November 7, 2012 Pro Life Philippines Foundation, Inc.

Position Paper on the Summit of Family Planning In the Business Sector, to be held on November 15, 2012 at the PICC Mabuhay! It has come to our attention that UNFPA and the UK embassy in Manila together with the Zuellig Family Foundation in the Philippines, is hosting the Summit of Family Planning in the Business Sector on November 15, 2012 at the Philippine International Convention Center. According to its press release, the Manila Summit will gather captains of industry, chief executive officers and top management officials of private companies from all over the Philippines to present and share best practices, templates of business models on family planning and family health initiatives in the workplace, in workers communities, or as corporate social responsibility programs. While Pro Life Philippines believes in giving women the best healthcare, and offering Filipino families the best opportunities for them to rise from poverty, we stand in opposition to what this summit is promoting: contraception. Contraception Deception Many mistakenly believe and teach that contraception is necessary for the health and well being of a woman. This could not be farther from the truth. A quick reference to the IARC or International Agency for Researn on Cancer, however, tells us that the combined estrogen progesterone contraceptives taken by women are classified as group 1 carcinogens, or materials that cause cancer the greatest. The biggest threat in taking oral contraceptives is perhaps breast cancer. According to the American Association for Cancer Research, Oral contraceptive use > 1 year was associated with a 2.5-fold increased risk for triple-negative breast cancer (http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/18/4/1157.abstract) Aside from cancer, women who take oral contraceptive pills are also more prone to blood clots or venous thrombosis. In the study called The venous thrombotic risk of oral contraceptives, effects of oestrogen dose and progestogen type: results of the MEGA case-control study posted at the British Medical Journal, 2009 Aug 13;339:b2921, it was said that: Currently available oral contraceptives increased the risk of venous thrombosis fivefold compared with non-use. Another misconception is that poor women need contraception because they want to limit their family size but have no means to do so. According to Lant Pritchett, Harvards Kennedy School of Government professor, parents who have large families want large families, and this means parents want the children they actually beget. It is also a misconception that poor women cannot afford contraceptives, hence the

need for legislation such as the RH Bill. According to the 2008 National Demographic Health Survey, only less than 1% of women cannot afford contraception. Turning the Wrong Way The mass distribution of contraceptives creates a culture of contraception among the populace, a culture that does not place a high regard on producing and raising children. One of the most damaging effects of this contraceptive culture is demographic winter, a phenomenon where the next generation of children is unable to replace the older generation. Many countries are already feeling the effects of demographic winter; countries like Russia, Singapore, Germany, and France are encouraging their couples to make more babies in exchange for cash or tax incentives. Meanwhile, they are opening their doors to immigrants so as to mitigate the effects of the demographic winter, such as the collapse of social security and the lack of manpower to work for their companies and businesses. Lee Kuan Yew, the revered former leader of Singapore, has already gone on record in saying that he regretted his decision of limiting families to two children. The distribution of contraceptives by the government will yield the same effect. It is a mistake to think that contraception is needed to eradicate poverty. This is a mentality which is prevalent among those who support the passage of the RH bill. Poverty is caused by lack of education and jobs, as well as the governments failure to provide ample public services and goods such as roads, schools, hospitals, farm to market roads, and bridges. Therefore, giving out contraceptives to the poor is an action that will not have any direct effect to the people because it fails to address the root causes of poverty to begin with. Challenges to the Business Sector Therefore we urge the business sector participating in this summit to focus their will and energies towards programs and projects that will truly help this nation move forward and the poor climb out of poverty. Promoting microfinance for the poor, helping the government in building good roads, bridges, ports and other necessary infrastructure, investing in the development of rural areas, and investing on the young, healthy workforce of this country are initiatives that will directly help the poor and cause progress. We ask that businessmen and entrepreneurs lead the way towards securing the future of our country, and not compromising it through short-sighted promotion of contraceptives which the poor does not need. May we all be united in one cause to end poverty and corruption in our government, because indeed, the Filipino is worth dying for. Sincerely,

Mr. Eric Manalang President, Pro Life Philippines