Reproductive health bill forwarded to House plenary
Source:
The controversial reproductive health bill in the House of Representatives has been endorsed for plenary discussions where 240 lawmakers will deliberate and vote on the measure. This has been very controversial due to statements such as “Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development Act of 2008 – is pro-abortion" as claimed by the Catholic Church.
Facts with know about the proposition.
The bill is Introduced by HONORABLE EDCEL C. LAGMAN
This is his claim:
"The present population of the country of 88.7 million has galloped from 60.7 million 17 years ago. This makes the Philippines the 12th most populous nation in the world today.The Filipino women’s fertility rate of 3.05% is at the upper bracket of 206 countries. With four babies born every minute, the population is expected to balloon to an alarming 160 million in 2038."
OBJECTIVE/S:
- To uphold and promote respect for life, informed choice, birth spacing and responsible parenthood in conformity with internationally recognized human rights standards.
- To guarantee universal access to medically-safe, legal and quality reproductive health care services and relevant information even as it prioritizes the needs of women and children.
KEY PROVISIONS:
- Mandates the Population Commission, to be an attached agency of the Department of Health, to be the central planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring body for effective implementation of this Act.
- Provides for the creation of an enabling environment for women and couples to make an informed choice regarding the family planning method that is best suited to their needs and personal convictions.
- Provides for a maternal death review in LGUs, national and local government hospitals and other public health units to decrease the incidence of maternal deaths.
- Ensures the availability of hospital-based family planning methods such as tubal ligation, vasectomy and intrauterine device insertion in all national and local government hospitals, except in specialty hospitals.
- Considers hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, injectables and other allied reproductive health products and supplies under the category of essential medicines and supplies to form part of the National Drug Formulary and to be included in the regular purchase of essential medicines and supplies of all national and local hospitals and other government health units.
- Provides for a Mobile Health Care Service in every Congressional District to deliver health care goods and services.
- Provides Mandatory Age-appropriate Reproductive Health Education starting from Grade 5 to Fourth Year High School to develop the youth into responsible adults.
- Mandates the inclusion of the topics on breastfeeding and infant nutrition as essential part of the information given by the City or Municipal Office of the Family Planning to all applicants for marriage license.
- Mandates no less than 10% increase in the honoraria of community-based volunteer workers, such as the barangay health workers, upon successful completion of training on the delivery of reproductive health care services.
- Penalizes the violator of this Act from one month to six months imprisonment or a fine ranging from ten thousand to fifty thousand pesos or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the Court.
Take note the difference of Mandates, Provides, and Ensure in the Statements.
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It has been a said that church and politics do not mix. But what can a nation do when the church plays a very important role in decision making in the government in countries like the Philippines. I believe that we must re-new our values to move the 21st century and face reality head on. Acknowledging presence of problems and dealing with it in a manner contrary to the conventional does not necessarily mean we are already disregarding our religion, our culture.
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If we take a look at the the propostion and consider and understand it even for just a bit we can note that there are quite a number of benefits that can result from this. In addition it has been noted that indeed "This measure is not coercive. It gives couples the freedom to decide whether or not to plan their families or space or limit their children... It is not even a policy. It is a suggested ideal or norm. This proposed law aims to uphold and promote the four pillars of population and development enunciated by no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself in her statement of support for the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) namely: (1) responsible parenthood, (2) informed choice, (3) birth spacing, and (4) respect for life."
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Futhermore we must realize that "The proposed Act doses not only seek to protect and promote reproductive health and rights and to empower couples, individuals, more particularly women, and the youth, but it also aims to improve the quality of life of the people in general."
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People should be given the choice, it is one of the foundations of a democracy which is something the Philippines deem it is.
Currently as of September 22, 2008.
105 are in favor;
12 are in favor but have not signed;
28 are neutral;
93 are against.
The bill needs the support of 120 members of the House of Representatives for its approval.
Source:http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/22/08/reproductive-health-bills-passage-seen
9 comments:
"I believe that we must re-new our values to move the 21st century and face reality head on."
- It's easier said than done.
Although I understand what the Church is pointing out regarding this topic, I must admit that I am in favor of the said bill.
As I see it, it's actually a matter of illiteracy when it comes to Sex education and Family planing principles. I do believe that incorporating such into the curriculum would result into a better, slower birth rate after probably some decade or so. That's if the students take it into the way we see how it should be. But if, on the contrary, the idea rather made them more interested into entering into a sexual relationship, that would mean a greater problem for all of us.
Nevertheless, the Filipino culture, honed for hundred of years, developed and influenced mainly by the Spanish, Japanese and American cultures, has deeply embedded in it the practice of having too much offspring, even more than what the family could afford.
It is actually a literal interpretation of the Biblical Words: "Go forth and multiply."
It's not how we, the lucky educated ones sees this as a problem, it's how the uneducated ones see this as an opportunity to earn more.
With this issue, I think we should also consider different factors. The church opposses this law because they believed that preventing a life is equivalent to abortion. However, we also need to look at it in a different view. We all know that our country is overpopulated and one of the reasons behind is the uncontrolled birth of Filipinos. We just need to think logically. If preventing a life is a abortion therefore is a crime, then what do you think is giving birth without giving a life to that child. We need to face it. Most Filipinos only know how to give birth but do not know how to give that child a "life". This child eventually dies of hunger. Isn't it just the same?
I say that preventing a life is not abortion. However, i also do not agree with the legal usage of contraceptives because this can lead to more practice of premarital sex among people especially the youth and this worsen the morality of our country.
Well, although the church disapproves of this bill, I think the government should push through with this proposal. You see, our country is not that big, and the more we expand our population, the more clumped we get. Let's face it, land does not get bigger and larger as we multiply each day. Maybe the church just doesn't realize that fat. And besides, people will be free from having the burden of raising many kids since they can freely have counseling and usage of contraceptives. It will also lead to less abortion.
This is also a good way to help preserve our natural resources. It can also help our country have lower unemployment rate since the population will be smaller in number. Plus, the number of malnourished kids will lessen. The problem with people is that they keep on making babies and multiplying but they can't give a good lifeto their babies. Right now, I think this reproductive health bill i the best solution for our overpopulation problem.
This issue is indeed complicated. I understand why the Church insists on going against the Reproductive Health Bill. People should be able to practice responsibility and good moral behavior.
However, looking at the current situation of our country, I can't help but stand in favour of the said bill. We are overpopulated and we are not that well off compared to other countries. If the government will not do anything to solve the problem, then it's like committing a suicide. We know what will happen if this population growth continues. We know that we will become poorer and more pitiful for a country. We know that we will see more hungry and homeless children roaming the streets begging for money and food. As concerned citizens, we don't want this to happen. That’s why many are in favour of the Reproductive Health Bill because it is an immediate answer to this burgeoning problem.
The way I see it, the bill's primary objective is to educate the people regarding their sexuality. Sex education is necessary because only by it will people, especially the uneducated ones, start to become responsible. It will bring them knowledge and awareness of the consequences of their actions. So it really is a must that the Reproductive Health Bill be implemented because it contains all the necessary provisions to educate the public with regards to this matter.
As with premarital sex and any other ethical concerns related to sexual behaviour, I think that it is another issue that needs to be addressed, but not by the government, instead, by the parents and families of the individual. Values formation is more of a personal problem than a state problem. And the issue here is more on population control, than on ethical concerns. It is more on helping the country allevaite its lamentable situation. We can probably consider the Church’s position regarding this matter once the problem is controlled, but right now, I don’t think we have any other option.
Yes, stopping the bill will prevent things like, say, an abortion, but will it prevent a country from facing doom? Will it stop the growing number of hungry and homeless children? And the final question is will it really support life, or death? Allow me to say this in Flipino:
Ngayon nga na 83 milyon pa lang ang ating populasyon ay marami na tayong naririnig na patayan at krimen dahil sa gutom at kahirapan, paano na kaya kung umabot pa tayo sa dami ng 160 milyon sa taong 2038? Ilang mga magulang pa ba ang kailangang pumatay ng kanilang mga anak at ng kanilang mga sarili (dahil sa walang maipakain), upang tayo ay gumawa ng aksyon? Hihintayin pa ba nating tayo ay humantong sa ganoon kalalang sitwasyon?
Bubuhay ka nga ng bata pero papatayin mo naman siya sa gutom at kahirapan. Marahil hihilingin din ng batang iyon na hindi na lamang siya nabuhay. At sa anong pinagmulang dahilan? Walang edukasyon at hindi marunong ng Family planning ang kanyang mga magulang.
Kaya sa aking sariling pananaw, tamang paggabay at edukasyon lamang ang natatanging solusyon sa kasalukuyang problemang ito. Datapwa't marapat na aprubahan ang Reproductive Health Bill upang maiwasan natin ang mga mas malalang suliranin na dulot ng paglobo ng populasyon.
"It's easier said than Done" very much true Paradoxic. I agree with your point on understanding how the uneducated ones see this controversy. Clearly this should be considered when expressing the Bill to the public. I think one of the main reasons to why this Bill is not pushing through because the people are not made aware of the implications to why this bill is being proposed in the first place. It reminds me of this segment on the news on a local tv channel when a "Rallyist" was asked why he or she was participating in the rally, he bluntly responded with saying i dont know and that he was dragged there. With that said effective communication to the citizens "more" affected" by this proposal should be done. Let us stop telling the people that the Philippines is becoming Poor each day or that the Peso is weakening, instead state reasons why, let the people know for once that the nation is indeed overpopulated. It seems ironic that is it "us" who is less affected by this proposal yet are the ones who more or less advocate it.
Even if the Church disagrees with the proposal, I think the government should implement the bill.
I remember my Economics teacher in Highschool asked a question of which is true, "Madami kami kaya kami mahirap" or "Mahirap kami kaya kami madami". And my answer was it works both ways.
"Madami kami kaya kami mahirap"
I remember my classmate had this answer: "Dahil sa sobrang dami nila sa isang pamilya, hindi na nila kaya tustusan ang mga pangangailangan ng kanilang pamilya kahit medyo malaki ang kita. Halimbawa 10 ang mga anak pero ang sweldo kada buwan ay 10k, sapat sana ito sa pamilya na may 1 o 2 anak pero hindi sa 10 anak."
"Mahirap kami kaya kami madami"
This is what the Reproductive health bill wants to avoid. My answer was this: "Kaya patuloy na nagpapadami ang mga mahihirap para makabangon sa hirap sa pamamagitan ng kanilang mga anak. Isasabak sa kalsda manglimos, magtrabaho at kung ano ano pa." The 'masa' had this belief. I remember one Wowowee episode wherein the contestants have more than 12 children. And their answer why they are so many was this "Para matulungan kami ng mga anak ko"
This is the reason why I agree with the Reproductive Health Bill. Not only that the 'masa' is contributing to the problem of over-population in urban area but also contributes to increasing crime, child labor, uneducated people and so on.
I know that the Reproductive Health Bill is hard to accept especially here in the Philippines. But maybe, just maybe, this could be one of the answers to the problem of poverty.
There's too much kids on the streets who do not have a decent a life.
Poverty is one reason.
Family Planning is another.
I'm in favor of the reproductive health bill because i think it will at least slower down the rate of the ever increasing population of our country.
I understand the church why they are against condoms, pills, or whatever. It is such a contradiction to their teaching. It is considered a sin because according to them it's no different from killing a baby.
BUT isn't it just the same as bearing hundreds of children because they didn't try family planning and then letting their child loiter around without proper education and care. a lot of parents exploit their own kids, some they sell their kids to foreigners. Some kill their offspring themselves. Wouldn't it be more of a sin if your kids die of starvation, ignorance, and the like because the parents were too afraid trying to use medical aids, believing that they will be burned in hell.
In my opinion, one of the reasons why our country is over populated is because of the prevention of pregnancy specially of the minors. Today we can't really do much. the government should be strict about this like in other countries. I am not really against the church but our country is really suffering from a lot of problems because of over population. It is also on the people's decision. For sure there will be people who will agree and disagree. But it's really one of the effective solution for this country's problems.
The reproductive health bill doesn’t sound like it is pro-abortion to me. I am Catholic but I am against the rules of the church when it comes to abortion because it is too conservative. The country is having problems about over-population but they won’t legalize abortion. It doesn’t make sense because poor people should be allowed to abort if they really can’t provide a decent life for their baby and it is not like anyone would be willing to adopt their baby. Some people would still abort even though it is illegal and it would only risk their lives because the abortion procedures they follow are usually unsafe.
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