The Pros and Cons of the RH Bill

Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 officially known as House Bill No. 5043 or more popularly known as the RH Bill. This is the hottest topic, the most talked about and the most controversial piece of legislation now pending in Congress. Why so? Per se, the Bill has its noble intentions. In a nut shell, the State or the government for that matter, for all intents and purposes declares to promote responsible parenthood, informed choice, birth spacing and respect for life in conformity with internationally recognized human rights standards. In line with this promulgation, the State further guarantees universal access to medicallysafe, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information with priority to the needs of women and children and the underprivileged sector.

Responsible parenthood therefore, equals family planning limiting and/or proper spacing of children and making available to parents a full range of safe, legal and effective methods, techniques and devices. It further maintains that abortion is a crime. What has the Catholic Church got to say about this? NO WAY! Any method, technique or contraceptive drug or device that prevents the normal and natural process of reproduction is against the teachings of the Church. It is abortion! Only abstinence and the rhythm method are morally acceptable. No argument to the contrary will suffice whatsoever. With blind obedience, the Church insists that any external agent that prevents the union and/or fertilization of the sperm and egg at any point in the reproductive process is anti-life and not morally acceptable. What is the bottom line here as far as the government is concerned? The proponents of the Bill are worried with the burgeoning population 95M+ Filipinos as of the latest count. And a run away population means more mouths to feed, less resources to sustain the health and well being of the people. Overpopulation therefore, would create a scenario in the Philippines of undernourished, hungry, less educated and jobless people. This I beg to disagree. There is a need to slow down a little bit not the growth in population but the inward migration toward urban areas thus congesting these

centers. It does not mean that we are that over-populated yet and that too many people make us poor. If we talk of population density the Philippines is far below the list compared to countries like Singapore, Hongkong, or Macau. Yet these countries are rich and technically advanced despite the fact that they have less natural resources in comparison with the abundance nature has endowed the Philippines . (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of countries and dependencies by population density). There are still vast tracks of arable and/or idle lands in the entire archipelago owned by the state and by private individuals and corporation. This unequal distribution of wealth this imbalance has resulted in the exodus of people toward the urban centers looking for jobs and better opportunities. The government should instead address this issue by attracting more investors to the countryside thereby providing more jobs and income opportunities to the people. This problem has never been effectively addressed by the government because of wrong priorities and because of CORRUPTION! Do I have to say more? The State has declared to promote responsible parenthood and informed choice; make available safe, legal and effective methods, devices and services related to family planning and birth control; and provide quality health care and services and basic sex education to the youth, as well. In my opinion these provisions are well taken and should be given priority by the corresponding branches of government. Allow me to justify my statement: Looking around squatter communities and depressed areas within our urban centers, one will see dirty, ill-clad or even naked and under-nourished children running around and playing in the streets. One will also see mothers idling their time nearby mostly carrying year-old infants in their arms with tummies already heavy with their next baby. Looking around further one will notice a considerable number of out-of-school youths wasting their time away on some unproductive activities as video games, gambling games or in some hidden corners, doing pot sessions or sexual orgies. One may ask: why are there so many children, where and how do their parents get to feed them properly and provide them proper education? If the proponents of the bill will seek to address these problems effectively, then this Bill should pass into law. But sad to say and history will bear me out that this government instead of addressing the root cause of our social problems had shown indifference and inaction by diverting funds to some ghosts projects and lining the pockets of certain unscrupulous officials and enriching themselves in office at the expense of the masses who would certainly have benefited from funds intended to alleviate their quality of life, health and education. On the other hand, the Catholic Church and those against the RH Bill will still insist on the natural rhythm method or abstinence. If mothers miss their period

and get pregnant for the nth time despite the strongest will power to refrain, the Church will just dismiss it as Gods will and say: Dont worry because the Lord will provide. If I may interpret this statement, its like saying that the Lord will provide not food or shelter because He has His way of reducing the earths human population. Thus we have natural or man-made calamities like floods, earthquakes, pestilence, and war that would effectively reduce or even eradicate segments of the worlds population. This is the Churchs way of population control by depending on the Almighty to bring about natural disasters and calamities or man-made genocide - the time of Noah and Sodom and Gomorrah in real time. Then the Lord will summon the anti-Christ in the likes of Hitler to further bring the worlds population to a comfortable number.

I am for the RH Bill if there is an assurance that the government will religiously implement the law to the letter with enough funding to sustain the widest coverage of the population as possible. But nay, I dont think this is possible with CORRUPTION as way of life in government. Thieves in government still hold sway to plunder and steal public funds and get away with it. This RH Bill is redundant. Past administrations and past congresses have similar laws already passed that would address the basic and intrinsic provisions of the Bill. But what is unfortunate is that the government failed to implement such laws. Before we waste our time debating on the pros and cons of the RH Bill, how about if the Catholic Church and all the Catholics or even Filipinos of other religions join together to pray and call upon the Lord Almighty to strike with lightning all the thieves in government and eradicate them all from the face of this earth. Stop CORRUPTION not population growth! My stand therefore is conditional in favor of the RH Bill. I cannot go with the Churchs stand of like being a fence-sitter amid the hunger and sufferings of our people..