Big Deal on the RH Bill

     I am a devoted Roman Catholic and I am for the Philippine’s Reproduction Health Bill more popularly known as the RHbill.  I believe in my heart that one can be both a good Catholic Christian while promoting family planning.  In my opinion, one cannot be regarded as unchristian just because of a certain choice that one he/she undertakes to improve the quality of life.  I choose to side for the bill because of how obviously population explosion contributes largely to poverty among Filipinos.  Poverty could become a breeding ground for anything evil.

     Consider this, when an average family has more than enough children than the breadwinner can afford to feed, the most next likely thing to happen is hunger, illiteracy and the worst, crime.  Let’s face it, every family has its own capability to raise a family depending on its financial capacity. Such that what is true to one family, may not hold true to the other. One family may be able to raise four children while another can only be able to raise only two depending on the situation. Raising children does not only limit to putting food on the table. It goes beyond as giving time and resources to raise him well as giving him a decent shelter provide for his/her education and giving him a quality time so, the children grow to be responsible and upright productive adults.

     Reproductive health bill is about reproductive care which ensures the complete well-being of the reproductive system from its functions down to its processes. Our body is not a manufacturing machine where babies come and go. Though one goal of building a family through marriage is to pro- create, the bill helps to ensure that  married couple have the freedom to decide when and how often to do so as long as they have done nothing against the law. RH bill specifically does not support abortion and that doing so remains a crime punishable by law.

     Likewise, worth commendable to the RHbill is the birthing services to solve maternal deaths whose proponents covers a wide range of concerns related to mothers who are in fact seems to be the most to benefit from the bill.  It covers the following: a)Information and access to natural and modern form of family planning; b)Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition; c) Promotion of breast feeding; d) Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications; e) Adolescent and youth health; f)Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STDs; g)Elimination of violence against women; h) Counseling on sexuality and sexual reproduction health; I) Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers; j) Male involvement and participation in RH; k) Prevention and treatment of infertility and; l)RH education for the youth.  It is sad to know how many maternal deaths in the past could have been prevented had more Filipino women have access to reproductive health care and information. It’s quite alarming that 32% maternal deaths could have been reduced or altogether prevented had family planning been observed as 11 maternal deaths occurs daily in the Philippines while giving birth.

     As a mother of two boys ages 11 and 12, I wouldn’t mind my kids getting proper sexual education in school than them getting them from their peers who might give them the wrong information.  Come to think of it, what is taboo in the olden days cannot anymore be applied in this changing world. Children are naturally inquisitive, so much so, that rather than them asking questions relating to sex and sexuality from persons not in authority, might as well tell or educate them in a manner appropriate to their age.

     The passing of the RHbill continues to be the center of so many debates. Philippines is a free country, so, the argument continues as long as it lasts.  Meanwhile, I will continue to support the bill as I have personally witness from my own community how a once otherwise healthy woman turned into a living cadaver of a slave by an irresponsible jobless husband who got her pregnant successively one year after the other.

     The same holds true with another community couple who seems to enjoy bearing children inspite of poverty and witnessing and not minding their children grow up lacking even the basic manners that eventually make them a menace to society.

The Reproductive Health Bill is about responsible parenthood.

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A Glimpse on Reproductive Health 5043

            So what is RH bill or Reproductive Health? Does it really help in the economy? What is so important about it, and why is it so hot items today? These are just a simple question coming from people who never really care about the issue.  But as I weigh down the differences coming from the arguments of many people who are concern about it, I began to think that this bill also includes all of us and the future of our children. (Though I still don’t have one) and that’s just another advantage of being single. Anyway let’s focus on the issue. Before I am going to give my own perception let us take a look at the proponent of these highly acclaimed “teleserye like” controversial bills. According to Riza Hontiveros this bill is simply for responsible parenthood. And according to her this are the following guidelines:

1.    freedom of choice with no bias for either modern or natural method of family planning;

2.    it is about health and rights, not demographics;

3.    individuals are provided free, full access to relevant, adequate and correct information on reproductive health and human sexuality by the State and professional private practitioners;

4.    gender equality and women empowerment and their protection, promotion and guarantee are central elements;

5.    aims to ensure birth and care of healthy children;

6.    promotes responsible parenting;

7.    Promotes breastfeeding through joint effort between local government and national government.

8.    Abortion remains a crime and is punishable by law *but* post abortion complications shall be treated, counselled in a humane, non-judgemental and compassionate manner.

9.    respect for, protection and fulfilment of reproductive health rights of children to adults are guaranteed

10. aims to uplift the quality of life of people, especially the poor, the needy and marginalized;

11. aims to seek active participation of government and non government organization;

12. The RH Bill does not legalize Abortion.

13. aims active participation between government, non government and people's organizations and communities

Now let us compare it to the opposing parties and what they perceive about this bill. This time the Catholic Bishop Conference stands: On this matter of proposed RH bills, these are our firm convictions:

1.    We are deeply concerned about the plight of the many poor, especially of suffering women, who are struggling for a better life and who must seek it outside of our country, or have recourse to a livelihood less than decent.

2.    We are pro-life. We must defend human life from the moment of conception or fertilization up to its natural end.

3.    We believe in the responsible and natural regulation of births through Natural Family Planning for which character building is necessary which involves sacrifice, discipline and respect for the dignity of the spouse.

4.    We believe that we are only stewards of our own bodies. Responsibility over our own bodies must follow the will of God who speaks to us through conscience.

5.    We hold that on the choices related to the RH bill, conscience must not only be informed but most of all rightly guided through the teachings of one’s faith.

6.    We believe in the freedom of religion and the right of conscientious objection in matters that are contrary to one’s faith. The sanctions and penalties embodied in the proposed RH bill are one more reason for us to denounce it.

CEBU CITY – President Benigno Aquino III’s pronouncement that he will fight for the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill was music to the ears of pro-choice advocates, but it angered pro-life groups who now rate the President’s credibility “below zero. So I hope the following proponents of both parties may have given an idea if you are going to oppose the bill or allow it to happen.     

       As I weigh down both sides of the coin and understand how and why this bill has an undying urge to the public this health bill is brought about the needs of the people and what it can do the possibility and changes may be present, I believe it is the same with the death penalty.  So I have made my own conclusion. What we need is neither the RH bill nor the oppositions of anyone but to resurrect the ever declining value, righteousness and morality that come from God written in Matthew 6:31 seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. 

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Legislating Our Sex Lives

The poor are always at a disadvantage all the time, even in matters of planning their own families!  Middle-class families and the rich can easily access family planning methods, but the poor can't. They just don't have the money to pay to their doctors or to buy those contraceptives.  And they should be the people our health workers should reach - the ones who have the most at stake on this.  I know the government should not legislate our sex lives, but the sight of so much poor struggling, just because they have 5, 6 7, or more children, should be enough for the government to step in and educate them in family planning methods - whether those are sanctioned by the Church or not.  The Church can do their own sex education and the state can do its share - and the couple should be left alone to decide for themselves. We are a democratic country after all!

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