ang realidad ng kanilang sitwasyon bago sila magreklamo or maghinaing sa kinasadlakan nila..isa pa, lahat ng tao, bata man o bata ay may karapatan na mabuhay ng may kasapatan sa kanilang mga pangangailangan..ang pagkontrol ng populasyon ay hindi pagsasayang ng buhay..mas masaklap naman yatang isipin na ipapanganak lamang ang isang bata para mamatay siya sa gutom, diba? isipin natin ito..
understandable naman kasi ang concern ng mga pro-life organinzations..may mga ipinakita silang figures sa internet na nagdedecline na ang population ng pilipinas..goodness gracious mga pare naman oh..ang daming hindi makakain dahil sa kahirapan ng buhay..tapos dati may napanood pa ako na documentary by kara david..9 yung anak nya..tapos buntis pa yung asawa nya..at maswerte na kapag nakahawak sila ng 30 pesos sa isang araw..hindi ako against sa layunin ng pro-life orgs na itaguyod ang buhay..pero sa ganitong kalagayan na wala na silang makain eh aayawan pa ba natin ang ganitong klase ng pagbabago?
hindi pagkakait ng buhay ang population control..ito ang unang hakbang natin para maging mas maayos ang buhay natin..sa lipunang kagaya ng pilipinas, na talagang mga mayayaman ang nakakalamang sa pamumuhay at ang mga mahihirap ay nanatiling kawawa, at ang mga middle class ay unti unti na rin nahihirapan sa kalagayan ng pamumuhay, siguro it’s time na simulan na natin ang pagbabago para naman magkaroon tayo ng pantay, or kung hindi man pantay, at least bawat isa sa atin, bawat isang magulang ay kayang buhayin ng matiwasay ang mga anak na iluluwal nila dito sa mundo..
My respect for the Catholic leadership in the country has dropped to lower than 0 due to their obvious red herring tactics to bar this bill from being a law.
Their main arguments are the following:
1. the government should focus its effort to programs that address poverty and hunger
2. the bill destroys the ‘fruitfulness of human reproductive capacity’
Don’t they recognize that the government is addressing poverty and hunger by passing this bill? and between ‘exercising the fruitfulness of human reproductive capacity’ and the right of children to have access to education, to food- to resources- which would be a more inalienable right?
The Church has to stop meddling with the State. Period.
P.S. to HB 5043 – reproductive health bill?
It challenges reflection that a lawyer, instead of a doctor, is the chief architect and single strong advocate of House Bill 5043 which actually consolidated into one, House Bills 17, 812, 2753 and 3920 in this 14th Congress. The simple idea of gender equality easily permits room for women proponents themselves, in either House or Senate, to be the mouthpiece as well as the voice behind such a now controversial bill that is met with so much opposition from not few traditional groups – not Rep. Edcel Lagman – unless otherwise no other proponent from the female species is available. Women issues are the exclusive domain of women, or so I thought?
Offhand, HB 5043 pretentiously placed reproductive health, responsible parenthood, and population development under its policy framework. Good. But, let us be reminded that a single legislative measure such as HB 5043 that carries more than three subject matters is actually violative of “overloading”. Bottomline, that is the way professors of law teaching on “How a Bill becomes a Law” always teach us. Where will HB 5043 all transport us to? Such a would-be law that prohibits and in fact penalizes any health care service provider who refuses to perform medically-safe reproductive health care services in the absence of spousal consent or authorization is revolting. What is this?
Boldly, the bill claims the policy is anchored on the rationale of sustainable development with a manageable population of healthy, educated and productive citizens. Truly, this carries some kind of racist bias against those otherwise unhealthy, uneducated, and unproductive in our realpolitik. Is this Hitler’s idea of a “super race”? What about China with approximately two billion population that has managed equitably well without compromising its position as the next economic superpower? I say as anecdotal the sweet claim of a population management stratagem of a two-child policy. The proponent himself has more than two of his own, doesn’t he?
If we have higher population than any developing country in the world, it is a blessing especially so that all developing countries, no exception, are now suffering from a graying population and are now in search of manpower to replace their aging manpower base. Where then do they have to import human capital? Where will they recruit the Industrial Reserve Army but from the Philippines? Have we as much as forget that OFW remittances of our fellow Filipinos buoys up an otherwise fledging economy? The next generation of overseas workers to fill the great demand of manpower from the global market has to be born now – beyond the two-child limit. This kind of thinking might run counter to the bill’s claim that manpower is the principal asset of every country.
If there will be a universal access to quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information, this means that a whole range of options is at anybody’s disposal. Studies have already validated that reproductive health care as practiced in the more developed societies already negative impacted upon the home, family life, career, social milieu, culture, and society as a whole. It has been shown that women committed suicides. It has been shown that the incidence of broken families rose. It has been shown that children from broken homes are what triggered dramatic rise in the crime statistical chart. As divorces multiply, broken homes multiply just as well. Medically, a lot of these so-called contraceptive pills are not safe and just how many pills are manufactured in a minute and at what cost?
Shotgun approach has been the design of HB 5043 – it will kill all birds that took flight – adults, adolescents, children – without distinction. It sounds crazy for the bill to claim that women seeking care from post-abortion complications shall be treated and consoled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner without being guilty of doing abortion in the unseen process. This kind of intended access opens the door wide to a lot of other possibilities in need of reproductive health care attention, not to be excluded, would be abortion itself at its initial stage. To give people the freedom to decide, if, when and how often to have a satisfying and safe sex life, as claimed, tears at the very moral fabric of our social existence.
What then constitute as reproductive health-related problems that the bill aims to prevent and avoid, reason for a full range of options? Openly enough, the bill espouses making available all methods and techniques to prevent unwanted, unplanned, and mistimed pregnancies but what exactly are these? Pregnancies – whether or not wanted, planned, or timed – are pregnancies. Any act or means to be sought to prevent it should be called as what? It would not be abortion, would it? Whoever invented these labels without any scientific basis ought to be a murderer?
It is noticeable how a proviso has been carried that would, in effect, expand the coverage of the National Health Insurance Program or NHIP especially to many poor and marginalized women to include a full range of reproductive health care services and supplies as health insurance benefits. Will money be inserted in another else’s pocket? How much in State subsidies will be infused into a supposed-to-be existing program or agency, again and again?
Rider or not to a proposed bill, the creation of a Board of Commissioners of POPCOM (or Population Commission) of 14 heads of agencies plus 3 representatives from the private sector ought to be the subject matter of another and separate bill yet to be proposed and filed in Congress considering that when a board meets, honoraria are given. At the very least, their appointment by the President for a term of 3 years means that some people get to be employed, first and second, time. Even the Department of Agriculture and the Commission on Higher Education will be members thereof make for Ripleys.
Again, more midwives or skilled attendants need to be employed in every municipality or city based on some ideal ratio. More qualified personnel in each city or province will have to be employed in hospitals to provide emergency obstetric care, again, based on ideal ratio of say one such hospital for every 500,000 population. How good indeed that indigent patients will be covered by PhilHealth insurance benefits for hospital services related to family planning? Again, are we putting money in another else’s pocket?
Another apparent caveat of the proposed HB 5043 is the fact that every congressional district will be provided a van for Mobile Health Care Service from their PDAF but it is not stated too clear if this means an additional budget to their PDAF. A mandatory health reproductive education will be required of those from Grade V to Fourth Year High School. Will parents agree to this law? Inserting 10% additional increase in the honoraria of barangay health workers is truly an inducement. Will not barangay captains or mayors agree to this scheme and its pecuniary benefits?
From where I stand, readers of HB 5043 can read with caution the corpus of purely statistical data in the explanatory note of the bill from which it based its goal to erect a law that is always met with extreme opposition from those thought to become its beneficiaries as well as to its intended victims. In the end, adults, adolescents, and children that the bill purports to help will be the true victims of a law that is easy enough to approve given that it has “strings attached” to it. Not remotely, some laws really self-destruct as soon as they get implemented and this proposed measure shall be one of them. Since coins will be dropped in the vendo machine, many legislators might tend to stamp their own approval of HB 5043, irrespective of dictates of conscience – and so be it.
(Email to: nielsky_2003@yahoo.com or text to: 09164985265)
Always good stuff from you Primer!
Please contribute to the broader discussion at Filipino Voices:
When Does Human Life Begin?
Resolved: That Abortion Be Decriminalized
Is the RH Bill Unconstitutional?
You want someone to argue against the bill? Ok! Anyhow, Let’s see how the bill is going to work. It is argueable that the bill, instead of promoting a contraceptive society, will encourage and promote a abortificent society and the end of the day. It is apparent that you cannot really delineate the issues of pre-marital sex and husband-to-wife cases, but the thing is, it amplifies the issues more by giving the people a positive-like image that they are engaging into a ‘safe sex as we recognize them. It also make abortion cases very difficult to handle ‘coz if you try to see, how many abortion cases have been reported to the government agencies in the Philippines? Indeed. we can say that even if the bill was based from Uganda’s model which is ‘ABC’, we don’t assume that all will just be smiling happily in their beds.
sige pumayag na kayo, anyway, kayo rin namn ang magdusa..kaya lang request ko kay rep. edcel lagman, mauna na siyang magpavasectomy, isama niya asawa niya at ang kanyang mga angkan, para di na dumami ang kanilang lahi. Kung yung lahi nila lang naman ang dadami, i withdraw na lang yung bill niya.
What I find really disgusting with regards to this topic is how much logical fallacies and bull the people against the RH Bill is spouting just to justify their stance. It’s even more abhorrent when you realize that many of these people haven’t even read the bill in the first place.
@Primer C. Pagunuran:
1. “Boldly, the bill claims the policy is anchored on the rationale of sustainable development with a manageable population of healthy, educated and productive citizens. Truly, this carries some kind of racist bias against those otherwise unhealthy, uneducated, and unproductive in our realpolitik.”
So you would rather have people continuously be poor, unhealthy, uneducated and unproductive just so you are not accused of being racist? If that’s your position, I’ll call you a sadist.
Either your reality is warped or you intentionally misconstrue the statement. What racist bias is there when the goal of the bill is to improve the standard of living so that all people will be healthy, educated and productive citizens. In no part does the bill state that the poor and the unhealthy will be killed off.
2. “If we have higher population than any developing country in the world, it is a blessing especially so that all developing countries, no exception, are now suffering from a graying population and are now in search of manpower to replace their aging manpower base.”
Manpower is a benefit only as far as you can properly raise, educate, and nourish them. Sadly, that is not a situation that is presented by a family with 12 children living on 200 pesos a day. Also, the opportunities you speak of are limited. How do you employ 1,000,000 workers if there are only 100,000 job opportunities? Also, what kind of workers would those foreign employers hire? Would they hire the college graduate or the high-school drop-out?
And bear in mind that we are not the only country that sends out workers so I’d say your statement: “Where will they recruit the Industrial Reserve Army but from the Philippines?” has some serious flaws.
3. “If there will be a universal access to quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information, this means that a whole range of options is at anybody’s disposal. Studies have already validated that reproductive health care as practiced in the more developed societies already negative impacted upon the home, family life, career, social milieu, culture, and society as a whole. It has been shown that women committed suicides. It has been shown that the incidence of broken families rose. It has been shown that children from broken homes are what triggered dramatic rise in the crime statistical chart. As divorces multiply, broken homes multiply just as well. Medically, a lot of these so-called contraceptive pills are not safe and just how many pills are manufactured in a minute and at what cost?”
Care to list your sources? If you have any in the first place, that is?
4. “It sounds crazy for the bill to claim that women seeking care from post-abortion complications shall be treated and consoled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner without being guilty of doing abortion in the unseen process.”
Obviously, you haven’t even read the bill. Section 3.m states that abortion is illegal. Women who undergo abortion will not be denied health care in the event of complications but neither will they be off-the-hook. They will be prosecuted for what they have done.
5. “Openly enough, the bill espouses making available all methods and techniques to prevent unwanted, unplanned, and mistimed pregnancies but what exactly are these? Pregnancies – whether or not wanted, planned, or timed – are pregnancies.”
You cannot abort something that isn’t there in the first place. It prevents unwanted pregnancy from happening. It doesn’t say that unwanted pregnancies will be terminated. It doesn’t prevent the continuation of a pregnancy. No pregnancy = no abortion.
6. Your concern about finances is laughable. And again, it shows how little you know of the bill. Expenses for the bill are merely allocations of funds that are already present and meant for public service. The PDAF is one such thing. The purchase of vehicles for use by the municipalities is nothing new. The players such as VEDA, NEDA, CHED, and other party involved are already receiving salary. They are just given additional work so zero allocation on that part.
As for the volunteers:
SEC. 15. Capability Building of Community-Based Volunteer Workers. – Community-based volunteer workers, like but not limited to, Barangay Health Workers, shall undergo additional and updated training on the delivery of reproductive health care services and shall receive not less than 10% increase in honoraria upon successful completion of training. The increase in honoraria shall be funded from the Gender and Development (GAD) budget of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
If additional funding is to be provided, then I see nothing wrong with that seeing as how it’s for the benefit of the people. Needless to say, isn’t that what so many have been clamoring for?
@ nikko a:
“It also make abortion cases very difficult to handle ‘coz if you try to see, how many abortion cases have been reported to the government agencies in the Philippines?”
Have you ever considered what the current family planning status is being used by the people in those reports? Were they using artificial methods? No. So what were they using?
Here’s a hint: Natural Family Planning Method and good old fashioned old-wive’s tales.
The result of the church’s dogmatic opposition to similar bills or programs years ago.
MY PERSONAL VIEW ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Roman Catholic church and other religious groups and some of other legislative department and Albay Representative, Edcel Lagman, the bill’s principal author, are having a hard time implementing and talking about the issue that beset our country today, the reproductive health bill. Roman Catholic churches and our beloved legislative department have held differing opinions about the relative importance of implementing Reproductive Health Bill. Theological aspects toward Reproductive health bill indicate great range of opinions within Christian churches.
To the Roman Catholic Churches, all methods of artificial birth control are unacceptable and the only method that the church allows are preventive means like late marriage, withdrawal and the use of calendar method. Base on the clippings that I have read, most religious groups and moralist here in the Philippines are not in favor of liberalized our laws about Reproductive Health Bill. As stated in our Philippine constitution of 1987 , is Pro life , meaning to say, It bans the practice of abortion, in synonymous with preventing unwanted pregnancy by means of using Artificial birth control.
It is good to know that there are lots of birth control introduced in our contemporary days. But how far we are sure about it? And, How far do we know about its consequences to us as a human person? The availability and acceptability of contraception are still contested and conflict issues here in the Philippines because of cultural and religious beliefs.
Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng Pilipinas, isa sa tanging paraan upang umunlad ang ating bansa at tuluyang lumago ang ating ekonomiya, ay ang pag papatupad ng Reproductive Health bill upang malimitahan ang paglobo at pag laki ng ating populasyon. Isang nakakalungkot na pangyayari ang pagtatalo-talo ng mga taong simbahan at ng ating gobyerno hingil sa Pagpapatupad ng Reproductive Health Bill dito sa Pilipinas. Dahil sa kondisyion ng Pilipinas sa pangkasalukuyang panahon, “many people see Birth control as necessary to combat hunger, poverty, and environmental devastation.” Labag man ito sa opisyal na doktrina ng simbahan, walang magawa ang ilang mga pangkaraniwang tao na gumamit ng ganitong uri ng Contaceptives or any other birth control para naman mapigil ang pag dami ng kanilang anak. Maraming nagsasabi na ang Reproducive Health Bill is the war of religion, dahil ang pag pasa sa ganitong uri ng batas ay hindi makatarungan sa aspetong relihiyon.
Kung katulad kong estudyante ang tatanungin, I am not against with the passage of Reproductive Health Bill in our country. I am also agree to liberalized our laws with regards to Reproductive Health Bill and legally allowing couples to use it for their family planning purposes and not just for sexual desires and sexual safetyness.
Sa aking sariling pananaw, ang paggamit ng Artificial birth control, ay makakatulong upang malunasan ang patuloy na paglaki ng ating populasyon, kung lilimithan lamang natin ang paglaki ng populasyon, sa ganitong paraan, mababawasan ang mga taong naghihirap at patuloy na maghihirap.
Anyway, tingin ko naman po eh sa kalagayan ng bansa nating ngayon ay mukhang kinakailangan na talaga ang isang ganitong patakaran..oo, mahalaga ang buhay ng tao..masaya ang malaking pamilya..pero gaya nga ng sinasabi, minsan kailangan din nating maging praktikal sa pagdedesisyon..gaya ng pagpapamilya..maraming tao ang nagrereklamo sa mahirap na buhay na meron sila..sa mga maraming anak, tingin ko naman ay dapat nilang tingnan ang realidad ng kanilang sitwasyon bago sila magreklamo or maghinaing sa kinasadlakan nila..isa pa, lahat ng tao, bata man o bata ay may karapatan na mabuhay ng may kasapatan sa kanilang mga pangangailangan..ang
pagkontrol ng populasyon ay hindi pagsasayang ng buhay..mas masaklap naman yatang isipin na ipapanganak lamang ang isang bata para mamatay siya sa gutom, diba? isipin natin ang ganitong mga bagay. Ipapanganak ka upang makiramay sa hirap na dinaranas ng Pilipinas. Para sa akin, ang paggamit ng ganitong uri ng mga birth control ay hindi diretsahang pagpatay sa mga bata. Pero para sa mga moralist, ito ay isang kasalanan sa Diyos.
Understandable naman kasi ang concern ng mga pro-life organinzations sa pag papasa ngganitong uri ng batas. Pero kasi kailangan din nilang unawain ang concern ng legislative members para sa ikakabuti ng bawat pamilya. Pambihira naman kasi dito sa Pilipinas, ang pakikipagtalik o sex ay nagiging INDOOR SPORTS ng ibang mag-asawa.
( not all of them, but those who are unfortunate) Minsan kasi kung sino pa yung nag hihikahos sa buhay, iyon pa ung di mapigilan ang pag aanak ng napakadami, sa tingin ko kung “ IPAPAKILALA NG TAMA ANG REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL O ANG ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROL SA BAWAT MAG ASAWA”, ito ay makakatulong sa kanila. (Positively). Dati naalala ko may pinanood samen si Sir Amiel na isang documentary from I- witness na patungkol sa isang pamilya ng mayroong malaking myembro.Halos dalawang beses lamang kumakain sa isang araw, at mayroong bahay na gawa lamang sa karton. Imagine? hindi ako against sa layunin ng pro-life orgs na itaguyod ang buhay.. pero sa ganitong kalagayan na wala na silang makain at matirahan eh aayawan pa ba natin ang ganitong klase ng pagbabago para sa Pilipinas at para sa kababayan nating Pilipino.
Hindi pagkitil ng inosenteng buhay ang population control..ito ang unang hakbang natin para maging mas maayos ang buhay na kakaharapin natin. Sa lipunang kagaya ng pilipinas, na talagang mga mayayaman ang nakakalamang sa pamumuhay at ang mga mahihirap ay nanatiling kawawa, at ang mga middle class ay unti unti na rin nakakaranas ng hirap sa kalagayan ng pamumuhay, siguro it’s time na simulan na natin ang pagbabago para naman magkaroon tayo ng pantay, or kung hindi man pantay ay , at least bawat isa sa atin, bawat isang magulang ay kayang buhayin ng maayos at matiwasay ang mga anak na iluluwal nila dito sa mundo at hindi para magdusa at magbayad ng utang ng Pilipinas.
MY PERSONAL VIEW ABOUT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL IN THE PHILIPPINES
The Roman Catholic church and other religious groups and some of other legislative department and Albay Representative, Edcel Lagman, the bill’s principal author, are having a hard time implementing and talking about the issue that beset our country today, the reproductive health bill. Roman Catholic churches and our beloved legislative department have held differing opinions about the relative importance of implementing Reproductive Health Bill. Theological aspects toward Reproductive health bill indicate great range of opinions within Christian churches.
To the Roman Catholic Churches, all methods of artificial birth control are unacceptable and the only method that the church allows are preventive means like late marriage, withdrawal and the use of calendar method. Base on the clippings that I have read, most religious groups and moralist here in the Philippines are not in favor of liberalized our laws about Reproductive Health Bill. As stated in our Philippine constitution of 1987 , is Pro life , meaning to say, It bans the practice of abortion, in synonymous with preventing unwanted pregnancy by means of using Artificial birth control.
It is good to know that there are lots of birth control introduced in our contemporary days. But how far we are sure about it? And, How far do we know about its consequences to us as a human person? The availability and acceptability of contraception are still contested and conflict issues here in the Philippines because of cultural and religious beliefs.
Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng Pilipinas, isa sa tanging paraan upang umunlad ang ating bansa at tuluyang lumago ang ating ekonomiya, ay ang pag papatupad ng Reproductive Health bill upang malimitahan ang paglobo at pag laki ng ating populasyon. Isang nakakalungkot na pangyayari ang pagtatalo-talo ng mga taong simbahan at ng ating gobyerno hingil sa Pagpapatupad ng Reproductive Health Bill dito sa Pilipinas. Dahil sa kondisyion ng Pilipinas sa pangkasalukuyang panahon, “many people see Birth control as necessary to combat hunger, poverty, and environmental devastation.” Labag man ito sa opisyal na doktrina ng simbahan, walang magawa ang ilang mga pangkaraniwang tao na gumamit ng ganitong uri ng Contaceptives or any other birth control para naman mapigil ang pag dami ng kanilang anak. Maraming nagsasabi na ang Reproducive Health Bill is the war of religion, dahil ang pag pasa sa ganitong uri ng batas ay hindi makatarungan sa aspetong relihiyon.
Kung katulad kong estudyante ang tatanungin, I am not against with the passage of Reproductive Health Bill in our country. I am also agree to liberalized our laws with regards to Reproductive Health Bill and legally allowing couples to use it for their family planning purposes and not just for sexual desires and sexual safetyness.
Sa aking sariling pananaw, ang paggamit ng Artificial birth control, ay makakatulong upang malunasan ang patuloy na paglaki ng ating populasyon, kung lilimithan lamang natin ang paglaki ng populasyon, sa ganitong paraan, mababawasan ang mga taong naghihirap at patuloy na maghihirap.
Anyway, tingin ko naman po eh sa kalagayan ng bansa nating ngayon ay mukhang kinakailangan na talaga ang isang ganitong patakaran..oo, mahalaga ang buhay ng tao..masaya ang malaking pamilya..pero gaya nga ng sinasabi, minsan kailangan din nating maging praktikal sa pagdedesisyon..gaya ng pagpapamilya..maraming tao ang nagrereklamo sa mahirap na buhay na meron sila..sa mga maraming anak, tingin ko naman ay dapat nilang tingnan ang realidad ng kanilang sitwasyon bago sila magreklamo or maghinaing sa kinasadlakan nila..isa pa, lahat ng tao, bata man o bata ay may karapatan na mabuhay ng may kasapatan sa kanilang mga pangangailangan..ang
pagkontrol ng populasyon ay hindi pagsasayang ng buhay..mas masaklap naman yatang isipin na ipapanganak lamang ang isang bata para mamatay siya sa gutom, diba? isipin natin ang ganitong mga bagay. Ipapanganak ka upang makiramay sa hirap na dinaranas ng Pilipinas. Para sa akin, ang paggamit ng ganitong uri ng mga birth control ay hindi diretsahang pagpatay sa mga bata. Pero para sa mga moralist, ito ay isang kasalanan sa Diyos.
Understandable naman kasi ang concern ng mga pro-life organinzations sa pag papasa ngganitong uri ng batas. Pero kasi kailangan din nilang unawain ang concern ng legislative members para sa ikakabuti ng bawat pamilya. Pambihira naman kasi dito sa Pilipinas, ang pakikipagtalik o sex ay nagiging INDOOR SPORTS ng ibang mag-asawa.
( not all of them, but those who are unfortunate) Minsan kasi kung sino pa yung nag hihikahos sa buhay, iyon pa ung di mapigilan ang pag aanak ng napakadami, sa tingin ko kung “ IPAPAKILALA NG TAMA ANG REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL O ANG ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROL SA BAWAT MAG ASAWA”, ito ay makakatulong sa kanila. (Positively). Dati naalala ko may pinanood samen si Sir Amiel na isang documentary from I- witness na patungkol sa isang pamilya ng mayroong malaking myembro.Halos dalawang beses lamang kumakain sa isang araw, at mayroong bahay na gawa lamang sa karton. Imagine? hindi ako against sa layunin ng pro-life orgs na itaguyod ang buhay.. pero sa ganitong kalagayan na wala na silang makain at matirahan eh aayawan pa ba natin ang ganitong klase ng pagbabago para sa Pilipinas at para sa kababayan nating Pilipino.
Hindi pagkitil ng inosenteng buhay ang population control..ito ang unang hakbang natin para maging mas maayos ang buhay na kakaharapin natin. Sa lipunang kagaya ng pilipinas, na talagang mga mayayaman ang nakakalamang sa pamumuhay at ang mga mahihirap ay nanatiling kawawa, at ang mga middle class ay unti unti na rin nakakaranas ng hirap sa kalagayan ng pamumuhay, siguro it’s time na simulan na natin ang pagbabago para naman magkaroon tayo ng pantay, or kung hindi man pantay ay , at least bawat isa sa atin, bawat isang magulang ay kayang buhayin ng maayos at matiwasay ang mga anak na iluluwal nila dito sa mundo at hindi para magdusa at magbayad ng utang ng Pilipinas……………………..
there is a close identity between contraceptives and abortion according to Pro-Life Philippines. I hear the same arguments from legislators who are against the bill. Here is what the next president of the United States has to say.
“Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values. It requires that their proposals be subject to argument and amenable to reason.I may be opposed to abortion for religious reasons, but if I seek to pass a law banning the practice, I cannot simply point to the teachings of my church or evoke God’s will. I have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to all faiths, including those who have no faith at all” -BARACK OBAMA
My comment about the Reproductive Health Bill
I’d like to clear things first that I agree to the proposed bill. Why? Someone mentioned down here about manpower. That a larger number of people will be helpful in contribution to he society. We are in a third world country people! Do not compare our country to the United States of America or China because things are not the same with us. If manpower is what we need, we should abolish poverty first. If giving birth to hundreds of thousands of children that will only end up in the streets, uneducated and hungry, I would rather choose them not to be born. It will not only decrease the growing number of crimes but also prevent them from suffering. Let’s be practical for once. If your family can support a number of people think about the thousands who can not.
The bill is not demanding us about the two-child policy. They are only suggesting, giving us the ideal number of children which is two.
I am not against the Catholic church but what bothers is that why do people keeps on the church in politics. That is against the law. What they are saying about “go and be plenty” that is found in the old testament when God told Abraham to make descendants. In my view, at that time, that is a necessity. How many people there are before Christ was born comparing to our current population? There’s a huge difference there.
So I support The Reproductive Health Bill because this shows practicality and effectiveness.
I would like to ask help po. we’ll be having this debate and I am on the affirmative side. Mind helping me by sharing some strong arguments and informations backing up those arguments po? Thanks so much. Godbless.
Here are some of the potential consequences of the passage into law of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill (HB O5043) which have dawned upon me; to wit:
1.0 BIG BUSINESS, BIGGER MONEY. If RH Bill passes into law, condom suppliers may earn from the Philippine government (which will be mandated to distribute free condoms to 4.9 million youth aged 15-27), PhP 2.548 billion every year. (Or 4.9 million youth times 1 sex act per week times 52 weeks per year times condom usage of 1 piece per sex act times supplier’s price of P10 per piece of condom.) The assumption of a youth engaging in sex at the average of once a week, I am afraid, is in order and conservative. It will be unthinkable for a young student to obey the reminder of his RH teacher or older relatives that abstinence is the most effective birth control method when that young student is aware, the government is duty-bound to provide him or her with free condom for his or her sexual cravings anytime, anywhere. Condom supply is therefore a big business if RH Bill passes into law. Nevertheless, what is bigger money is when government canvassers, signatories of purchase orders, receivers of condom deliveries, as well as check payment signatories and releasers may connive with condom suppliers to price the condom at P 100 per piece instead of P 10. The over price of P 90 per piece of condom will be distributed among the involved government officials. Therefore, due to the passage of the RH Bill, there is an opportunity for a PhP 25.48 billion condom scam to happen.
2.0 BOARS AND GILTS. These 4.9 million youth who are recipients of the government’s free supply of condoms may naturally crave for sex like animals (considering the additional enticement from the immodest mass media and the internet pornography). The young male may act like boar while the young female behaves like gilt that is in heat. This promiscuity or multiple sexual relationships, is probably just a take off point. The Law of Diminishing Extra Satisfaction (as adopted from the psychological and economic law of diminishing marginal utility) that governs pure human and animal endeavors including sexual relations will be fully operational. In other words, if sex will be a preoccupation of the Filipino youth, then the satisfaction that a young male derives having sex with female partner/s, will decrease or wane eventually. He then ventures to partner sexually with his fellow male/s to seek new level of satisfaction. He may push further by engaging in bisexual activities. But most likely he will end up as a pure homosexual. A young female may also follow the same path as she craves for sex and sexual satisfactions. She may graduate as a pure lesbian. But this scenario will not be glaring overnight. It will take a generation – ten years span. This may then translate to the need of a new advocacy – to support the passing into law of the bill on same-sex marriages and divorce in the country.
3.0 POPULATION REDUCTION. The ultimate aim of RH Bill, I understand, is achieving economic prosperity (particularly for the poor) however through population reduction approach. In case the RH Bill is passed, its success will be measured therefore by, among others, whether its respective population reduction target (PRT) is attained. And the critical factor in attaining PRT is the effective distribution and use of condom of the 4.9 million Filipino youth in particular. Effective means here, making a condom available for free, on demand of the youth, either male or female, anywhere, anytime. As mentioned above, this will cost the Philippine government, PhP 2.548 billion every year. If the government will have limited or doesn’t have that amount of taxpayers’ money (for condom purchase and distribution) then the full attainment of the PRT will be jeopardized. Thus RH Law may prove to be ineffective to reduce population in the country. If this is the case, other population reduction measures or Bills will be therefore sought. So there will be a future need to support for the passage into law of Pro-abortion Bills as well as of Pro-euthanasia Bills.
So then, to all the RH Bill advocates, if your support for the passage into law of RH Bill (which may lead to additional opportunity for corruptions in the Philippine government, to transformation of the Filipino youth as homosexuals and lesbians, to eventual murder of unborn babies and to future mercy-killing of senior citizens, etc.) makes your Mama proud of you, then go full speed ahead of your RH Bill advocacy. Otherwise, please resign as a RH Bill supporter and lobby harder for our legislators to vote against RH Bill.
Ipe of Bacolod City: I am amazed by the idiocy of your arguments. My god! You were able to string together the issues of reproductive health, the male sex drive and same-sex marriage through a series of pathetic and weakly reasoned statements. Next time, try to read up on what you are arguing for first before sharing with the world your epiphanies.
may i ask if what are the common necessity in proposing the house bill 5043???
yes i’m in favor of the RH bill….although Philippines is rich in natural resources with the exploding population one day we will wake up and see that these resources are not enough….like what we are now experiencing….before we have abundant and good supply of drinking water but as you can see now almost 80% of the population depends on the so-called ‘mineral water’ because our source is not safe drinking water.eoooow…wag na tayong mamolitika…..isipin natin what will happen in the near future…..let not our future children suffer more like what we are suffering today!
lesser population leads to…..better education….good job…..productive community…..
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