“Ultimately it is a secular issue, it’s a matter of public policy, it should be for all Filipinos. Not just Catholics. People of whatever faith or people of no faith. If they say they’re agnostic or atheistic, the law should serve them.” – Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel on Reproductive Health Bill
As an advocate of freethought, I always maintain a personal maxim to know, as much possible, all the counter-arguments in relation on what I hold as correct and sensible. The ratio of this knowledge determines how much I am really into the whole issue in question. Also by doing this, I acquire the positive habit of exploring most, if not all, the different perspectives in any multi-faceted issue – be it religious or political in nature. As I read somewhere from WWW it says that “if you don’t stand for something, you will easily fall for anything”. I agree. But as a word of caution before making a stand one must employ first the habit of critical thinking as oppose to religious fanaticism.
So while the fate of the controversial health and welfare House Bill 5043 or RH Bill is at the hand of our politicians and lawmakers, let us examine also the pit and the pendulum surrounding the issue, and how to properly address this in a language that everyone can understand and convince those people in favor of RH Bill, including me.
So what is RH Bill?
The Reproductive Health Bill and Population Development Act of 2008, (RH Bill) seeks government funding for population management programs that would provide reproductive health education and would give access to both natural and artificial family planning methods to all Filipinos. According to the House of Representatives by Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Ladman, primary author of the bill, central to the RH bill is “the exercise of freedom of informed choice by women and couples on what method of family planning they want to adopt”.
Coverage of RH Bill:
1. Information and access to natural and modern family planning.
2. Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition.
3. Promotion of breast feeding.
4. Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications.
5. Adolescent and youth health.
6. Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and STDs.
7. Elimination of violence against women.
8. Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health.
9. Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers.
10. Male involvement and participation in Reproductive Health.
11. Prevention and treatment of infertility.
12. Reproductive Health education for the youth.
As I read and examine the full text of the bill, available HERE.
I realized that RH Bill is not infallible. With cogent arguments backed with solid evidence the anti camp has a cause to further, and therefore misuse of religious authority, delaying tactics, name-calling, and intensified misinformation by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and others are not needed. They just have to prove the following:
RH Bill is pro-abortion*
This single issue alone once proved is enough to discourage anyone’s support for the pending bill. As even the authors of the bill acknowledge the fact that abortion in this country is not allowed and will remain a crime and punishable. Hence for the anti-RH Bill all they have to do is to show evidence that some of the modern methods in the artificial family planning, included in the proposed law, directly induce deliberate destruction of the fertilized egg or abortion. As evidence, it should be new and reliable scientific evidence; peer reviewed in many scientific journals, and approved by the majority in the field of medicine and health sciences.
*note. Nowhere in the RH Bill is it ever mentioned that abortion will be legalized. Contraception is entirely different from abortion. What’s included in the RH services among others is the post-abortion treatments of women suffering from complications due to abortion circumstance, because the authors believe that they are still entitled to their humane health rights regardless whether if they did it legally or not. The best way to prevent abortions is to prevent unwanted pregnancies, in which RH Bill is intended to. For the list of considered contraceptives approved by World Health Organization (WHO) you can find it HERE and HERE.
RH Bill will not eliminate poverty. As corruption not over-population is the problem*
This is the socio-political paradigm of the issue. The aim, of course, is to project that RH Bill is not very important and will not lead to practical solution and might even worsen the current problem, and so wasting the taxpayers money is objectionable. By this claim, they have to provide adequate studies in reference to the statement that over-population is not a problem, or manpower is actually an asset to a nation or something like that. (They could even cite China as an example of large country with very large population but with a powerhouse economy). They could even argue that the unequal distribution of wealth, wrong priorities of the government, and the greedy oligarchs are the culprit why our nation is under-developed without the burden of over-population.
* note. RH Bill is not a one-size-fits-all solution to all known problems in the Philippine society. But RH Bill acknowledge that population affects poverty; the same way poverty affects the population of a country. Corruption and over-population is both a problem that needs to be provided with ample solutions. RH Bill is a proposed population development law to manage a quality oriented populace. For the relationship of poverty and population of a country see the studies conducted by UN Human Development Reports, The Asian Development Bank in 2004, National Statistics Office (NSO), 2006 Family Planning Survey Philippines Fact Sheet.
RH Bill is unconstitutional*
One of the other objections against the passage of RH bill stems from misconception that this bill is coercive on the side of the employers to provide mandatory free reproductive health care services, supplies, devices and surgical procedures to employees, and be subjected to both imprisonment and/or a fine, for every time they fail to comply. While others cited the freedom of religion and the ‘criminalization of conscience’ of the individuals.
* note. The mandated responsibility on the part of the employers to provide free RH services and supplies to their employees as part of their constitutional overall health plan is an extension to the present law of the land reflected from the Labor Code ARTICLE. 134. Family Planning Services; Incentives for Family Planning. Full text available HERE.
(a) Establishments which are required by law to maintain a clinic or infirmary shall provide free family planning services to their employees which shall include, but not be limited to, the application or use of contraceptive pills and intrauterine devices.
(b) In coordination with other agencies of the government engaged in the promotion of family planning, the Department of Labor and Employment shall develop and prescribe incentive bonus schemes to encourage family planning among female workers in any establishment or enterprise.
On the part of the individuals, once the RH Bill has been enacted the government will neither force anyone to use artificial family method if they don’t want to, nor will dictate the number of children a family can have. RH Bill protects, provides and finance choices and access to a full range of safe and effective family planning methods (natural and artificial) to Filipinos regardless of their belief and non-belief .
Endnote.
What has been tackled here are just some of the controversial aspects purporting the said bill and definitely leaves a lot of room for further examinations and criticisms (especially on the legal part), but the message and challenge cannot be as clearer to those who oppose the RH Bill.
RH Bill is a legal and scientific issue, not religious. Provide reliable evidences or stop wasting taxpayers money and PASS THE RH BILL NOW.
A fertilized egg will still have the same DNA as the baby it forms into, one is just older. A baby when it grows will have human rights. That fertilized egg should be given a chance to live, if it will make their parents suffer more at least bring them to the orphanage or under the care of the government, what is the use of a state without its people,. The child may have caused his/ her mothers death. But what can we do about it? They simply use short-term solutions. They do not see the sexuality induced by contraceptives. Many Filipinos have some tendency to abuse, corruption, with their wives. And contraceptives can be easily abused by minors. If we use long-term solutions like proper education(k-12) we can bring better morality from filipinos, and with that we can all earn more resources to lessen poverty and then population will be just right because everyone knows well how to live their family better.
@MrKalimuto
//A fertilized egg will still have the same DNA as the baby it forms into, one is just older. A baby when it grows will have human rights.//
So let's give it human rights when it's still in the womb. Did you know that 25 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriages? http://www.womens-health.co.uk/miscarr.asp
Given these two factors, and given our current laws, shall we now start arresting women who have miscarriages and charge them on grounds of manslaughter?
You're bellyaching about the "sexuality" that contraceptives brings upon teens, and yet you fail to grasp the situation our women live in now – more than 10 percent of birthing mothers in the Philippines are women within the 14 to 19 year old range. They became pregnant because they did not know any better about their sexuality, or that they had options available that enabled them to plan better for their child, instead of being forced to carry them when they had neither the monetary nor emotional needed to raise them properly.
And your answer for this situation is to deny our women access to medical care and education? FYI, the last time somebody tried that – eliminating sex education and contraceptives education for teens – these areas ended up having higher than average incidences of unwanted pregnancies.
http://toddyenglish.wordpress.com/2009/09/17/teen…
[That fertilized egg should be given a chance to live, if it will make their parents suffer more at least bring them to the orphanage or under the care of the government]
Better yet, bring them to one of the orphanages owned by CBCP. I'm sure they have dozens of orphanages all over the country judging from their ardor in making sure not only that every fertilized egg gets born, but that every sexual encounter during a woman's fertile period results in a fertilized egg.
I think the Philippines deserves something better than the RH Bill, more like Chile Crece Contigo (Chile Grows With You) & Comprametidos por la Vida (Committed to Life). It supports both rights of the mother & unborn to schooling age & resulted in the lowest natal & maternal mortality rates in Latin America. Problem is that there appears undue haste in passing the RH Bill despite legal & technical objections & the existence of a successful alternative to meet both opposing sides' concerns.
A close look at the Chilean model for family planning also reveals that while abortions are illegal, they do have comprehensive contraceptive and sex education programs. The Philippines does not deserve your brand of crass ignorance and lies, Filo.
Now kindly stop being a bitch for the FilipinosforLife movement.
I guess what is in dispute here is whether or not life begins at conception. Am I right? Let's forget about the 'pre-natal care' and 'breastfeeding programs' that the RH bill will enact and go directly to the meat of the issue: does life start at conception?
I didn't see any "scientific" argument that would rule out the possibility that life starts at conception. The post just relied on a lot of red-herrings to make a point. Where is the "scientific" evidence, or at the very least, logical reasoning?
(I am assuming though that the 'life starting at conception' thing is exactly what's in dispute here in this bill. )
Actually there is no point in disputing the phrase 'life starting at conception'. The matter has been settled long ago as the records of the 1986 Constitutional Commission (on Art. II Sec. 12) attest to:
“it is when the ovum is fertilized by the sperm that there is human life. Just to repeat: first, there is obviously life because it starts to nourish itself, it starts to grow as any living being, and it is human because at the moment of fertilization, the chromosomes that combined in the fertilized ovum are the chromosomes that are uniquely found in human beings and are not found in any other living being”
(Record of the Constitutional Commission, Volume 4, p. 668).
"The intention is to protect life from its beginning, and the assumption is that human life begins at conception, that conception takes place at fertilization"
(Record of the Constitutional Commission 799, cited in Bernas, J., The 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, Manila: 1996 ed., p. 78)
/
As to the 12 items enumerated in the above article as the coverage of the RH bill, these items are redundant. They are already covered by the DOH (thru its Family Health and PopCom Offices). Check them out. It has a budget of 12 billion in the 2011 Gen Appropriations Act precisely to address those concerns. The good thingies being proposed in the RH bill are unnecessary and redundant. As for women's rights , we already have RA 9710 Magna Carta For Women. In short, the bad in the RH bill is unconstitutional, and whatever good there is in there is both unnecessary and redundant. What a waste of time.
SOURCES http://www.doh.gov.ph/faq/show/454.html http://www.popcom.gov.ph/ http://www.dbm.gov.ph/index.php?pid=8&xid=28&… http://www.ncrfw.gov.ph/index.php/magna-carta-of-…
Two questions, Willy:
1. If life begins at conception, then does it not follow that we shall treat the developing zygote with the same degree of rights, and as it follows, responsibilities as that of a Filipino Citizen? Given that more than half of pregnancies end in a miscarriage, I motion that since we recognize the dead zygote as a human person, it's only fair to follow that the mother carrying them be arrested, and be charged with parental neglect (child abuse), leading to involuntary manslaughter.
2. Given that the programs that the DoH haven't done that much to curb the Philippines' maternal deaths issue, I think it goes without saying that we need something more substantial than a several piecemeal solutions. And with regard for POPCOM, you will find that they are among the supporters of the RH Bill :
http://www.dailymirror.ph/Mar-2011/Mar282011/pep3…
1) The Consitutional provision makes it certain that the unborn child, from the moment of its conception, is in effect to be granted a presumptive legal personality until birth. This legal personality would be a constitutional conferral of the right to life of the unborn, from the moment of conception. In other words, the fertilized ovum, throughout its development until birth, shall be recognized conditionally as a human "person" in the eyes of the law, with certain primordial human rights, without necessarily granting to it the complete Bill of Rights. Do not confuse what is in the statutory laws (eg Penal Code) to what is in the Fundamental law (Constitution), as statutes flow from constitutional law and not vice-versa. Your example does not apply.
2) If "the programs of DoH haven't done that much to curb the Philippines' maternal deaths issue", that is not enough justification to enact a redundant law which seeks to do exactly the same thing. Strengthen/streamline the DOH for it to be able to fulfill its mandate – its job. Let the executive and legislative branch provide directives and resources within the existing framework to make it happen. For what assurance do we have that the RH bill can do any better on the same programs? We must demand results from the DOH who was allotted 12 billion this year to do such same, same tasks. 12 billion pesos, here and now. Check out the GAA. No need for an RH law.
[As for women's rights , we already have RA 9710 Magna Carta For Women. In short, the bad in the RH bill is unconstitutional, and whatever good there is in there is both unnecessary and redundant.]
No necessarily redundant, considering that the RH Bill is aimed at addressing the needs of women AND men.
What "men's rights", for example? The right to free condoms? There is no such right. For if it really were a "human right" to be given free contraceptives or contraceptive services (funded by the government), it would follow that anyone refusing to provide them would be guilty of a human rights violation. No such. It is admitted that sound public policy does not admit of conscientious objection — WHEN we speak of AUTHENTIC human rights. Being entitled to the "full range" of free contraceptives is not such a right, and further as I pointed out earlier, runs counter to fundamental State Policies.
I was raised from a devoted catholic family i served the church for some time in my life. The time that i got pregnant and got married inisp ko agad kung anu ang mga dapat gawin pag anjan na ang anak ko, di kelangang mag tanga tangahan sa mga consequences pag nabuntis ako ulit and so i had to talk to my husband and make a concrete plan sa maging pamilya namin para di kami mahirapan pag dating ng future.One major thing is the family planning. After kung manganak i know na what to do so nagpalagay ako ng IUD coz yun ang nakikita kung hiyang sa akin. Tell me, ibig sabhin ba nito kinokundena ako ng dyos dahil sa napili kung method? well i dont think so, kasi para sa akin bilang isang babae me karapatan akong alagaan ang health ko to the fullest and live an active sex life at the same time at para makapag hanap buhay para sa mga bills at makapag save para sa kinabukasan ng pamilya namin. If ang sagot ng simbahan sa akin is yes kukundinahin ako ng dyos sa aking pagpapalagay ng IUD then let me ask u this. Sino ba kayo to judge me at e judge at ang mga babae at mamamayan na pabor sa RH BILL? Dyos ba kayo?? sa inyo ba kami haharap pag namatay kami?? Ang pag husga nyo ba ang aking kailangan?? HOW DARE YOU palibhasa di nyo kasi nasubukan magka anak at magka asawa at magkapamilya at kumayod ng kumayod para magtrabaho. Napakadamot nyo at mga hipokrito kayong lahat. Nagkaron pa tayo ng demokrasya kung ipagdadamot samin ang aming kalayaang mamili, para kayong mga kumunista kung magpatupad ng rules. Kung ayaw nyo ipatupad ang RH BILL e di gumawa kayo ng mga eskwelahan na libre na pang hangang kolehiyo para sa mga pamilyang me mga anak na 4 o hangang isang dosena ka tao, tapos pakainin nyo ang mga pamilyang yan na libre at bigyan nyo narin ng libreng livelihood ang mga magulang..magpakitang gilas kayo kung talagang nagmamalasakit kayo sa utos ng dyos.. pero alam ko di nyo kayang gawin yan, sarap kasi ng mga buhay nyo e, naka aircon ang mga kwarto nyo at sarap ng mga kinakain nyo at me sasakyan pa kayo, bindisyon nga lang ng bungalow na bahay 500 pesos ka agad at ibang price pag dos andanas na bahay at eto e sheshare ko lang sa lahat ang isa pang hinanakit ko sa simbahan. Ngayong kasi pati yung pagalay ko ng misa buwan buwan sa mga namatay kung mga kamag anak pinag iinitan nyo pa, ang mass offering for souls e me presyo na din, 50 pesos daw per kaluluwa..SINO GINAGAGO NILA? nakaka shock dahil pati kaluluwa pinagkikitaan pa and i know for sure na kahit anung amount ang donation kahit piso pa yan. E ang dami kong mga patay na na kamag anak at ayaw kung me e d-drop ako sa listahan ko dahil lang sa singil nila but i always tell them na eto lang ang amount na kaya ko at di ko kaya ang amount na hinihingi nyo..so to make this short dismayado ako sa inyong mga nasa simbahan and it made me realized na all of you ay HINDI TAPAT SA INYONG BOKASYON. as of now im thinking to leave the church dahil sa inyo at panginoon nalang ang humusga sa akin.
[…] How to Oppose the RH Bill […]
[…] How to Oppose the RH Bill […]
To answer the question on latest thing science has say on abortion and birth control pills, see this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproductive_Health_…
To see what Nobel prize winners say about population and poverty, see this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reproductive_Health_…
and this http://www.scribd.com/doc/26705870/Economic-Histo…
Thank you for the links, Tom. I will have to read through each of these articles cited by the study.
I see no problem to this RH Bill. I even suggest that the church instead be active in reaching the people especially the poor for guidance than mingling in the affairs of the state. Let the government do their job. I just hope the fund that will go to this program will really be use by our countrymen and not be pocketed by our dear politicians.
No laws should be passed respecting Religion. We have this in the constitution but still the churches in the Philippines have a very strong influence on legislation.
"RH Bill is a legal and scientific issue, not religious."
This is where almost everybody misses the point. To be amoral is to be non-human (which is impossible for us to become since humanity is our nature). We just need to remind all our fellow human beings that man is a moral being thus every aspect of his/her life has moral bearing. It does not matter how you would call that face of his being — religious, political, social, economical, etc. — it has its moral consideration. Science without morality is a false science; religion without morality is a false religion; modernity without morality is a false modernity; and so forth. Actually, the real basis of true legality and authentic justice is morality. If it is immoral, it "should" be illegal. If it is immoral, then it is unjust. We cannot separate even one human action from morality. We may say, for example, that basketball is amoral but it is still an issue of morality whether you will play fairly or you will cheat. To play games, in general, is amoral but to choose what games to play still requires moral judgment. Body shot is a game, but the reason why you would not permit a child to play that is because it is wrong, not because it is "for adults only". There are games that even waste life literally and to play them is immoral.
Now, let us go back to law and science where morality is commonly being divorced with. How would you find a law where it is legal to rape a woman, to kill a 6-year-old child, to break into a neighbor's house? Is it fine? Why do you think it is illegal? Because lawmakers cannot convince people to vote it in? No, but simply because it is wrong — it is immoral. Next, are you really comfortable thinking that hundreds of children are bound to die just in order for a parent to have one baby? Is it not self-centered? But this egocentrism is being encouraged by false science; that is science without morality.
But even if you toss away morality from the issue of RH bill, Philippine law will still not permit it. As being always mentioned but also always being ignored, the State has the duty to protect the life of a child from the moment of conception (Art. II Sec. 12, 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines), which the RH bill directly opposes. All medically knowledgeable individuals know very well that OCPs and IUDs are early-stage abortifacient, that is, they kill the fertilized ovum (egg cell), which is actually a human being.
Do we still need to mention about RH bill being anti-family, anti-conscience, violator of human rights and freedom of speech, totalitarianistic, a big lie, prone to power abuse and corruption, invasive, and another waste of taxpayers' money just to name some of its characteristics? Don't be slothful, people. Move, read, analyze, and be honest with your conscience when judging this issue. Don't just swallow what others had already chewed. You have your own teeth, your own saliva, and your own power…do it yourself. Don't say, "Oo nga!"
I hope you take your own advice and not merely regurgitate what the church is spewing. Your arguments are all based on false analogies and over-exaggerations, which really isn't helping.
Like what the fuck does "adult games" have to do with the issue? The provisions for the RH bill targets people of consensual age, not toddlers. The problem is that you are imposing your own brand of "morality" to other people. Not everyone thinks that contraceptives are "e-e-e-e-evil", you know. If you think its evil then dont use it, but stop telling other people how to live their lives.
Sadly, I haven't seen Wilberg comment here ever since the text wall he posted, so if your comment was meant for him, it's fallen on deaf ears 🙁
That aside, you raise a good point. Wilberg's clearly not read the RH Bill, or is drawing half-assed assumptions and slippery slope argument.
Folks,
You haven't addressed any of Wilberg's arguments, much as I read your responses again and again. And again. All he says is you can't divorce science from morality, and that the RH bill is unconstitutional – in so many words. All you can say is "don't impose your morality" and some unsubstantiated accusations and labels. And just what is your 'morality', on the other hand, based upon? You have one, don't you. Or maybe you don't. You are giving "freethinkers" a bad name. tsk-tsk.
Its easy to stop over population but its difficult to stop corruption. Isn't it? That's why people who are guilty perhaps want to reduce population but not corruption. The purpose of marriage is pro-creation but the word contraception means against conception, against pro-creation. What then is the purpose of marriage according to God's plan? What do you really mean by Responsible parenthood according to God's plan? And , therefore some articles of the RH Bill are only intended for single people, but what does God say about sex outside marriage? If you can answer these questions according to your God given conscience, fine! I congratulate you. But if you have your own plan too guided by others' conscience, then. GO ON! I congratulate you too! There are only two forces in this world, the battle between good and evil, God's conscience (voice or natural law written in the heart of men ) and evil temptations that influences the voice of God in the heart of men? Again I say, its up to you whether you use your conscience, or anything else. After all God give us freedom. EXodus 2:16-17, Then Yahweh God gave an order to man saying "You may eat of every tree in the garden, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you will not eat, for on the day you eat of it , you will die." Though using God given freedom is accompanied with responsibility, you ares still free to use your freedom to do what is forbidden by God or to use your freedom with responsibility according to what the commandment of God say. The only gift God cannot take away from us is our freedom. God does not stop us in using our freedom even it is used in the wrong way, otherwise it will no longer be called freedom. But we know there are always a consequences, that's why for the sin of our parents, the abuse of freedom, we were separated from God. Sin alienates man from God, sin alienates man from self, sin alienates man from his brother, sin alienates from nature, and sin alienates man from nations. So Good Luck for your decision. May you guided accordingly! God Bless!
[…] and a penchant for the exaggeration while completely disregarding the essential. He should read How to Oppose the RH Bill and maybe, just maybe, he’ll fare batter on his next attempt. Or better yet, read and digest […]
Facts :
The RH Bill has significant points that can be pushed. Breastfeeding, prenatal care, etc are good points of the RH. RH Bill should be able to address all questions when in doubt.
The Philippine's population growth has slowed down to 2.1% fom 2.36% as of 2009. The 2.1% average was buoyed up by the 5.5% growth in ARMM (Muslim Mindanao).
Singapore has admitted already the failure of their two-child policy leading to the greying population.
Over-population is a straight fact if you consider Metro Manila. Issue here is how to make the countryside enticing as to declog Metro Manila.
OFWs, our "natural" human resources, will remain as our biggest contributors to national development.
Corruption is our biggest problem with 40% of our national budget going to corrupt practices.
Number is Power.
Questions:
1. How much "over-population" do you want to reduce?
2. Who are considered belonging to the "over-population"?
3. If the State (government) stops you from having children, is that freedom?
4. Who is financing the RH Bill?
5. If you eliminate the "poor people with so many children" does it guarantee a progressive Philippines?
6. Have anyone read the NSSM 200?
7. We dont neeed to hate personalities when discussing. Doesn't a debate like this make us more mature?
8. Have you seen the provinces outside Metro Manila? Have you gone to Visayas and Mindanao and wonder why are there so many vacant lands, waiting for people to cultivate?
I strongly believe in absolute scientifical general knowledge.
"GOD" use good technology,and good doctors,etcs.We need to
educate our people obout Financial Family Planning,because
majority of our population is Financially corrupt,not only
we are populating our country,but we are cluttering it."GOD"
said in Gennesis:be multiply but be Responsible.and this
is our purpose in life.Faith with out action is Dead."JESUS"
said in Mathew:be aware before generation,many false prophet
will come,many will be decieve,and many will suffer.they
will try to figure "ME" out with their own Religoin,or
ligalistic Mentality,condem many by "MY"sake just like
when they persecuted "ME"at the Cross. They appear so
beautifull outward,but inside thy are full of dead mens bone.
If 90 percent of our population dont have "GODLY" Moral
Principle.90 percent of our population will be corrupt,and
if you think the religious righteous,the political power,
and the people power will save the world you must be on denial.
our form of government,or our form of leadership is base
upon "GOD" Standard.Depart from "HIM"our worse enemy live
inside us.History is "GOD" story.Pride,Ego,Self Righteous,
Popularity.this are the greatest sin in the "BIBLE".Hindi
tayo humihinga sa mundong ito nang dahil sa ating dangal.
by grace we are save,not because of our own good works,
or our own goodnes.
1. Majority of our population is financially corrupt.
2. not noly we are populating this world,but we are
cluttering it.
3. our form of government is base upon "GOD" Standard.
4. Rectless,and E-Responsible Family are accountable
for their own action.
5. We need to educate our people. Lack of knowledge
people perish.
6. Read the "BIBLE", Seek "ME" and you will find "ME".
7. "I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND LIFE".dont try to figure
"ME"out with your own ligalistic Mentality.
8. Have you seen many people in Manila comes from Visaya
Mindanao,who are seeking better future.
"OFWs, our “natural” human resources, will remain as our biggest contributors to national development."
At the price of what, divided families?
Not All, I saw couples who were very loving and always together. But the wife discovered, her husband has another woman. In spite of what had happened, the woman continue showing goodness to the husband. But still at the end, the husband left the wife and live with a very young woman. Our OFW are our heroes,. They live a very sad and difficult life living alone especially those who are overseas just to give good life to their family. I still believe if relationship is accompanied by God, God's power will always prevail. God Bless
Manny – You are FOS with your pro-life dreck. While ecologies everywhere collapse under the strain of overpopulation, you choose to split hairs over problems among certain brands of contraceptives. Don't presume any moral dilemmas among the physicians because they are capable of their own good judgement, while your at it, don't be such a microcosm of what prevents this country from being progressive.
Why do you think the RP consistently ranks poorly on the UN human development index? Don't be so damn centric.
Manny. I appreciate the time you spent on answering some of the issues for RH Bill, however, I think you need more than that to prove that IUDs and Oral Contraceptives directly induce abortions. I have cited the World Health Organizations as my chief reference to support that it is not. For the other objection you raised in pertains on the freedom of conscience of the health workers against RH Bill, I think it's their responsibility and part of their job descriptions to provide the best available resources that would benefit their patients on reproductive health matters. Hospitals and clinics are not the place for them to invoke their personal religious beliefs.
@Manny – hormonal contraceptives only prevent the implantation of the fertilized egg (blastocyst, to be accurate) when taken in large doses for this purpose (i.e. emergency contraception). When taken in the recommended dosage, they only prevent ovulation. (And if ovulation and fertilization do occur, the blastocyst implants without side effects, which accounts for the failure rates of hormonal contraceptives.)
And even the prevention of blastocyst implantation is not legally considered abortion. (And I suppose this is the much debated issue here, since pro-life people already consider this abortifacient.)
You have to distinguish between hormonal contraceptives and abortifacient contraceptives. Lumping all sorts of things together is what causes so much misinformation and misunderstanding.
Also, your analogy equating a doctor prescribing contraceptives to a hitman fails, and fails hard, for a simple reason — being a hitman is illegal. The mountain of differences between the two should be obvious. (e.g. referring a person to a hitman IS ILLEGAL)
Doctors, on the other hand, have taken an oath to put their patients first. There are no conscientious objectors in the field of medicine — you have to do your job, or refer your patient to someone who can do it for you. And if a doctor considers it immoral for himself to dispense contraceptives, does he also consider it immoral for another doctor to do it?
(and if he considers it immoral to do his job, he shouldn't be a doctor in the first place.)
These are good suggestions on how to oppose the RH/Abortion Bill. What is interesting, however, is that these measures have already been done, and still the pro-RH crowd refuses to even acknowledge it,
There is a growing body of peer-reviewed evidence that shows that hormonal contraceptives and IUDs have postfertilization effects, meaning they prevent the implantation of the fertilized egg. If we follow your recommendation, then these are shown to be abortifacient contraceptives. HB 5043 explicitly funds and forces doctors and health workers to dispense these abortifacient contraceptives.
Let me linger on that last point. Section 21 (5) of HB 5043 mandates that doctors who object to dispensing artificial/abortifacient contraceptives on religious grounds are still FORCED to refer requestors to other persons who will do the same act. This is like telling someone that he can refuse to be an assassin but must refer the contract to another assassin who will make the "hit." This provision effectively forces conscientious objectors to be formal cooperators in the very acts to which they object.
But even conscientious objectors to war ("peaceniks", if you like) are given real alternatives that do not violate their consciences. Why not doctors and health workers?
Take note that patients' rights are NOT denied when a doctor refuses to dispense contraceptives. Birth control is NOT a necessary medical or emergency procedure. It does not cure any disease. It is, in fact, an elective "treatment." The requestor can always go to another doctor. If HB 5043 has as much support as its pushers claim (70% they say), then finding a doctor who will dispense artificial contraceptives should not be difficult at all.
Furthermore, a doctor who objects to dispensing artificial contraceptives is NOT making a judgement on the morality of the requestor. He is making a judgement about his OWN actions, realizing that it would be immoral for HIMSELF to dispense such contraceptives. If the pro-RH crowd is really interested in choice, then they should respect the choices of conscientious objectors.
Some links to evidence of abortifacient contraceptives:
Postfertilization Effects of Oral Contraceptives and Their Relationship to Informed Consent
Mechanisms of action of intrauterine devices: update and estimation of postfertilization effects
The Physicians' Prescribing information for Yaz and Yasmin, two oral contraceptives
http://berlex.bayerhealthcare.com/html/products/p…
<a href="http://www.berlex.com/html/products/pi/fhc/YAZ_PI.pdf” target=”_blank”>http://www.berlex.com/html/products/pi/fhc/YAZ_PI…
@geri, great post! 😀
@lucius, would you send us a copy of that rebuttal? Maybe we could post it on this site. 🙂
one of the most stupid and idiotic piece i had ever read regarding the RH Bill was a piece by Ms. Jennifer Moya on the ?-december 2008 issue of "the Isabelan" (official publication of Santa Isabel College)… She called the RH Bill and Rep. Lagman as heretic, anti-god and anti life…. and her piece was really dissapointing and it seems that she never actuall read the bill (i have no idea where she got her so-called "FACTS")…
EX: she claimed that the RH Bill will require the gov't to teach Sex Education to Pre-Elementary!!!
i did send a 7 page (that's 7 page i think) rebuttal giving a 10 point argument (that includes her inaccurate facts) to their email and to their adviser…
that was a year ago… haven't received any reply from them…
Its "pro"-abortion because of their definition that human life (ergo human rights) should already be assigned to a fertilized egg. Without going to the issue of the potential benefits of stem cell research, I personally know of a few catholic couples who still go through IVF in hopes of having a child of their own. It's abortion (the unused harvested eggs that were also fertilized in the procedure) by church definition but if you can see the joy these couples feel finally having a baby of their own thanks to modern science, its exasperating to know that the church still insists in its myopic mindset.