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The Church and the State must leave couples alone in planning their
parenthood, Sen. Francis Escudero said Friday.
“As far as the State is concerned, it must
only inform and educate couples on how to plan their family and the
health issues involved without influencing them on what to do,” he
said.
He considered it the obligation of the State to
also provide the citizens with the means to undertake their planned
parenthood.
He acknowledged the right of the Church to state
its views on reproductive health.
“Aside from being men of the cloth, priests
are also Filipino citizens with the right to air their views on any
piece of legislation,” he explained.
The Church wants only the natural method in
family planning while the State wants a wider choice on
contraception for citizens.
Escudero pointed out, however, that there are
also non-Catholics in the country who want to learn how to plan
their families properly, and it is the duty and obligation of the
State to provide them with the needed information and means.
He expressed the hope that the Church and State
would stop feuding over this issue.
“It is not to the interest of the nation that
they should be fighting over the bills while we are facing food and
fuel crises,” he said.
There are two bills on reproductive health
pending in the Senate, including that by Sen. Panfilo Lacson which
encourages a two-child policy or a zero population growth.
Escudero said he does not favor any law that
seeks to limit the number of children that a couple may have.
“A child is a gift from God. We should not
deprive those who want a child from having one. In my case, it took
me and my wife seven years before we could have a child—twins in
fact,” he said.
He noted that some countries in Europe and Asia
pursued a policy limiting the number of children per family.
“They are now paying for it by having an aging
population. That is the main reason why they have a very high demand
for overseas contract workers,” he said.
-- Efren L. Danao
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