Miriam, Pia lead pro-RH debate at Senate

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate has started debates on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill with the main critic of the measure, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, going up against the two female proponents, Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Pia Cayetano.

Most of the discussion revolved around the question of when life begins, which is the central debate on the issue of abortion and contraception.

Sotto questioned the statement of Santiago that no scientist or doctor has been able to make a categorical claim about when life begins.

He said there were findings that life begins at implantation or when the sperm attaches itself to the ovum.

“The best answer comes from God. Now, before we meet him it is best that we are prudent. Wag tayong magdunong-dunungan sa Panginoon, yun ang pinakamaganda (Let’s not play God),” Sotto said.

According to Sotto, Bernardo Villegas, a member of the constitutional convention that crafted the 1987 Constitution, noted that the fertilized ovum is human and as such would be covered by the provision that the State must equally protect the life of the mother and the unborn from the moment of conception.

Santiago emphasized that the opinion of one delegate of the constitutional convention is not binding on the entire convention.

“It is exactly what we expected. We expected a challenge to exchange opinions but we already have decided, Sen. Pia Cayetano and I as sponsor and co-sponsor, that if it is simply what I call an opinion question we’re not going to dispute it because one person is entitled to his own opinion,” she said.

“And since we are already here with preconceived positions on the RH bill, whether pro or anti, there’s no point hoping we could convert the other person,” Santiago added.

Apart from the discussions on conception, the debates also focused on the statistics on maternal health provided by the sponsors of the bill, which was again disputed by Sotto.

Sotto refused to accept Santiago’s claim that 11 mothers die everyday due to childbirth and other pregnancy-related complications.