Reproductive Health Bill

Date drawn: September 24, 2008
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, October 2008

Pragmatic Society Eludes Decency
By Sherwin Billones, Editor-in-Chief
Published: “The Crusader” of Pasig Catholic College, October 2008

House Bill No. 4110, better known as the Reproductive Health Bill, startled the Catholic Church and its followers at the onset of its exposure to the Filipino masses midway of this year. This seemingly deceitful scheme, as moralists put it, is designed to bring forth more suffering to the people and worse of all, advance the tolerance of wicked methods in controlling the growth of our population. Many Filipinos are ignorant of the unscrupulous contents of this proposition; credit is given to our lawmakers’ gobbledygook legislative talents of misleading our people – a frightful humiliation of our own kind.

Reproductive health, as defined in the bill, implies having to enjoy safe sex life given the variety of choices that will dictate when couples mutually decide on the best opportunity to have a child. Moreover, this would mean unquestionable access to instruments, either through usage of the male or the other, which may likewise impede pregnancy of the woman. An ordinary couple can easily grasp the concept of it – total control over the life of another is within arms reach. By utilizing contraceptives during sex means having to play a role of being more than human, perhaps like God. They can procreate whenever they want, however they prefer and there’s virtually no one who can invade their right once they get a hold of it. This is a good start for damnation to say the least.

On the other hand, the advocates of this proposed document irresponsibly guarantees realistic benefits to couples and to the country as a whole. Accordingly, growth in size within the family can be limited to the desired number of children the couple prefer to have, thus lessening the circumstances that may lead them to problems like poverty, sickness and lack of education of their children. Consequently, if majority of the Filipino families are engaged in this alternative system of family planning, the country’s population can be controlled, a greater chance for economic development is likely to happen. Imagine all this can be done by a five-inch lubricated flexible rubber at a cost less than the minimum jeepney fare. Terribly fantastic, isn’t it?

Just like before, the Filipino people are caught at the middle of a crossfire. Choices have to be made, but deciding on what’s best is as cruel as the consequences of a mistaken option. Welcoming the contraception to our society would commence the abuse of man’s freedom to naturally reproduce and create a family that would also eventually instigate the acceptance of our dreadful acts – divorce, extra-marital affair, premarital sex, prostitution and child abuse. Ironically, there will be greater violation of human rights if this would be allowed as opposed to the principle that the bill is advancing. Conversely, the country’s population will continue to escalate due to the fact that there’s no convincing and credible means employed to at least counterfeit natural family planning benefits to the growing average of poor Filipino families. Families below the poverty line expands each year and if they are not controlled for the next 10 years, the country’s economy might not be able to sustain the people adequately, probably much worse than today.

Come to think of it, life nowadays is inclined more on the practical side of things rather than the common good of every one. As the saying goes, the shortest path between two points is a straight line but people would rather travel the long road as long as they enjoy it. Presently, the Filipino is so beaten and scarred that the easiest option for them is the one that presents a much satisfying remedy to the pain. Still, as responsible bearers of Christ’s vision of loving, God-fearing Filipino society, the Filipino people is encouraged to scrutinize the very details of the things presented to him – by shedding the skin of a devilishly-motivated attempt to disgrace the gift of producing life. Aside from being crafted in God’s image and likeness, man and woman, co-equal stewards of God’s creation, are like God indeed for they uphold the decent means of life’s continuity. Is it truly worth compromising the morality with practicality? Will we elude common good for a few moments of pleasure? My friends we all have a choice to make – a life to consider. ■