Persuasive Essay
by
MS. CHARO ANTANG
by
MS. CHARO ANTANG
No to Reproductive Health Bill
Over 80% of Filipinos identify themselves as Catholic, which probably accounts for the fact that abortion is illegal in the country and the constitution requires that the state protect the lives of both mother and unborn child from the moment of conception. Therefore, Reproductive Health Bill should not be adopted.
The provision in this so called RH Bill, according to them is a human right. This protects people, most especially couples from poverty due to having number of children more than what they can afford to provide good living. This also help people enjoy safe sex, married or not. This legalized the use of contraception and worst, abortion.
The government had exerted so much effort, even in the past reducing fertilization in the Philippines. Government is threatened by the fast growing population of the Filipinos. The ground for the bill has been cleared over a period of forty years by laws and population management policies and programmes aimed at reducing fertility in the Philippines. While apparently ineffective in reducing population growth, the programmes have resulted in the establishment of a national infrastructure of ministries, offices and officials responsible for implementing government population and family planning policies. Foremost among them is the Population Commission (POPCOM) and related agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH). Thus, government involvement in family planning and population control has become part of the normal social, political and health care landscape in the Philippines as written in the history.
The failure of these government programs and policies to reduce fertility in the Philippines leads to the creation of this RH Bill, which is very controversial and creating gap between the state and the church, specifically the Catholic Church. While the church is doing its best educating its members to protect human life from conception, this bill is trying to stop this life to be born, in which according to them, for economic reason. While it is true that the earth is not growing big to cater the growing population, it is not also proper to stop human race from its procreation. The planning of the number of siblings is a family matter that should be decided upon by the couple. Them also is the choice of planning method they will use, be it natural or what. Government should not intervene.
One of the RH Bill propaganda is for safe sex and health reasons. The use of artificial contraceptives, according to them will prevent persons from being infected with sex related diseases like AIDS, HIV’s and the likes. Mother who is weak or suffering from disease during pregnancy that may directly or indirectly terminate her life can submit herself for abortion. Unwanted pregnancies, which are the usual result of illegal sex of unmarried couples will no longer be a problem, anyway, abortion is legal and can be served by any medical institution. Or mother who bore several babies can be prevented from pregnancies using the sterilization or the artificial contraceptives. These, according to them are safe and healthy.
The legalization of abortion and the use of these contraceptives, its free access from government agencies and drug stores will totally destroy the sanctity of sex, which is, according to the teaching of the church, for married couple only. Premarital sex will no longer be a taboo but rather an accepted norm in this Christian Society.
This Bill also mandates all medical institutions, hospitals and clinics to cater this so called health care. This includes hospitals and clinic owned and manages by the church. The bills in their present forms would likely cause significant problems for Catholic health care facilities and an undetermined number of Catholic health care workers. Other religious groups would be affected to the extent that they share the outlook of the Catholic Church on the ethics of reproductive health care.
An early incarnation of one of the earlier bills would have seen the imprisonment of health care workers who declined to provide contraceptive sterilization for reasons of conscience, and Catholic institutions would have been compelled to provide or pay for contraceptives and sterilization to their employees. Such flagrantly coercive measures do not appear in the present bill, but their absence does not betoken an attitude of accommodation
Other problems which were not foresighted are expected to crop out once this bill was approved. Problems that may in one way or another create gaps between the Filipino religious belief and what the government is imposing. Filipino morals will be at stake. Yes, population may be reduced, but will it answer the problems on poverty? Is it the most effective and the one and only remedy we can find? Or is it the attitude of the Filipino towards progress that needs to be cured?
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