EDITORIAL : THE DAILY TRIBUNE, THE PHILIPPINES

 

 

Which version?

 

Noynoy is getting kudos and wide support for his stand on his announced embrace of what he calls his responsible parenthood measure while the Catholic bishops are up in arms against his preferred policy to curb population in this country.

But it must be asked: Just what kind of bill is Noynoy truly pushing, and just what is it that the bishops are so against?

There are two different bills’ interpretation, one of which is the House’s, known as the Reproductive Health bill, that calls for access to cheap, if not free contraceptives, which would be given by the government through health centers and clinics.

The other, as gleaned from what Noynoy has been saying, is his responsible parenthood policy, wherein government, through health workers, will be providing couples education on family planning through both the natural methods, i.e., the Church-approved methods and the use of contraceptives. There has been no mention of government distribution to couples of free contraceptives.

Noynoy has not been that clear on his announced policy of “responsible parenthood.” But if Noynoy means just mere education on contraceptives and responsible parenting, without providing these contraceptives to poor couples, then curbing the population through this means of mere “education” on how to prevent unwanted pregnancies is going to be a total failure.

It goes this way: A health worker informs and “educates” couples into both natural and artificial methods of preventing unwanted and unplanned pregnancies but offers no contraceptives for the poor couple’s use. It is certain, given this scenario, that since there are no free contraceptives on offer, the “information” and “education” drive on planned parenthood will just go from one ear to the other. Couples will still do what they do, without contraceptives. They can hardly afford to keep on buying birth control pills, or have their spouses or partners use a condom — or even have their wives fitted for an IUD (intrauterine device), which would be the more useful type, as the IUD stays until the time a pregnancy is desired.

In such a case where there are no free contraceptives distributed by government, then the bishops have hardly anything to bitch about the planned parenthood measure that is to be introduced.

In such a case too, Noynoy’s claim that he would support such a bill at the risk of excommunication (which isn’t any risk, however, since the Church cannot excommunicate any Catholic for merely promoting artificial means of contraception) is an empty claim as he won’t be that supportive of providing couples with the artificial contraceptives needed to make the program a success and slowly start curbing the population, which is really up for an explosion in this country.

The Catholic bishops in this country obviously fear a diminution of the Catholic faithful, which is probably why they keep on preaching that line that God so loves the poor. It is the poor in society that keep on reproducing, even when they can no longer provide their children even the food they need to stay healthy and well-nourished. But as their parents are Catholics, their children automatically are baptized as Catholics, even when they are not, and do not become practicing Catholics.

It is also no secret that world-wide, the number of the Catholic faithful is dwindling. In the Philippines, this dwindling number is butressed by the fact that there are much too many Filipino Catholics who have turned to born again religions.

But what is being missed out by the Catholic bishops is that they should not impose on the state policies, but should fight such state policy by convincing their faithful that the Church sanctioned method of preventing pregnancy between couples is the better way.

And leave sin and images of hell and brimstone out of that Catholic preaching. It no longer works.

Even unbaptized babies are no longer relegated to limbo — if ever there was such a place.

As for Noynoy, he should start clarifyng just what his planned parenthood policy is really all about. As of now, it is as vague as his directionless administration.