The Reproductive Health Bills, popularly
known as the RH Bills, are
Philippine bills aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and
information on birth control and maternal care. The bills have become the
center of a contentious national debate. There are presently two bills with the
same goals: House Bill No. 4244 or An
Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood,
Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and For Other Purposes
introduced by Albay 1st district Representative Edcel Lagman, and Senate Bill
No. 2378 or An Act Providing For a
National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development
introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. While there is general agreement
about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its
key proposal that the Philippine government and the private sector will fund
and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as
condoms, birth control pills (BCPs) and IUDs, as the government continues to
disseminate information on their use through all health care centers. The bill
is highly divisive, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major
political figures supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government
and each other in the process. Debates and rallies for and against the bill,
with tens of thousands participating particularly those held by the opposition,
have been happening all over the country.
One of
the main concerns of the bill, according to the Explanatory Note, is that the
population of the Philippines makes it “the 12th most populous nation in the
world today”, that the Filipino women’s fertility rate is “at the upper bracket
of 206 countries.” It states that studies and surveys “show that the Filipinos
are responsive to having smaller-sized families through free choice of family
planning methods.” It also refers to studies which “show that rapid population
growth exacerbates poverty while poverty spawns rapid population growth.” And
so it aims for improved quality of life through a “consistent and coherent
national population policy.
The
Church and the State
The
majority of Filipinos are in favor of family planning. The Church teaches the
necessity of responsible parenthood and correct family planning (one child at a
time depending on one's circumstances), while at the same time teaching that
large families are a sign of God's blessings. It teaches that modern natural
family planning, a method of fertility awareness, is in accord with God's
design, as couples give themselves to each other as they are. The RH bill
intends to help couples to have government funded access to artificial
contraception methods as well. Just recently, President Benigno Aquino III, who
delivered his State of the Nation Address before the Congress, has implied
support for responsible parenthood although not necessarily the RH bill. Such a
statement however puts Aquino at odds with the Catholic Church, which has
staunchly opposed passage of the RH bill. Church said proposals to make sex
education and modern contraception options available are against its teachings.
Opponents of the bill have also said the proposed RH bill will legalize
abortion, which it does not.
Personal
Stand
Personally, I support the RH
Bills of the main purpose if its implementation is for the betterment of our
economy as well as to promote responsible parenthood. We can’t deny it,
statistics shows that rapid population growth and high fertility rate,
especially among the poor, exacerbates poverty – and with the poor prognosis of
our country’s economy, what kind of future can we give to the next generation.
If we can’t assure to provide a decent future for the unborn, then better
prevent the conception. Preventing life rather than raising a wasted one is better.
Preventing is not abortion; it is not murder nor considered a crime...
Each
one of us has a role to play, not just the government, not just the church, but
all of us including ourselves as individual citizens. The government, although
they have been recipients of countless criticisms about RH bills, we can’t
solely blame them, probably because we leave them no choice but to mandatorily
promote responsible parenthood. Long before the RH Bill was proposed, Family-planning
program already exist in health centers and seminar about it is one of the
requirements before legal marriage, but then again, what happened? Population
still continues to rise. Are we even responsible to secure these children’s
future, feed them well and send them to school, for a few maybe yes – for the
lucky ones that were carefully planned but how about these children roaming in
the streets, begging, involving in child labor and worst – some in up in
prostitution and illegal jobs – They too deserve a good future. The Church
keeps on opposing… Can they provide future for these children? Or better yet,
Can Tradition provide future for these children? “Go and multiply” is one of
their stands. Can it be at least “Go and multiply responsibly”? Come on church,
if what you’re teaching to your people were internalized by heart, then we
don’t need the RH Bill – there would be no PMS and parents would be responsible
enough to raise a secured life of their children. Church, you need to do
something, something productive rather than opposing for change, walk the talk
and don’t just make your people become ritualistic, something that would result
to change of behaviors – responsible parents that would raise responsible
teenagers. If Sex Education should be taught at an early age, it should start
primarily at home and it should be taught by parents grounded to Christian
values, as Philippines claimed to be a Christian Nation. Should Sex Education
be taught at school, emphasis on Abstinence should be promoted and encouraged.
I still believe that sex is sacred – a submission of oneself to the individual
whom you truly love and spend the rest of your life with, God designed it that
way… not casual as commonly depicted by media. Any malicious disinformation may
lead one to become promiscuous. That is why understanding should be carefully
assessed.
To
the government, yes, I may be a Pro-RH Bills but that doesn’t mean I agree with
all the terms enlisted in the bills. Its structure is quite vague and it
doesn’t give a clear picture what the bill really intends to do. Say for
example, the bill states that “abortion remains a crime and is punishable by
law” yet on the later part, it also declares “the government shall ensure that
all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and
counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner” Isn’t that
tolerating abortion? Where is then the “punishable by law?” So which is really
which? The latter is obviously a contradictory to the prior statement. The bill
lacks appropriateness and prudence. Probably if they’ll revise it a little bit
and make a consistent structure out of it, then maybe, it may become more
acceptable to the society.
Lastly
to us citizens: parents, teenagers and socially aware individuals, let us be responsible
for ourselves. We can’t keep blaming the government and other entities whenever
something wrong happens, the government nor the church, is not responsible to
look after us but rather to work hand in hand with us. We are the ones
responsible for ourselves. Oftentimes we complain but for once, have we asked
ourselves? Have we done our part? Again, if we did, then what the RH Bills is
for, why do we see children roaming in the streets by irresponsible parents and
why is there an increasing rate of teenage pregnancies, HiV positives and cases
of abortions? When we go to church on Sundays, do we really learn from the
sermon or we simply just hear and forget about it? Do we only go to church for
the sake of tradition? Everything we heard from the church is necessary,
otherwise they wouldn’t be preached. They are essentials so we shouldn’t take
it for granted; we should learn it by heart and be reflected in our lifestyle.
For the Filipino Families, gone are the days of the perennials. You’re now
living in the new era, so stop thinking about that talking about sex at home is
considered taboo. You need to do something, you need to be open-minded. The
media is so rampant about liberated lifestyle and you need to keep up with it;
you should be the primary source of sex education before your children get the
wrong idea and be misinformed. It should be integrated with morality and
Christian values so in the long run; they would be responsible teenagers and
practice responsible parenthood like you do. Another thing, sex is the right of
married couples, no one is against
that but both couples should be responsible in engaging in such activity – plan
birth spacing and the number of children you are capable to raise, in which you
think you could secure a good future and provide sufficient needs and not just
a baby-making factory of futureless children. To the teenagers, I’m sorry to
say but reality is you’re becoming impulsive and immature – you dive in sexual
acts without even thinking about the outcome and the consequences and later on
you regret, but it’s too late already, you’ve thrown away the future you
should’ve enjoyed in exchange for a moment of pleasure. My piece of advice:
think and re-think for the best outcome and not a life of suffering…
Until
then, arguing can lead to nothing until each and every one, may it be the
government, the church and us, the people - will stop talking and start doing
something that could contribute to our progress as a nation. After all RH Bills
are just RH Bills, like any other mandates. What matters is the responsibility
and discipline of each and every one of us.
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