Catholic Church and the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines

 

There is currently a fiery issue against the passing of the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines with a massive and intensive misinformation campaign  led by the so called catholic Church and worse, this church even threatens the President of the Philippines of excommunication should he support and move forward with the bill.

Such arrogant and presumptuous people and they call themselves servants of God. Shame.

It took me a long time to post this blog, it lingered in my draft box for a while and I was actually contemplating on hitting the delete button because others might find the content offensive. Nonetheless, I decided to post it.  Well, this is my blog, this is my opinion, this is my take on this issue.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . srm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

First off…

I am not a mother… YET, but my husband and I are working on that. I desperately want to get pregnant and have kids.

I never used artificial contraceptive measures to NOT to get pregnant.

I’d be using fertility pills later on to boost my chances of conception.

I am not pro Noynoy Aquino.  In fact, I go for Gordon. 

I am NOT morally righteous.  I have my own demons and I have made and might still make mistakes. 

I am NO catholic and I don’t want to be one, and I’m good with it.

I am agnostic and I abhor religious hypocrisy. 

I am upset,  I am angry,  I am annoyed and irritated with the Philippine catholic church as it is once again meddling with the Philippine government’s program specifically the passing of reproductive health bill that aim to curb rapid population growth in the country. 

I need to make a stand, now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . srm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

So here goes…

I believe in responsible parenthood.  That parents has to look after their own welfare, the welfare of their offspring and their future offspring and that they should raise them to become better and responsible human beings.

I believe in the reproductive rights for both genders.  That couples have the right to plan their family, to choose and decide when to have and how many child/children  they would want to have base on their capability to raise them.  And that they have the right to information on and access to safe and quality family planning methods, both natural and artificial, in order to be able to do so.

I believe that I have all the rights to exhaust all possibilities in order for me to get pregnant.  And if the catholic church or anyone condemns the use of fertility pills or invitro fertilization in order to have a baby because it is NOT NATURAL, I don’t give a damn.

I believe that women have the right to access adequate and quality reproductive health care and so is her offspring.

I believe that every single living thing in this world has the right to live AND that every child has the right to be born AND has the right to a QUALITY of life. 

I believe that killing is a crime, and that abortion = killing = murder = crime = EVIL.

I believe that public discussion regarding issues concerning the country and its citizens, similar to the RH bill, is healthy and proper and it is the right of any individual and organization to air their own opinion/s, positive or negative,  even their grievances should there be any- that’s one way of exercising our freedom of speech. BUT when someone has to bully and resort to influence and power to gain the others’ side, i.e. catholic church excommunicating “the PRESIDENT’ if he approves of the RH bill, is oppressive and tyrannical.

I believe that customs, laws and policies to be made and implemented in any organization, community, and country has to be based on the new order of NOW and not because it was observed and practiced in the olden days or as mentioned in the Bible (?).

I believe in free will and that I and every individual has a right to a choice/choices as long as I or the individual doesn’t put another human being, another living being, or anything in jeopardy.

I believe in the existence of ONE Supreme Being who gave us free will and equipped us with functional brains to be able to think, process information, and decide for our own well-being and the well being of others.

I believe in one governing rule in this universe “DO UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WANT OTHERS DO UNTO YOU” and nothing more.

And anyone/anything that impugns my belief, misinforms me about anything and everything,  AND denies me or anyone of my/their rights, is EVIL.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . srm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

To the Philippine catholic church…

Let me remind the bishops that the State and the church are separated. And that the catholic church or any other religious organization have no business meddling with the affairs of the government especially hindering them to do their job on matters/efforts of promoting public well-being unless you have a better suggestion on how the officials should govern this country. Your (to the catholic church) 500 years of evil reign in the country in the guise of spirituality and religion had already ended and don’t you dare try to be Padre Damaso again because the Filipinos now are NO idiots to tolerate catholic church hypocrisies, arrogance, wickedness, notoriety and abusiveness.

Let me remind that catholic church does not represent all religion in the Philippines and the CBCP (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines) does not represent the views of all Filipino catholics and thereby you have no right to represent them, decide for them, and misinform and mislead them.

Your views, stand and opinion in opposition to the reproductive health bill is backward, barbaric, bias, and baseless. And why is that? Because your concept on what’s wrong and what’s right about contraceptive methods were drawn from ancient practices and laws made during the times when the population of sheep are greater than that of men; when it is morally acceptable to impregnate your brother’s wife and be humiliated and killed because of spilled semen.   You can view this site   http://www.catholic.com/library/Birth_Control.asp .

“Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as “natural law.” The natural law purpose of sex is procreation. The pleasure that sexual intercourse provides is an additional blessing from God, intended to offer the possibility of new life while strengthening the bond of intimacy, respect, and love between husband and wife. The loving environment this bond creates is the perfect setting for nurturing children. “

“But sexual pleasure within marriage becomes unnatural, and even harmful to the spouses, when it is used in a way that deliberately excludes the basic purpose of sex, which is procreation. God’s gift of the sex act, along with its pleasure and intimacy, must not be abused by deliberately frustrating its natural end—procreation.”

“The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus, was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one’s dead brother. “Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.’ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him also” (Gen. 38:8–10). “ 

“The biblical penalty for not giving your brother’s widow children was public humiliation, not death (Deut. 25:7–10). But Onan received death as punishment for his crime. This means his crime was more than simply not fulfilling the duty of a brother-in-law. He lost his life because he violated natural law, as Jewish and Christian commentators have always understood. For this reason, certain forms of contraception have historically been known as “Onanism,” after the man who practiced it,”

Let me also remind you of the social realities in the Philippines.  These realities are not only prevalent in the urban but also in the rural areas.  Aside from prayers, what can you suggest we do about these problems:

1) Parents/couples, specially the impoverished ones, bearing children they cannot afford;   

whose babies / children suffer from malnutrition and illnesses because they have no money to buy them food for proper nourishment;

who cannot provide their children with basic clothing much more send them to school; who cannot provide their kids with shelter, allowing them sleep and live on the streets; 

As of  July 2010  the population of the Philippines is 97,976,603 making it to the top 11 most populated countries in the world,  along with China, India, mexico, USA and others. This is due to our high birth rate which is a whopping 26.1 births per 1000 population  in contrast with 8 deaths per 1000 population

2) women dying from childbirth and their newborns too due to lack of access to quality health care;

3) children who are forced to work at an early age, worse who become criminals or prostitutes because they have no alternatives to live

Most of these are due to unplanned, unintended and unwanted pregnancies.  We are talking about children here who have the right to be given a decent life but are forced to accept such an abject existence because fate has brought this on them. Because there parents are not responsible enough to think about their welfare. Should they have a choice, would they want to come out in this world and live that kind of life?

What about other social problems that are the result of a large and rapidly growing population? 

the domino effect of Large population is ……

4) High criminal rates.  Do I need to expound on this matter?

5) Degradation of the environment due to population explosion. Forests converted to agricultural land in order to make food.  Agricultural lands converted to residential areas in order to provide shelter for the rapidly growing population.

6) hunger because supply of food can no longer cope up with the rapid increase of population. (because there are no longer agricultural lands, see # 5)

7)  promiscuity, infidelity, unsafe sex, and spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Promiscuity, adultery, infidelity pertains to negative human behavior and may have or may have nothing to do with the use of contraceptive measures (it’s similar to the chicken and egg issue).  But is has much to do with the churches’ moral obligation to its parishioners. It is the church’s moral obligation to the community, to make each and everyone be a better and responsible person who respects other beings- living or not – to be responsible parents, to be responsible children, to be responsible human beings.  The church must teach it’s parishioners not to be promiscuous, not to commit adultery, not to rape, not to be arrogant, not to kill.  With the current social reality in the Philippines, I therefore conclude that the church has failed in its moral obligation.  So please, stop blaming the condoms and the contraceptive pills.

 

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . srm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 

“The Philippine Reproductive Health Bill”

Below is the coverage of the controversial RH bill – “The Philippine Reproductive Health Bill”. This bill seeks to provide adequate funding in order to improve the government’s reproductive health care services nationwide so that families can have a better access to correct information and quality family planning methods.  It promotes both natural and artificial ways and it still regard abortion as a CRIME. 

You can read the full text at http://dirp3.pids.gov.ph/population/documents/HB4110.pdf

(1) Information and access to natural and modern family planning

(2) Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition

(3) Promotion of breast feeding

(4) Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications

(5) Adolescent and youth health

(6) Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STDs

(7) Elimination of violence against women

(8) Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health

(9) Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers 

(10) Male involvement and participation in RH;

(11) Prevention and treatment of infertility

(12) RH education for the youth.

We have to understand that programs like controlling population growth is just one way of alleviating poverty and it may not totally eradicate it, BUT at least lives of those affected will be improved.  Poverty is like a disease with lots of root causes, and that we need to cure each cause one at a time in order to provide even a bit of relief to the patient, if not to totally cure it.  And in each cure there are also a few risks we have to take that’s why patients need to be informed of all their options, the risks, the effects, etc.  that’s why programs such us those relative to reproductive health must come with proper public education.  Both men and women alike should be educated  and properly  informed about all the family planning methods available and its effect/s on them so that they can make better decisions for themselves and for their family as to what methods are appropriate for them.

Proper birth control methods, natural or artificial, aim not only to curb population explosion,  it also promotes good health and better life not only for the couple but also and most specially to the mothers, their children, their future children and their children’s future children.  Also, the RH bill is not only about birth controls, it also seeks to provide quality health care to women who wants to be mothers, mothers, and their children.

 The Catholic church preaches (I assume) the importance of responsible parenthood, that parents need to take care of their children, to give them a good quality life so that they will grow up to be better citizens.  And by refusing this bill to be passed the church is denying the Filipino couples, children and families this right-the right to a better life.

Again, let us be reminded that the church (not only the catholic’s) and state are separated and that the reign of the catholic church and the Evil Padre DAMASOs are over.  Do we have to go through it all over again?  Have we not learned our lesson that nothing happened to our country for 500 yrs when we let this religion rule in our country?

God created us to have higher intelligence and emotions than other animals on earth and He gave us the free will in order for us to know and choose what is right and best for ourselves, for our family, for our society and for our environment, without being dictated by anyone including the so called self-declared moralist. 

It’s your life, it’s your decision to make. Make your own stand. I just did.

– Sharosem (10October2010).