Reproductive Health Bill

Hello there. (^_^) I hope someone would find the time to read this writing of mine about the issue on the Reproductive Health Bill. Yeah, I know this may sound boring to lots of people, but hey this issue may greatly affect the future especially the future of the young generations of our country, and its need to be thoroughly thought of before arriving at a conclusion and decision. this is my opinion... I am a concerned youth, a nursing student, a Filipino citizen and a Catholic. I am concerned not of the intention why it has been proposed because I know it was proposed for a good intention. However, I am much more concerned on the content of the said proposed bill and what would be the possible effect it may have on us if passed. The bill is not pro-abortion, that, what I know of. It did not contain anything about legalizing abortion and in fact, it is an anti-abortion bill. However, it contains something about contraception and sex education and family planning, things like that, my knowledge is only up to that. I am a Catholic, and as I grew up, it has instilled on me that sex is a sacred act of love. Sacred? Absolutely. Just look in the mirror and there youll see yourself as a great miracle that was and is realized through the consummation of the marriage of your parents. And that miracle is the miracle of your life. Sex is such a beautiful gift from the Almighty. To be one in heart, body and soul with your spouse your love, there can be no other more wonderful. To give every person you are to your wife (if youre a man) or to your husband (if youre a woman), to just give and give and take nothing; such is what love making for me is. Sex for me should only be done by two persons who, not just truly loving each other, but who to whom have reached their maturity (physically, emotionally, psychologically, financially and all other llys not mentioned) and stability and such is manifested in marriage ( I welcome and Im open to your opinions in contrast with mine). In short, sex should only be done by two persons who commit all of themselves wholeheartedly in the context of marriage. Imagine how our society will be if the foundation of the family, which is marriage, is grounded on love, maturity and stability. What if there will be a bill that will be all about the value of sex and family? (hmmm, think!*)though we cannot force people to accept what be belief,still i think it's worth a try.. Sad to know that a big population of our young generations today is actively engaging in sex at a very young age. And many of our teenagers are already parents on their own! These are some of the issues we are facing in this new generation; issues that should be dealt with, not just by the government, but more importantly by the family. What family I have today, is what I could also pass on to my future family. Its just like a cycle that keeps repeating by itself. If my family today is an abused one, then its time to break the cycle, that hopefully my future family will be a better one. Keep in mind, that the strongest and most powerful shield and armor the parents could give to their children is the power of love, which builds broken selves, and heals broken hearts. Sex education is a good thing. But who will be the educators? What will be that sex education all about? Will it imply to the teenagers that premarital sex is good as long as your protected? Will it be all about SAFER sex? I have lots of concerns because once this bill is passed as a law, we and the generation next to us will be greatly affected. These are what concern me about. In the near future to come, I dont want to ask my daughters, have you taken your contraceptive pills?, or remind my sons always bring condoms whenever, wherever. What I would like to educate my children with is the value of valuing their embodied souls, to respect what they are blessed with as well as others, to discipline themselves to learn to wait for the right time, and to love unselfishly and to manifest this love based not on sexual expressions. I would like to instill on them that sex in the context of marriage, marriage grounded on love and maturity, a love

which is not self-seeking pleasure, and a family centered on God. Am I talking about religion? Yes, because Christs love guides, heals and gives purpose to life. Why not educate the parents through the Local Government Unit about family values and let these parents educate their children? It might be a very long run, educating the parents and it will be difficult to straighten bend branches of old trees, but its worthy, very much worth trying. We all have the right to be educated especially on decisions that concerns about us. So, this bill is about providing information on contraceptives and having these means within reach. So, on the problem of overpopulation, this bill becomes the solution. Is this really the solution? Or it is just merely trimming the weeds without pulling off the roots, and that sooner or later the weeds will just continue to grow? I am a nursing student, and somehow I have knowledge regarding these contraceptives. When the egg of the mother unites with the sperm of the father, a zygote forms and a new life of a human being begins. However, some of these artificial contraceptives, aside from the barrier method, doesnt only inhibit the union of sperm and egg, but kills the life of that one-day or perhaps five-day old zygote. How? This zygote this burrow in the inner layer of the uterus so that it will gain nutrition from the mother, and some of these contraceptives enables the inner layer to shed off so that this zygote cannot gain nutrition, and that will cause the zygote to die. That, is how some of these contraceptives deny the inherent right of the zygote to live, which is a violation of Section 5,11, and 12 of Article II of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines which states that the state recognizes the sanctity of family and shall protect and strengthen the family.. it shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn. Love. Family. Virginity. Celibacy. Abstinence. Well, one might say Hey, its the new generation! Why dig up what has long been buried? Why? In the first place, the problems on overpopulation, teenage pregnancies, abortion, may have arise because these values have been buried; and in recovering them, who knows the solution will be uncovered by bringing these up. Who knows by continued perseverance in looking for a dragging solution (and not abrupt solutions) we might make better changes to build a better place for us, and the generation next to us.

http://www.philippinestoday.net/index.php?module=article&view=1293

Opinion counts: The Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines 87

My turn to speak (UPDATED)

As an avid blogger, I was originally doing a research on the education system of the Philippines when I stumbled upon the news of the Reproductive Health bill still under debate, which eventually led me to a blog, AlterNation 101 in blogspot, where I read his take on the issue: "I cannot fathom how promoting parental responsibility and financing everyone's freedom to have sex irresponsibly could mix together. Surely, the proposed law spreads around nice words such as

responsibility, healthcare, freedom, choice, development, rights, equality, couples, etc. Yet it is nothing but an attempt to remove God from our government and society." I cannot help but ponder on this fallacious statement and had me thinking about my stand on RH bill. The statement generally stands on an illusion that one is not a Catholic if you dare support this bill. First of all, the bill does not, as the blogger Sef Dudeo distastefully puts it, "finance everyone's freedom to have sex irresponsibly." And if we're reading the same bill at all, it actually does the complete opposite. Second, one can support family planning that implements parental responsibility and still be a good Catholic. I cannot interpret the RH bill as "anti-life." My definition of anti-life would be to completely deprive of the people of access to such knowledge. What exactly is being pro-life? Because there is nothing "pro-life" about unwanted children being born in hostile conditions, being forced to beg on the streets and relying on people's change and leftovers. Not so many of these children are lucky to rise from these poor circumstances. Majority of them repeat this vicious cycle well into their adulthood. If other people are "pro-life", I am "pro-quality of life." The Church claims that it is the parents' responsibility to educate their children on these delicate issues; If one would allow that claim is based on the assumption that every parent in the country is already educated, well-informed and updated, as well as emotionally and mentally prepared to discuss such information to their children, I think critics should bite their tongues and take into consideration the great number of citizens, especially those in poverty lines, who did not have the opportunity to learn , much less discuss, anything about sexual health.The opportunity to be educated about nutrition, family planning, parental responsibility and healthcare in full, honest and appropriate disclosure is hindered because the Church has been hysterically opposing it as unacceptable and un-Catholic to do so. Un-Catholic, is it, to inform the youth, couples and families about their sexual health? I think people have the right to know and be completely aware of their reproductive biology, the odds of infertility, the responsibility and possible complications of pregnancy/child-rearing, their capability to prevent STDs and HIV/AIDS, or the understanding what unwanted pregnancy and abortion could lead to? How is it un-Catholic, exactly, to show people how to properly manage their sexual well-being? I am a Roman Catholic, but I think it is completely ridiculous when the Church are scared off their wits just hearing the terms "abortion", "sex education" or "contraceptives" like parents suddenly get uptight when a kissing scene comes up on the TV screen and command their sixteen-year-old to close his eyes until it's over. The Church is screaming bloody murder, saying the bill would lead to the legalization of abortion. The RH bill "expressively provides that abortion remains a crime and prevention of abortion is essential to implement" the program. How do we prevent abortion? By not mindlessly engaging early in sexual activities that would lead to unwanted pregnancies. The best way to delay these early initiations to sexual relations is to instill correct sexual values along with the knowledge. Ironic, isn't it, that the Philippines is the most Catholic-dominant country in Asia yet it manages to have one of the highest abortion rates around? Of course, I'm not saying that it's the Church's fault that abortion is at large, but I strongly suggest that they let go of the narrow concept of sexuality education being unacceptable simply because they do not understand how this knowledge would significantly reduce, if not eliminate, the number of abortions in the country. I do not want our future generation to suffer from their irrationality, suspicion and overall mistrust to their own country.

Another criticism to this bill would be that sexuality education will "spawn a culture of promiscuity." The message they're relaying is that: this bill will teach the youth to have sex. If they're taught to have sex accompanied with the use of artificial contraceptives, we will spawn a generation of sex maniacs. I've done research about abortion and teen pregnancies for a school project and one of the main reasons why teens get pregnant is because of a.)their conservative upbringing which means their family deem it unthinkable to even educate their children about sex-much less, mention the idea, b.) they've been brought up with false facts or myths about sex and pregnancy and/or c.) their religious upbringing has brought the idea to their heads that they must remain pure until marriage, which is a long shot once they're past puberty because, hey, nobody told them about sexual health. This is a very disappointing, black-and-white view of how the Church sees the youth today. Keep the youth ignorant so that they won't engage in sexual activities? What they don't know won't hurt them? I think people who are opposing on this bill flew off the handle when they read that the RH education program would discuss these "delicate issues" to Grade 5 elementary students up to 4th year high school students and neglected the key word "age-appropriate" written with it. The bill does not promote the youth "to have sex." It simply seeks to quench their curiousity with appropriate information and proper guidance before they turn to incompetent sources for answers to what's happening to their bodies. Educating the youth would also help reduce incidences of sexual abuse. I have a good friend (who was sexually molested when she was a toddler) who confided in me that if she only knew the personal boundaries regarding sexual health and sexuality, she wouldn't have to go through such a terrible ordeal and coming out confused and guilty in the end. As part of her class requirement a few years ago, she did a thorough research of sexual abuse cases and firmly believes that sexual education for the youth is one of the most promising solutions to eliminate/reduce these incidences. Tell me what does promote a culture of promiscuity- ignorance or transparency? More than 50 percent of Filipinos favored a "population policy, including family planning." So I'm wondering if the Church has the best interests of their people at heart, or they're simply voicing out their idealistic views for the sake of voicing it. I challenge all representatives of CBCP to go to the poorest of the poor, the stenchiest of the stench and the lowest of the low and see how families in poverty are unable to support and educate their children. I want those representatives immerse themselves to go by foot and see how overpopulation affects their lives and the country's surroundings. True, it's not the children's fault, seeing as they're all just trying to survive and their own parents can't even sustain themselves. And people wonder why there's a gap between the rich and the poor. Just yesterday, the headline in the Philippine Inquirer was "Bishops quit RH bill talks." The CBCP (Catholic Bishop's Conference of the Phils.) representatives have walked out of Senate discussions on the reproductive health bill, saying that their views are "only duly noted" and that lawmakers "invited us just for the sake of consulting us." Congressman Lagman poignantly reminds, commenting on the remarks of one of the representatives, that "you are not invited here to get what you want, but to give your views. If your views would not be consistent with what legislators think should be the national policy, you have to defer to the legislators." Tasked to sponsor the bill on the Senate floor, Senator Biazon defended the government's right to pass this bill, responding that (this is my fave portion of the news article): "this is an affair of the State. The

State must respond to the needs of the people. If the teachings of the Church are against the use of modern artificial contraception, the Church should touch base with their flock. They should go to the pulpit, and teach. I hope they're fair when they do this." Touch. Base. With your flock. It is sad that we are one of the few countries left being controlled by the Church. Many first-world and progressive nations are able to separate the affairs of the Church from the affairs of the State. Frankly, the CBCP wouldn't probably understand a thing or two about family planning until each of them are raising children of their own.

********************************* Final notes for the CBCP: PLEASE pay your taxes. We know you're covering up several incidences of child abuse cases caused by active members of the Church. Stop bullying Pres. Aquino and let the government save the economy and the starving people. Majority of the Philippine population will agree that Catholic contraceptives don't work.

http://jadedsecret.hubpages.com/hub/Opinion-counts-The-Reproductive-Health-Bill-in-the-Philippines

CBCP to continue fight vs RH bill despite SWS survey

MANILA, Philippines - The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Thursday belittled the recent survey showing that a majority of Manila residents favor a law on reproductive health. In a statement posted on CBCP website, Episcopal Commission on Family and Life (ECFL) executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro assured that despite the Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, the Church would still campaign against the measure now pending at the House of Representatives. "It's not a numbers game. We are not really what others will say. We are just following what is stated in the Bible, Castro said. The survey, which was conducted from December 27 to 29 last year, showed that six out of 10, or 62 percent of the 600 respondents, think religious sectors involve itself in government efforts on family planning and reproductive health. This indicates the church is prying on governments family planning programs, which are favored by about 90 percent of city residents, the survey said. The study also revealed that 88 percent of the 600 respondents agree that Manila should have a policy on reproductive health, while 95 percent said that city health centers should further improve their services.

Castro said the Church is not meddling with what he calls the government's supposed "weak policy on population." He said they are just campaigning against immoral laws." He added that while people and surveys claim that the reproductive health bill and population control will create benefits, it is the course of things that is wrong. - Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/149606/CBCP-to-continue-fight-vs-RH-bill-despite-SWS-survey

Reproductive health bill: Facts, fallacies

By Rep. Edcel Lagman Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 00:46:00 08/03/2008 Filed Under: Family, Family planning, Population

(Editor?s Note: Upon the request of readers, we are running the salient features of the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008. We asked its principal author in the House of Representatives to present the main points of and misconceptions about the bill. We hope that this issue will help readers reach an informed opinion on the measure.) THE BILL IS NATIONAL IN SCOPE, COMPREHENSIVE, rights-based and provides adequate funding to the population program. It is a departure from the present setup in which the provision for reproductive health services is devolved to local government units, and consequently, subjected to the varying strategies of local government executives and suffers from a dearth of funding. The reproductive health (RH) bill 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. The bill does not have any bias for or against either natural or modern family planning. Both modes are contraceptive methods. Their common purpose is to prevent unwanted pregnancies. The bill will promote sustainable human development. The UN stated in 2002 that ?family planning and reproductive health are essential to reducing poverty.? The Unicef also asserts that ?family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology now available to the human race.? Coverage of RH. (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 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 RH; (11) Prevention and treatment of infertility and (12) RH education for the youth. Strengthening of Popcom. The existing Population Commission shall be reoriented to promote both natural and modern family planning methods. It shall serve as the central planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring body for the comprehensive and integrated policy on reproductive health and population development. Capability building of community-based volunteer workers. The workers shall undergo additional and updated training on the delivery of reproductive healthcare services and shall receive not less than 10-percent increase in honoraria upon successful completion of training. Midwives for skilled birth attendance. Every city and municipality shall endeavor to employ an adequate number of midwives and other skilled attendants.

Emergency obstetrics care. Each province and city shall endeavor to ensure the establishment and operation of hospitals with adequate and qualified personnel that provide emergency obstetrics care. Hospital-based family planning. Family planning methods requiring hospital services like ligation, vasectomy and IUD insertion shall be available in all national and local government hospitals. Contraceptives as essential medicines. Reproductive health products shall be considered essential medicines and supplies and shall form part of the National Drug Formulary considering that family planning reduces the incidence of maternal and infant mortality. Reproductive health education. RH education in an age-appropriate manner shall be taught by adequately trained teachers from Grade 5 to 4th year high school. As proposed in the bill, core subjects include responsible parenthood, natural and modern family planning, proscription and hazards of abortion, reproductive health and sexual rights, abstinence before marriage, and responsible sexuality. Certificate of compliance. No marriage license shall be issued by the Local Civil Registrar unless the applicants present a Certificate of Compliance issued for free by the local Family Planning Office. The document should certify that they had duly received adequate instructions and information on family planning, responsible parenthood, breast feeding and infant nutrition. Ideal family size. The State shall encourage two children as the ideal family size. This is neither mandatory nor compulsory and no punitive action may be imposed on couples having more than two children. Employers? responsibilities. Employers shall respect the reproductive health rights of all their workers. Women shall not be discriminated against in the matter of hiring, regularization of employment status or selection for retrenchment. Employers shall provide free reproductive health services and commodities to workers, whether unionized or unorganized. Multimedia campaign. Popcom shall initiate and sustain an intensified nationwide multimedia campaign to raise the level of public awareness on the urgent need to protect and promote reproductive health and rights. *** Smear offensive Rep. Edcel C. Lagman THERE IS A CONTINUING campaign to discredit the reproductive health bill through misinformation. Straightforward answers to the negative propaganda will help educate and enlighten people on the measure. The bill is not antilife. It is proquality life. It will ensure that children will be blessings for their parents since their births are planned and wanted. It will empower couples with the information and opportunity to plan and space their children. This will not only strengthen the family as a unit but also optimize care for children who will have more opportunities to be educated, healthy and productive. The bill does not interfere with family life. In fact, it enhances family life. The family is more than a natural nucleus; it is a social institution whose protection and development are impressed with public interest. It is not untouchable by legislation. For this reason, the State has enacted the Civil Code on family relations, the Family Code, and the Child and Youth Welfare Code. The bill does not legalize abortion. It expressly provides that ?abortion remains a crime? and ?prevention of abortion? is essential to fully implement the Reproductive Health Care Program. While ?management of post-abortion complications? is provided, this is not to condone abortion but to promote the humane treatment of women in life-threatening situations. It will not lead to the legalization of abortion. It is not true that all countries where contraceptive use is promoted eventually legalize abortion. Many Catholic countries criminalize abortion even as they vigorously promote contraceptive use like Mexico, Panama, Guatemala, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Paraguay and Ireland. The Muslim and Buddhist countries of Indonesia and Laos also promote contraceptive use yet proscribe abortion. According to studies, correct and regular use of contraceptives reduces abortion rates by as much as 85 percent and negates the need to legalize abortion.

Contraceptives do not have life-threatening side effects. Medical and scientific evidence shows that all the possible medical risks connected with contraceptives are infinitely lower than the risks of an actual pregnancy and everyday activities. The risk of dying within a year of riding a car is 1 in 5,900. The risk of dying within a year of using pills is 1 in 200,000. The risk of dying from a vasectomy is 1 in 1 million and the risk of dying from using an IUD is 1 in 10 million. The probability of dying from condom use is absolutely zero. But the risk of dying from a pregnancy is 1 in 10,000. The bill will not promote contraceptive mentality. The bill does not prohibit pregnancy. Critics are mistaken in claiming that because contraceptives would be readily available, people would prefer to have no children at all. Couples will not stop wanting children simply because contraceptives are available. Contraceptives are used to prevent unwanted pregnancies but not to stop pregnancies altogether. Timed pregnancies are assured. The bill does not impose a two-child policy. It does not promote a compulsory policy strictly limiting a family to two children and no punitive action shall be imposed on parents with more than two children. This number is not an imposition or is it arbitrary because results of the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey show that the ideal of two children approximates the desired fertility of women. Sexuality education will neither spawn ?a generation of sex maniacs? nor breed a culture of promiscuity. Age-appropriate RH education promotes correct sexual values. It will not only instill consciousness of freedom of choice but also responsible exercise of one?s rights. The UN and countries which have youth sexuality education document its beneficial results: understanding of proper sexual values is promoted; early initiation into sexual relations is delayed; abstinence before marriage is encouraged; multiple-sex partners is avoided; and spread of sexually transmitted diseases is prevented. It does not claim that family planning is the panacea for poverty. It simply recognizes the verifiable link between a huge population and poverty. Unbridled population growth stunts socioeconomic development and aggravates poverty. The connection between population and development is well-documented and empirically established. UN Human Development Reports show that countries with higher population growth invariably score lower in human development. The Asian Development Bank in 2004 also listed a large population as one of the major causes of poverty in the country. The National Statistics Office affirms that large families are prone to poverty with 57.3 percent of families with seven children mired in poverty while only 23.8 percent of families with two children are poor. Recent studies also show that large family size is a significant factor in keeping families poor across generations. Family planning will not lead to a demographic winter. UP economics professors in their paper ?Population and Poverty: The Real Score? declared that the threat of a so-called demographic winter in the Philippines is ?greatly exaggerated, and using it as an argument against a sensible population policy is a plain and simple scare tactic.? The National Statistical Coordinating Board projected that a replacement fertility of 2.1 children per couple could be reached only by 2040. Moreover, despite a reduced population growth rate, the effects of population momentum would continue for another 60 years by which time our total population would be 240 million. Humanae Vitae is not an infallible doctrine. In 1963, Pope John XXIII created the Papal Commission on Birth Control to study questions on population and family planning. The Commission included ranking prelates and theologians. Voting 69 to 10, it strongly recommended that the Church change its teaching on contraception as it concluded that ?the regulation of conception appears necessary for many couples who wish to achieve a responsible, open and reasonable parenthood in today?s circumstances.? However, it was the minority report that Pope Paul VI eventually supported and which became the basis of Humanae Vitae. Even 40 years ago when the encyclical was issued, theologians did not generally think that it was infallible. Monsignor Fernando Lambruschini, spokesperson of the Vatican at the time of its release, said ?attentive reading of the encyclical Humanae Vitae does not suggest the theological note of infallibility? It is not infallible.? Five days after the issuance of the encyclical, a statement against it was signed by 87 Catholic theologians. It asserted that ?Catholics may dissent from ? noninfallible Church doctrine? and that ?Catholic spouses could responsibly decide in some circumstances to use artificial contraception.?

(Rep. Edcel C. Lagman of Albay is the principal author of the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008.)

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown/view/20080803-152296/Reproductivehealth-bill-Facts-fallacies

Immediate adoption of reproductive health policy urged

By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star) Updated July 11, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (0)

WORLD POPULATION DAY: Children eat porridge during a feeding program in Payatas, Quezon City yesterday. As the world observes World Population Day today, governments are urged to raise awareness of the problems of rapid population growth. BOY SANTOS | Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - An official of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has urged the government to immediately adopt a comprehensive reproductive health policy amid the rapidly growing population in the country. Protecting reproductive health and rights is fundamental to our collective future and sustainable development. Together, we can meet the needs of Filipino women, who want to plan and space their births but do not have access to modern contraception, UNFPA Country Representative Ugochi Daniels said. Daniels issued the statement in observance of the World Population Day today. With the right policies, investments and social support, young people can enjoy healthier lives free of poverty and enhance prospects for peace and stability, Daniels said. Meanwhile, Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin said the lack of access of the poor to family planning and reproductive health education and services worsens the poverty situation in the country. The Philippines is ranked 12th among the populous countries in the world. More than ever, a comprehensive national policy on population management has become crucial, Garin, one of the authors of the controversial Reproductive Health bill, said. The Philippine population is estimated to be more than a hundred million this year and yet the government is not ready to provide the corresponding social services needed by the rapidly growing population, Garin said. Population should not be a problem if resources are available to cope with the additional people requiring public services, employment, housing, education, etc. But in a country like ours, where the budget is already stretched and where poverty is high to begin with, population growth becomes a major issue, she said.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=704888&publicationSubCategoryId=