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By Sammy Martin, Reporter
THE controversial population
control legislation called the “RH Bill” is slowly turning into
a religious war of sorts.
The Reproductive Health,
Responsible Parenthood and Population Development Bill is now
crawling to reach plenary sessions, with supporters hoping it passes
on second reading.
That may be wishful thinking. The
bill, now under House Committee Report 1156, is the subject of heavy
debates between so-called moralists and liberated legislators and
their supporters on the sidelines.
At least six prominent lawmakers
have crossed party lines to bravely sponsor the bill, claiming they
are not cowed by threats from some Catholic leaders that if the
legislators continue pushing the bill, they are digging a big hole
for their political careers.
The lawmakers are Representatives
Edcel Lagman of Albay, Jannette Garin of Iloilo, Narciso Santiago
3rd of the Alliance for Rural Concern party-list, Mark Leandro
Mendoza of Batangas, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel of Akbayan
party-list and Eleandro Madrona of Romblon.
Their intentions are immediately
clear in Section 2 of their committee report under the Declaration
of Policy: “The State upholds and promotes responsible parenthood,
informed choice, birth spacing and respect for life in conformity
with internationally recognized human rights standards.”
“The state shall uphold the
rights of the people, particularly women and their organizations, to
effective and reasonable participation in the formation and
implementation of the declared policy.”
“The policy is anchored on the
rationale that sustainable human development is better assured with
a manageable population of healthy, educated and productive
citizens.”
“The State likewise guarantees
universal access to medically safe, legal, affordable and quality
reproductive health care services, methods, devices, supplies and
relevant information thereon even as it prioritizes the needs of
women and children, among other underprivileged sectors.”
Principles
The legislators have identified
the guiding principles on how these would be implemented if the bill
becomes a law:
• In the promotion of
Reproductive Health, there should be no bias for either modern or
natural methods of family planning.
• Reproductive health goes
beyond a demographic target because it is principally about health
and rights.
• Gender equality and women
empowerment are the central elements of reproductive health and
population development.
• Since manpower is the
principal asset of every country, effective reproductive health care
services must be given primacy to ensure the birth and care of
healthy children and to promote responsible parenting.
• The limited resources of the
country cannot service a burgeoning multitude that makes the
allocations grossly inadequate and effectively meaningless.
• Freedom of informed choice,
which is central to the exercise of any right, must be fully
guaranteed by the State like the right itself.
• While the number and spacing
of children are left to the sound judgment of parents and couples
based on their personal conviction and religious beliefs, such
concerned parents and couples, including unmarried individuals,
should be afforded free and full access to relevant, adequate and
correct information on reproductive health and human sexuality and
should be guided by qualified state workers and professional private
practitioners.
• Reproductive health,
including the promotion of breastfeeding, must be the joint concern
of the national government and local governments.
• Protection and promotion of
gender equality, women empowerment and human rights, including
reproductive health rights, are imperative.
• Development is a
multi-faceted process that calls for the coordination and
integration of policies, plans, programs and projects that seek to
uplift the quality of the life of the people, more particularly the
poor, the needy and the marginalized.
• Active participation by and
thorough consultation should be conducted with concerned
non-government organizations. The participation of people’s
organizations and communities are imperative to ensure that basic
policies, plans, programs and projects address the priority needs of
stakeholders.
• Respect for, protection and
fulfillment of reproductive health rights seek to promote not only
the rights and welfare of adult individuals and couples but those of
adolescents’ and children’s as well.
• While nothing in the bill
changes the law on abortion, as abortion remains a crime and is
punishable, the government shall ensure that women seeking care for
post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a
humane, nonjudgmental and compassionate manner.
Support
Despite strong opposition from
critics, support for the RH Bill is gaining ground.
“The RH bill will save
thousands of lives and widen the choices for women and couples in
spacing their children,” says Arsenio Yulo Jr., president of the
Rafael M. Salas Foundation.
“A nationwide program that
seriously promotes modern and natural family planning methods will
definitely save thousands of lives and will widen the choices for
men and couples in spacing their children,” he adds. “It
deserves to be supported by Congress.”
Similarly, business leaders
belonging to the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP)
have signified its support for the passage of the bill.
“We laud our legislators, who,
in spite of the Catholic Church hierarchy’s blackmailing tactics,
are standing firm in championing the people’s demand for a
comprehensive national population policy,” says ECOP Chairman
Miguel Varela.
“We appeal to the Catholic
Church hierarchy to listen to what the people are saying,” he
points out, adding that surveys “indicate that 94 percent of
married couples want to space pregnancy and 97 percent want the
government to pass legislation and allocate funds for population and
family planning programs.”
“It is a noble move to save the
lives of our people and save our nation from the chronic problems
brought about by increasing population,” says Jude Baggo,
secretary-general of the Cordillera Human Rights Alliance.
Legislators should not be cowed
by the few people, organizations and institutions who advance their
self-interests and irrational reasoning, he says. “We believe
supporters of the bill are on the right track,” he adds.
“Critics of the bill must now
heed the people’s clamor,” says Ramon San Pascual, executive
director of the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and
Development Foundation. “They should allow the legislative process
to take its course and must not resort to lies, threats and
misinformation.”
Rep. Edcel Lagman, the principal
author of the bill, has said in various occasions:
“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.
“Under this bill,
contraceptives and other 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 in an
age-appropriate manner shall be taught by adequately trained
teachers from Grade 5 to fourth-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.
“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, breastfeeding and infant nutrition.
“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 shall respect the
reproductive health rights of all their workers.
Congressman Lagman bewails the
“continuing campaign to discredit the reproductive health bill
through misinformation.”
He claims that his bill is “not
anti-life” and is in fact “pro-quality 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,” he said.
He emphatically denies that the
bill will legalize abortion. “It expressly provides that abortion
remains a crime and that prevention of abortion is essential to
fully implement the Reproductive Health Care Program.”
He stresses that while management
of post-abortion complications is provided in the bill, the aim is
not “to condone abortion but to promote the humane treatment of
women in life-threatening situations.”
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