Executive Summary The RH bill, which proposes to guarantee to universal access to medically-safe, legal, affordable and quality reproductive

health care services," is one of the most contentious issues in the country today. Opposing stance from different sectors in the society makes the issue more vague or more clear to the eyes of the Filipino people. The study of life, changes occur from time to time as a manifestation of human evolution. We admit that change is always difficult at the beginning, but if this change will be for the greater good, then we have to take the risk and make that change because we do not want to stay stagnant forever, we have to keep up with the changes of the time if it means survival. Our time today heeds the call for a change of understanding from the people towards the study of reproductive health. Within the framework of World Health Organization's definition Reproductive health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health addresses the reproductive processes, functions and systems at all stages of life. The objective of the bill is very clear and that is to uphold and promote respect for the reproductive health or generally, respect for life thru informed choices, birth spacing and responsible parenthood in conformity with internationally recognized human rights standards. It is however unnerving how the so-called vanguards of morality oppose the bill on the ground that its a euphemism for abortion. As its name implies, the Reproductive Health bill protects the health of a mother in particular and the family in general, which is the basic unit of society. We all know that. Therefore, the State should regain its pursuit and thrust in protecting the family from the negative effects in the neglect of protecting the reproductive health. At 96 million and still growing, the size of our population doesnt seem to scare our so-called leaders as they continue

to hopelessly acquiesce to the dictates of the Roman Catholic Church with respect to its position against the RH Bill now pending in Congress. With much of our meager resources either being wasted or pocketed by inept and callous government officials, Let me take this thrust further by asking you this question: How soon can we ever expect to improve the lot of our neglected impoverished people? This paper will prove that the bill offers more than what the status quo could offer. It offers more options, more alternatives, more freedom and more solutions to the problem. Body The RH Bill must be extensively promoted among couples, especially from the grassroots, who lack enough knowledge on the importance of this bill. Having children which you cannot afford to raise is a big sin; thus, looking for ways to prevent it is advisable and must be practiced. One crucial benefit of RH bill is that it aims to promote an awareness of health issues and to empower citizens to make the right choices for their families. It is not about promoting artificial contraception because natural contraception is also provided in the bill. Another significant point is that it is law that will benefit the entire nation if enacted. We all know that poverty is largely caused by overpopulation. Most, if not all, underdeveloped countries have populations more than they can sustain. This is the reason why poverty in these countries exists. The Problem on Population and Poverty. Those that are against the bill take opposite steps of indifference by saying that overpopulation is just a myth, maybe in other countries, but definitely not here in the Philippines. It is not a myth but a hard fact that has been the subject of numerous researches and studies population growth has an which revealed that rapid impact on economic adverse

development. It is also a fact that the very core of a sound population control lies in the implementation of a sustainable family

planning program capable of providing much-needed information and supplies to as those who need these. Malnourished shows, and these uneducated, present-day Philippine reality

unplanned children assuming they survive hunger and hostile environment grow up to be thieves, robbers, prostitutes and even killers for hire in order to survive. More often than not, the cycle replicates itself in the next generation. Therefore, an effective population management is the road to development. Now, what is in the bill that is not in the status quo is that it offers both the natural and artificial methods of birth control. The status quo is already adopting the natural method thus it does not violate the status quo but only provides more options in curbing the population thru the artificial method that serves as a safety net when the natural fails. Both the natural and artificial methods have the same purpose anyway, and that is to prevent pregnancy. Critiques would often argue that age-appropriate adolescent RH education will lead to teen promiscuity, that flies in the face of the experience in other countries such us as the United States where there has been a concerted local push to invest in services for teenagers that are accessible and appropriate, and where sexual education has been well-delivered in schools, the most unexpected areas have shown dramatic improvements. Hackney, one of London's most deprived boroughs, has seen a drop of 25% in its teen pregnancy rate; Blackburn, also with high levels of deprivation, has seen a comparable improvement. Here is compelling evidence that it is possible to bring down teen pregnancy, that well-designed services can break the link between poverty and teen pregnancy. That with an RH education policy and program in the schools, partnering the parents in the homes, the onset of sexual relations among teens is delayed and multiple partners are discouraged, greater monogamy is observed among young people and certainly those incidences of HIV, AIDS and other sexual diseases is on the decline. The countrys Catholic Church opposes the RH Bill, denouncing it as pro-abortion,

anti-life, anti-women, anti-poor, and immoral. I am a Catholic, but I also believe that the RH Bill is pro-life and pro-women. The bill is meant to prevent abortions by offering couples their choice of safe, legal and affordable family planning methods (natural and artificial). It therefore seeks to avert unwanted pregnancies, which cause poor miserable women despairing yet over another pregnancy to resort to dangerous induced abortions. Its a pity that so many women should make abortion a family planning method for want of an effective means to prevent an unplanned pregnancy. The country needs a national policy on reproductive health and population development as provided by this Bill. This could curb population growth, which is crucial to overall economic growth and poverty reduction. The Church must recognize the urgency of the situation. The proposed RH bill does not impose a two-child policy, poses risks to maternal and child health, and will definitely not lead to legalized abortion. Abortion arises as a last resort precisely because mothers cant avoid conception from happening in the first place, because of restricted access and information to more effective contraceptive measures. Although not a panacea for all our problems, the bill is but a recognition of the empirically-proven link between high total fertility rates and low per capita incomes. Its high time that the Church appreciates the urgency of such measure, for the future and welfare of the greater population is at stake.

Conclusion: My religion opposes the bill, but my conscience says we have to bite the bullet now! I am for it to become a law. It is beneficial because through this, the problem of our ballooning population might be solved. The bill will help educate parents on proper parenting, and what their pockets can afford. With proper planning, care and attention will be given to the children. I also urge the church to please stop opposing this bill. They should be realistic that when God commanded Adam and Eve to go ye and multiply, there were only two human beings on earth then. Now, we have billions of Adams and Eve and surely, even God will be hesitant this time to tell these billions to go and multiply further. I opt to be a pro - RH bill according to my own conscience. Ultimately, this is a matter of public policy, people of whatever faith or people of no faith, if they say they need this law then we should let the law serve them. We should not be dictated by any Church or State. The bill, at best, embodies fundamental principles recognized in our Constitution the right to a dignified and healthy life, full access to information, and equal protection before the law. These evaluative benefits which are truly defined and drafted by us simply give us a fine line of the advantages we can get from this legalization.

SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF LAW ( 2011-2012)

LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING

TITLE : RH BILL ; IS IT BENEFICIAL?

Atty. Denura Professor

Divina Eloise C. Timagos Student