It's been a subject of debate.. It's been the center of attention of the state and of the church. It's been under the scrutiny of hundreds of mediamen and all kinds of experts. But what really is the Reproductive Health Bill? What does it include? Does it mean improvement for the country as a whole? Or is it just what the church say: a promotion of promiscuity for our youth and going against the Natural Moral Law? Ultimately, what does it mean to the people directly affected by this bill?
A large portion of the Philippine population consists of Roman Catholics and the way most people reacted to the bill is quite predictable. The church cannot be blamed for promoting a "pro- life" policy. I, too, for one, am against abortion and the killing of innocent lives. Initially, I was startled that our legislators would think of legalizing such things. For the sake of a healthy debate, I decided to read the basic proponents of the new law so I know what I'm talking about.
I am not an expert on the law and the constitution and I can't understand most of the jargon. Upon reading the guiding principles and the highlights of the bill, what I understood was that this law does not mandate that a couple use a certain form of contraception. In fact, as per what I understand, under this law a couple will only be educated on the different types of contraception. They still have the freewill to decide whether to use the natural or artificial forms of family planning. This law does not legalize abortion as far as I have read. I understand there are medical experts that will say that some artificial forms of contraception are abortifacient and is not that effective. The same can be said for the natural forms, so where are couples who want to plan their family size to go? The RH bill only indicates that the government, through its different channels, should exert more effort to educate the people on family planning.
With regards to the Mandatory Age-Appropriate Reproductive Health Education section of the bill, I completely agree that our education system should also be used for this endeavor. Proper education dispels our children's curiosity and it's totally alright if our teachers are trained to educate our youth about sex, its consequences, and all related topics. I believe this will decrease the number of teen pregnancies and consequently, abortion.
The bill only urges people to become responsible parents. Sure, it can also be a means to control the Philippines' booming population. I understand the church's doctrine is to "go forth and mulitply," but isn't it a bigger sin to bear a child only to give it suffering and anguish because it has not been planned and a person has no means to give the child a safe environment and all its needs?
The Reproductive Health Bill only aims to inform the people and increase awareness on the different ways to become responsible parents by planning the family size according to the family's resources, and to let people know how to take care of their reproductive health. It does not inhibit the bearing of an offspring. It only promotes knowledge and proper education. I salute the authors of this new law. Come to think of it, we don't really need a law for this. As responsible people we should take initiative to inform ourselves and give our families the good life we wish for them.
knowledge is a powerful and potent force in helping curb or manage population growth. we should always remember though that such a force should always be used for good and not for evil or for the death of the innocent like the unborn.
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