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REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL IN THE PHILIPPINES

There are 6 bills pertaining to reproductive health and/or population management that have
been filed for deliberation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate for the
15th Congress.

The most controversial of these bills is House Bill No. 96 authored by Rep. Edcel Lagman.
House Bill No. 96, also known as the proposed "Reproductive Health and Population and
Development Act of 2010," will cover the following areas:
• midwives of skilled attendance
• emergency obstetric care
• access to family planning
• maternal death review
• family planning supplies as essential medicines
• benefits for serious and life-threatening reproductive health conditions
• mobile health care service
• mandatory age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education
• responsibility of local family planning office and certificate of compliance
• capability building of barangay health workers
• ideal family size
• employers' responsibilities
• multi-media campaign
• implementing mechanisms
• reporting requirements
• prohibited acts
• penalties

The bill is controversial, as it is being opposed by concerned citizens, especially the pro-life,
pro-family and pro-God groups, regardless of creed or religion. The Roman Catholic Church
expresses its opposition against the bill on many counts, most especially the procurement and
distribution of family planning supplies for the whole country, when the available evidence
from peer reviewed medical journals supports the hypothesis that when ovulation and
fertilization occur in women taking oral contraceptives (OCs) or using intrauterine devices
(IUD), post-fertilization effects are operative on occasion to prevent clinically recognized
pregnancy. Hormonal contraceptives and/or IUDs directly affect the endometrium. These
effects have been presumed to render the endometrium relatively inhospitable to implantation
or to the maintenance of the preembryo or embryo prior to clinically recognized pregnancy.
These make pills and IUDS abortifacient.

Pro-life groups, and many professionals in the medical and nursing fields, believe that
physicians and policy makers should understand and respect the beliefs of patients who
consider human life to be present and valuable from the moment of fertilization. Patients
should be made fully aware of this information so that they can consent to or refuse the use of
artificial contraceptives.

However, the position of the Catholic Church and the pro-life groups does not mean that they
espouse the attitude of "natalism" at all costs, as if the "number" of children, in itself, were
the unmistakable sign of authentic christian matrimonial life.

The sexual act, properly exercised within marriage only, is ordained primarily to the
propagation of life. If there are reasonable motives for spacing births, such as serious medical
conditions in the mother, or extreme poverty, then the Catholic Church teaches that married
couples may take advantage of the natural cycles of the reproductive system and use their
marriage precisely those times that are infertile (natural family planning).

Other aspects of the bill being contested by concerned citizens include the classification of
family planning supplies as essential medicines when their safety/toxicity profile and legal
permissibility are questionable. At the same time, more importance should be given to the
prevalent diseases, the top ten leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines,
namely, infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis. Financial resources allotted by foreign
donors to assist the Philippine government programs could actually be better spent towards
pursuing health programs targeting communicable diseases than purchasing artificial
contraceptives.

Very pertinent to the debate about reproduction rights is the right to life. The Philippine
Constitution says that the State "shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the
unborn from conception. If artificial contraceptives are medically proven to induce abortion as
one of their mechanisms of action, then procurement and distribution of such family planning
supplies are unconstitutional and illegal.

The RH Bill (Filipino Version)


“Humayo kayo’t magpakarami.” Ito ang mga salitang binitawan ng Diyos nang nilikha Niya ang
mundo at ang tao. Kung sa tutuusin, tunay nga nating nagampanan ito. Tignan mo nga naman
ang ating bansa ngayon na punong puno na ng tao at sinasabi pa nilang “overpopulated” na. Ano
nga ba ang ibigsabihin ng Diyos nang sinabi niya ang mga salitang iyan? Ito ba ay isang trabaho,
kautusan, o regalo? “Humayo kayo’t magpakarami.”

Nang nahalal bilang bagong presidente si Ginoong Noynoy Aquino, maraming tao ang muling
nakakita ng pag-asa at liwanag upang mabuhay ang bansa nating “namatay.” Naniniwala silang sa
pamamagitan ni President Noynoy Aquino at sa mga ipapatupad niyang gawain ay muling
babangon ang Pilipinas. Isa sa mga ito ay ang pagiging aktibo ng House Bill # 5043, Reproductive
Health and Population Development Act of 2008, o mas kilala sa tawag na RH Bill. Ano nga ba
ang RH Bill? Bakit maraming tao ang sumasang-ayon dito? Bakit marami rin ang hindi? Ang RH
Bill ay isang kautusang pinag-iisipan pang ipatupad sa pamahalaan. Sinasaad dito ang awtoridad
ng media upang ipatalastas sa publiko ang pag-gamit ng contraceptives at birth controllers.
Ngunit bakit lumaki ng husto ang issue tungkol dito? Bakit pag shampoo, sabon, pagkain, o damit
ang inilalabas ng media sa publiko ay hindi naman lumalaki ang usapan? Dito pumapasok ang
konsepto ng Simbahan. Naniniwala ang Simbahan na ginawa ng Diyos ang katawan ng tao para
sa pagpaparami at hindi para sa sarap. Naniniwala rin sila na ang katawan ng tao ang siyang
templo ng Diyos. Kung saka-sakaling ipatupad ang RH Bill, marami ang gagamit nito at patuloy
lang nilang babastusin ang templo ng Diyos.

Sa panahon ngayon, napakamodernisado na ng halos lahat sa mundo. Kasama na rito ang utak at
pagiisip ng isang tao. Minsan, sa sobrang kahirapan at dami ng problema, hindi naiiwasan ng tao
na gumawa ng isang bagay na hindi maganda. At ito ang punto na gustong ipalabas ng gobyerno
sa pagiging aktibo ng RH Bill. Maraming kabataan ang nabubuntis ngayon, at kahit sabihin
nating “Kasalanan na nila iyon”, ay wala pa ring magbabago. Isa pa ay ang mga kababaihang
nabubuntis na hindi naman nila ginusto tulad ng mga kadahilanang napagsamantalahan at
naharas.

Kung kayo ang tatanungin ko, payag ba kayo sa pagpapatupad ng RH bill na siyang tutulong satin
na umurong ang dami ng populasyon at gayun na din sa kahirapan, o hindi dahil naniniwala
kayong Diyos pa rin ang masusunod at hindi natin siya nararapat na bastusin?

Sa dulo ng usapan, ang salitang “responsibilidad” pa rin ang siyang magbibigay ng kasagutan
satin. Huwag tayong umasa sa kanila. Mayroon tayong utak na bigay satin ng Diyos at karapatan
na bigay ng pamahalaan upang madesisyon sa ating mga sarili.

The Reproductive Health Bill (RH) seems to be very popular among Filipino. A poll
this week showed that 69% of those surveyed were in favor of the bill. Is it just me,
or does anyone else find humor in that number?
Birth Control In The Philippines
I’m a little surprised that it is so high. Even more surprising only 7% were actually
against the bill.

23% were unsure. That is an amazing number in a country that is strongly catholic
since the Catholic church is strongly opposed to the bill. It isn’t just the Catholic
church either.

Once, I was walking past a protestant church near my home. I heard the preacher
warning how it would lead to abortion in the Philippines. That has been a major
position of those opposed to it. Another major position is that there are health
dangers related to many birth control measures.
From my education on such matters, yes there are dangers from many forms of birth
controls but those dangers are still less than the risk of pregnancy.

This is a hot political issue in the Philippines. If you’ve been following me for long,
you probably already know that foreigners are not allowed to partake in political
debate. So once again, I must refrain from giving my opinion.

It is surprising that many are not following what the position taken by the church.
This may signal some kind of major change within Filipino society. It would take a
sociologist to really get into that. I find it very interesting.

I have been observing this debate for a couple of years now. The new president of
the Philippines is very supportive of the bill.

Just when it seemed to have faded away, the President Aquino spoke out to support
it. The church had asked him to come out against it in his first State of The Republic
address but he didn’t mention it at all. Instead, he spoke mostly of graft.

A couple of months later, he made his position known in a way that it would get as
much attention as he could get from it.

From what I’ve read, the bill is expected to pass the Philippine senate with little
trouble but the house will be more of an issue. The opponents are using every
weapon they have to keep it from ever getting out of committee. Personally, I don’t
think they will be able to do that.

Even if they do, I would be surprised if the president didn’t later issue
a proclamation to make his version of the RH law. It would be challenged in the
courts. I have no idea what the outcome of that would be. Other than, while the
challenge was ongoing, the law would be in effect.

The bill will provide education on birth control measures but it will also provide birth
control products for the poor.

Living in the Philippines for three years, not really a huge amount of time, I’ve
already seen a lot of pain caused from ill-timed pregnancies. I have observed a
densely populated country where wildlife is far below levels that I was use to in the
Southern USA. I think the dense population and pollution are major reasons. Of
course, the dense population along with poverty greatly increase the pollution.
The urge to “reproduce” is very strong in humans. At some point, most of us just
can’t take it any more. I think people need love and they are going to seek to
express that in the most intimate of ways they find enjoyable. I just haven’t seen
not having birth control stopping many people from enjoying their bonds.

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