In 1998, when former President Fidel V. Ramos issued Administrative Order 308 entitled "Adoption of a National Computerized Identification Reference System", the Filipino nation was divided on their differing opinions and took the two opposing sides: some said "Yes"with the "thumbs-up" sign signifying approval and support to the order yet some said "No" and protested against its implementation. And so, the Supreme Court shot it down for reasons that accordingly, it violated the right to privacy and freedom of movement. That was a clear example of "the end cannot be justified by its means."
When former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared martial law following the gruesome massacre of 57 civilians in Maguindanao on November 2009, the Filipino nation was once again divided with their opposing views on the constitutionality of the declaration. But, wether the declaration was constitutional or not, the clear truth was already there undeniable, that 57 civilians were brutally killed defenseless and their murderers need to bring to justice.
Again, another concern strikes the nation divided by very a controversial issue as the Congress is trying to enact House Bill No. 96, also known as the proposed "Reproductive Health and Population and Development Act of 2010" whic was filed by Rep. Edcel Lagman of the First District of Bicol.
But what is HB 96 or Reproductive Health Bill all about?
The bill covers many areas of provisions, such as, 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, employer's responsibilities, multi-media campaign, implementing mechanisms, reporting requirements, prohibited acts, and penalties, among others.
Last Friday, March 25, an estimated 40,000 Filipinos from all over the country, most especially Roman Catholics from Metro Manila and neighbouring provinces, joined prayers in an attempt to block the enactment of the RH Bill for many reasons:
The bill is being opposed by concerned citizens, especially the pro-life, pro-family and pro-God groups. 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 availbale 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 (IUDs), post-fertilization effects are operative on occassion to prevent clinically recognized pregnancy. Hormonal contraceptives and/or IUDs directly affect the endometrium. These effects have been presumed to rended 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.
