United Nations

As a signatory and ratifier, the Philippines is legally bound by international law to follow GC34. In the comment, it says that, “Prohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the Covenant….”

Did the Pope's statement about condom use in exceptional cases show that he's changed his mind about them? Is the CBCP defying the Vatican by denouncing the Reproductive Health Bill in spite of the Pope's pronouncement? Between the CBCP and the Vatican, which organization is more bigoted? These questions are answered once and for all by the Vatican's recent efforts at the 2011 High Level Meeting on AIDS.

I do condemn hate speech (and more so, hate crimes) as much as the next guy hates the Ku Klux Klan, however, banning and criminalizing them is an all-together different story because it impedes an individual's right to freedom of speech.

All too often, these grave violations of human rights are motivated by an irrational hatred of sexual minorities, or committed in the name of religious fundamentalism.