After the birth of the controversial RH Bill, Catholic moralists nationwide were quick to express their belief that birth control is, well, a sin. According to the Bible, God wanted us to multiply, and to multiply the moralists think we should. Not only do they find contraceptives offensive, some of the (more prudish) moralists are also horrified to learn of the proposed plan to put sex education classes in school. It is safe to say that they are con RH Bill because of their religious beliefs. But then again, why don't other Catholics see contraceptives as a one-way ticket to hell?
I was born to Catholic parents and was raised Catholic. I studied in esteemed Catholic institutions, where I learned to read ( . . . some parts of) the Bible and learned how to participate in Mass. As soon I was old enough and socially-conscious enough to know about contraceptives, I knew that some fellow Catholics believe that contraceptives are instruments of murder. Oddly, I never saw it like that. I deemed condoms and the pill and the diaphragm as inventive and effective ways to prevent unwanted pregnancies, especially to those who do not believe in abstinence or sex until marriage – which, you know, is pretty much 70 percent of the population.
Most teenagers today are sexually active. This is where sex education and contraceptives come in handy. Imagine if teenagers, with their crazy raging hormones, were to experiment with sex without proper knowledge or birth control. Imagine how many young girls would fall victim to teenage pregnancies. Didn't Jose Rizal say that today's youth are tomorrow's leaders? So what happens if tomorrow's leaders are knocked up and/or taking care of their spawns? What happens to the future of our country?
Say a fourteen-year-old girl experiences something similar to lust. Her hormones are raging and she's feeling butterflies inside her tummy whenever the older, more experienced college boy she's crushing on so much as smiles at her. The college boy notices how the girl's behaving. He entertains ideas about hooking up with her. She knows nothing about sex, considering her parents are too conservative and too awkward to discuss the birds and the bees to her. College boy takes advantage of the naïve girl. She gets pregnant and is labeled a slut by others, when in truth she was merely uninformed. It's a picture that probably happens everyday in our country.
Sex education is designed to inform the youth of the technicalities and consequences of sex – what should happen if they decide to seal the deal, so to speak. Learning about the various sexually transmitted diseases contraceptives such as condoms avert, youths would be taught to approach sex more cautiously and to be responsible enough to use birth control.
The aim of the RH Bill is to lessen the birth rate in the Philippines. Apparently, our country is the twelfth most overpopulated nation in the globe. Family planning is one of the most simplest ways to curb the ever-growing problem regarding overpopulation. Some moralists would argue that God wants us to multiply. But seeing as the earth's natural resources are rapidly diminishing as the birth rates shoot up, I do not think God wants us to live in a world where food is scarce. Earth is fast losing the capability to feed its inhabitants. At this rate, years from now – if babies continue to keep popping out of their mothers' wombs at an alarming pace – the number of humans would become much higher than the number of food. This could cause people to fight and scavenge for goods. Instead of living in an ideal Eden, we'd be living in a dystopian world where war and murder are everyday occurrences. Eventually, our earth's resources would disappear entirely, leaving mankind starving to death – literally.
I think, if there really is a God out there, He would rather have us use birth control than to be denied basic necessities such as food. I think that He wouldn't want us to starve, all in the name of “multiplying.”
There is nothing wrong with being educated about the perils and aftermaths of sex. And there certainly is nothing wrong with having a choice. If I wanted to use birth control, then I am damn well going to use birth control. It is my body and it is my choice and it is my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment