YEARENDER: The controversial Reproductive Health bill

CEBU - The battle between the church and the state has not yet ended as debates for the controversial Reproductive Health bill is still ongoing having the deliberation postponed until the first month of the year.

For the past months, to recall, the never-ending clash of principles of the church and the state ruled the newspapers and the broadcast media arguing whether to pass House Bill 5043 or the Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 authored by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman.

Series of prayer rallies, rosary rallies, press releases and even a signature campaign were held by the conservative Roman Catholic Church to tell the signatories and supporters of the bill that the church opposes RH bill believed to have provisions that contradict the Catholic doctrines.

In Cebu, a Mass prayer rally was held on July 13, 2008 led by Human Life International expressing alarm with the speedy deliberation of the bill in Congress. It was attended by thousands of Christians from different churches, schools and religious groups that support the trashing of the bill.

Human Life represented by country director, Dr. Rene Bullecer said that Cebuano Catholic faithful will not allow the passage of the bill that has no respect to life because “our call is for the preservation of rights and the sanctity of the natural family, the sacredness of life and the divine laws.”

Human Life and the Cebu Archdiocese argue that HB 5043 is “anti-life because of some of its provisions that legalize abortion” like making available of the easy selling and buying of contraceptives.

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal during the anniversary of the Humanae Vitae said that contraception devalues conjugal love and endangers it, thus, it cannot be a licit means to responsible parenthood.

Vidal said that the contraception promotes and eventually produce broken relationship, absence of respect in a relationship, and immorality of individuals who violate Divine laws.

Also opposed is the provision that mandates early teaching of sex education in schools as early as Grade 5 which desensitizes the youth from premarital sex, contraceptives and abortion, as said.

On the eve of September 8 which was the birth anniversary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Vidal during the Mass he officiated, launched a massive parish-based signature campaign as a step to pressure the Congress into dropping the bill.

The signature campaign aimed to gather one million signatures in the hope that the one million signatories will be able to tell the Congress that the bill has no public support. Vidal has ordered that the petition letters of the 142 parishes of the archdiocese be sent to the members of the House of Representatives and to President Arroyo.

Vidal also ordered priests to explain to churchgoers why the church opposes the bill. The signature campaign was even extended to Catholic-run schools and even students in Grade 5 and above were allowed to participate because Bullecer said, these kids are the ones who will be directly affected so “let them fight for their right to information that will not put them at risk.”

In response to this claim by the church, Lagman on October clarified that the bill does not promote culture of promiscuity but only ensures that the youth will not be deprived of information and services that will secure their reproductive self-determination and the guarantee of good health for them and their future children.

In a report, Lagman said, “they will not be taught of sexual positions or be encouraged to be hedonistic. They are going to be taught correct sexual values, understand, respect and value the reproductive functions of their bodies.”

“They will be taught abstinence before marriage as an ideal that should be aspired for…that should you decide to engage in sexual relations, which is not encouraged before or outside marriage, it is important to protect yourself from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.”

Lagman insisted that the provisions of the RH bill are based on international surveys which suggest major social concerns that need to be addressed. He said that according to the World Health Organization, young people between 14 to 24 years old have the highest rates of STDs worldwide. — /MEEV (THE FREEMAN)