The RH Bill Essay Sample
Note: “Leadership Reflections” portions positions of the different members of the University Leadership Council on affairs related to campus life and the operations of the University. As good. it features sentiments on issues of national and/or international relevancy.
RH Bill: A Boon or Bane to Society?
By Dr. Maria Cecilia M. Genove. Dean. College of Mass Communication If there is a strong statement on the transition of the Reproductive Health ( RH ) Bill. it is the ever-growing population of the Philippines. Harmonizing to the latest statistics on the country’s demographical information. there are now 96 million Filipinos. a considerable addition in the last 10 old ages or so. or a growing rate of at least four to six per centum every twelvemonth. Translated to more important information. five to six babes are born in the state every minute. a astonishing information sing that the Philippines is. until today. still referred to by its adjacent states as a developing economic system.
Therefore. the latest proposed statute law in both the Senate and the House of Representatives has left the Filipino people highly polarized. A batch of considerations have emerged in several treatments basically because the staunchest resistance to the transition of the RH Bill comes from the Catholic Church. This is apprehensible because the Philippines remains to be the lone Christian state in the Far East and with the colonisation of Spain for about four centuries. Catholicism is widespread and prevalent.
Some sectors contend that the RH Bill boils down to the freedom of pick among twosomes and those who are sexually active. Others ground out that reproduction is God’s bequest to His people. On the other manus. adult females – who bear the brunt of childbearing and its hazards – say that they have the right to take what is best for them. significance. if their organic structures could non defy the asperities of childbearing. so they have all the right to take attention of their ain organic structures.
Analyzing closely the advantages and disadvantages of the RH Bill. the former far outweighs the latter. that is. there are more benefits that the bulk of Filipinos can acquire compared to non holding such a measure passed for statute law in the state.
What is needed in the RH Bill is widespread information and airing of the assorted household planning methods and preventives that are available for twosomes. While the rich. educated twosomes understand the picks that they have. the hapless common people – who comprise the bulk – barely have any cognition on their options because they lack instruction. But. the deficiency of instruction is traveling to be another narrative or. on the contrary. the deficiency of instruction may be related to the transition of the RH Bill.
The hapless comprise the bulk of Filipinos. Because they are hapless. they needfully lack instruction or have no instruction at all. Who. so. will learn and steer these people about their picks. particularly in the figure of kids that they can hold or are able to back up? Again. because of a famine of cognition. these people merely merely go forth it to destine if it happens that the married woman gets pregnant about every twelvemonth.
The issue is non abortion at all. It is a wholly different facet of the full treatment. The issue is giving the people a pick of whether they will accommodate the household planning methods that have been suggested for them. It is for them to take it or go forth it. If the people so desire that they would take from among the unreal household be aftering methods available. so it is their pick. The bottomline is that these information should be made available for everyone and explained to them. most particularly those who have no capacity to larn and understand. These people are the 1s most vulnerable.
It is about clip that household planning be included as portion of the course of study in schools and universities. The inclusion of sex instruction has been practiced in the past. but was phased out because of some resistance. Let this be revived today because of the demand of the young person to be informed about their rights as a human being. Parents should besides assist the schools in doing their kids understand the booby traps of early matrimony or adolescent gestation. If the people are decently informed. so they would be able to do intelligent picks for their ain improvement. In the procedure. they would be empowered.
It is interesting to observe the latest statistics coming from the Social Weather Station under the supervising of Mr. Mahar Mangahas. which revealed that in the June 2011 study. merely 30 per centum agreed and 51 per centum disagreed that the usage of rubbers constitutes abortion. Furthermore. merely 29 per centum agreed and 51 per centum disagreed that the usage of IUDs constitutes abortion. Besides. merely 29 per centum agreed and 52 disagreed that the usage of birth control pills constitutes abortion. The consequences of the study likewise revealed that the balances from 100 per centum. approximately 2 out of every 10 grownup Filipinos. were unable to take a base.
Let us take a more discerning expression at the RH Bill. There may be more than meets the oculus with the transition of this controversial statute law.
The advantage of Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines is that hopes to supply accoucheuses for skilled attending to childbirth and exigency obstetric attention. even in geographically stray and down countries. Therefore. the one of the causes of maternal mortality. that originating from unattended births. will be addressed.
The disadvantage of the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines is the undue focal point being given to reproductive wellness and population and development. when many more pressing and of import wellness jobs need to be addressed in the state. those that cause a important figure of deceases across the state such as cardiovascular diseases and infections. Fiscal resources allotted by foreign givers to help the Filipino authorities plans could really be better spent towards prosecuting wellness plans aiming catching diseases than buying unreal preventives.
The Reproductive Health Bill is controversial. as it is being opposed by concerned citizens. particularly the pro-life. pro-family and pro-God groups. regardless of credo or faith. The Roman Catholic Church expresses its resistance against the measure on many counts. most particularly the procurance and distribution of household planning supplies for the whole state. when the available grounds from equal reviewed medical diaries supports the hypothesis that when ovulation and fertilisation occur in adult females taking unwritten preventives ( OCs ) or utilizing intrauterine devices ( IUD ) . post-fertilization effects are operative on juncture to forestall clinically recognized gestation. Hormonal contraceptives and/or IUDs straight affect the endometrium. These effects have been presumed to render the endometrium comparatively inhospitable to nidation or to the care of the preembryo or embryo prior to clinically recognized gestation. These make pills and IUDS aborticide.
Pro-life groups. and many professionals in the medical and nursing Fieldss. believe that doctors and policy shapers should understand and esteem the beliefs of patients who consider human life to be present and valuable from the minute of fertilisation. Patients should be made to the full cognizant of this information so that they can accept to or decline the usage of unreal preventives.
However. the place of the Catholic Church and the pro-life groups does non intend that they espouse the attitude of “natalism” at all costs. as if the “number” of kids. in itself. were the unmistakable mark of reliable Christian marital life.
The sexual act. decently exercised within matrimony merely. is ordained chiefly to the extension of life. If there are sensible motivations for spacing births. such as serious medical conditions in the female parent. or utmost poorness. so the Catholic Church teaches that married twosomes may take advantage of the natural rhythms of the generative system and utilize their matrimony exactly those times that are sterile ( natural household planning ) .
Other facets of the measure being contested by concerned citizens include the categorization of household planning supplies as indispensable medical specialties when their safety/toxicity profile and legal permissibility are questionable.
Very pertinent to the argument about reproduction rights is the right to life. The Filipino Constitution says that the State “shall every bit protect the life of the female parent and the life of the unborn from construct. If unreal preventives are medically proven to bring on abortion as one of their mechanisms of action. so procurance and distribution of such household planning supplies are unconstitutional and illegal.
Philippines population control and direction policies
Constitution of POPCOM
In 1967. President Ferdinand Marcos joined other universe leaders in adding his signature to a Declaration on Population that had been made the old twelvemonth by representatives of 12 states ( frequently falsely cited in Philippines authorities paperss as “the UN Declaration on Population” ) . 23 Two old ages subsequently. Executive Order 171 established the Commission on Population ( POPCOM ) . and in 1970 Executive Order 233 empowered POPCOM to direct a national population programme. 24 The Population Act
The Population Act [ RA 6365 ] passed in 1971 made household be aftering portion of a scheme for national development. 25 Subsequent Presidential Decrees required increased engagement of public and private sectors. private organisations and persons in the population programme. 26 Under President Corazon Aquino ( 1986 to 1992 ) the household be aftering component of the programme was transferred to the Department of Health. where it became portion of a five twelvemonth wellness program for betterments in wellness. nutrition and household planning. Harmonizing to the Philippines National Statistics Office. the strong influence of the Catholic Church undermined political and fiscal support for household planning. so that the focal point of the wellness policy was on maternal and child wellness. non on birthrate decrease. 27 The Population Management Program
The Ramos disposal launched the Philippine Population Management Program ( PPMP ) in 1993. This was modified three old ages subsequently to integrate “responsible parenthood” policies. 28 During the Philippines 12th Congress ( 2001-2004 ) policymakers and politicians began to concentrate on “reproductive wellness. ”29 Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Program
In 2006 the President ordered the Department of Health. POPCOM and local authoritiess to direct and implement the Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning Program. The Responsible Parenthood and Natural Family Planning Program’s primary policy aim is to advance natural household planning. birth spacing ( three old ages birth spacing ) and suckling which are good for the wellness of the female parent. kid. household. and community. While LGUs can advance unreal household planning because of local liberty. the national authorities advocates natural household planning. 30 Population policy effectivity and results
The population of the Philippines grew steadily from about 27million in 1960 to over 90 million in 2008. Get downing from similar populations in 1960. Thailand. Myanmar and South Korea now have lower populations. and the disparity among them is more pronounced ( See Figure 1 ) . Figure 1
Population growing from 1960
However. during the same period. the rate of population growing in the Philippines and these states decreased ( See Figure 2 ) . Furthermore. the lessening in the Philippines growing rate remained relatively steady. and was consistent with the lessening in population growing rate rate worldwide ( See Figure 3 ) . Figure 2
Rate of population growing from 1960
Figure 3
Rate of population growing from 1960
We do non cognize what would hold happened had there been no population plans and policies in the Philippines. However. it is impossible to demo that they have had any noteworthy consequence on population. peculiarly when tendencies in the Philippines are compared to tendencies elsewhere. A paper published in 2003 asserted that the population plan was “ineffectual. ” the consequence of “inadequate institutional and fiscal support. ”31 Collateral results
If the Philippines population direction policies and programmes have had no measureable impact on population growing. they have produced one noteworthy result. The impression that the authorities should pull off population growing and teach the population in birthrate control and “responsible parenthood” has become portion of the normal societal. political and wellness attention landscape in the Philippines. Furthermore. an substructure of familiar authorities ministries. offices and functionaries has been established throughout the state to give consequence to authorities policies. Influence of the Catholic Church
If the Catholic Church has enjoyed a privileged place with regard to Philippines authorities policies in household planning. . . it seems. however. to hold been uneffective in progressing Catholic learning on contraceptive method and sterilisation. Over 80 % of Filipinos are Catholic. so it is non surprising to meet averments that population direction substructure and operations “largely reflect the Catholic Church’s place on household planning which emphasizes responsible parenting. informed pick. regard for life and birth spacing. ”32 The Catholic bishops of the state have been accused of opposing and haltering population direction and birthrate decrease policies. 33 Surely. they have forbidden Catholic infirmaries to “provide installations and services for induced abortion. prophylactic sterilisation. or the disposal of unreal preventives. ” and insisted that acknowledging privileges are conditional on attachment to this policy.
Members of Catholic spiritual orders may administrate or work in non-Catholic infirmaries where such services are provided merely if their presence is non exploited to make a public feeling that they approve of them. and they do non take part in them. The bishops have advised Catholics working in infirmaries where prophylactic sterilisation is offered to advise direction in composing “of their painstaking refusal to straight take part in such processs. ”34 However. this is non the whole narrative.
A 1993 study of adult females aged 15 to 49 in 1993 found that over 96 % were familiar with one or more methods of household planning. including modern prophylactic methods. and that over 90 per centum knew where to obtain the pill. 80 per centum the IUD. rubber and female sterilisation. and 70 per centum male sterilisation. Of the married adult females surveyed. 40 % were rehearsing some signifier of birth control. most frequently dispensed by authorities beginnings. Merely 7 % were utilizing methods accepted by Catholic instruction. 35 and of the non-users. less than 5 % were “opposed to household planning or cited faith as a ground for non utilizing contraceptive method. ”36 From 1992 to 2003. 70 % of preventives used were obtained from authorities beginnings.
In 2002 over 57 % of those utilizing birth control were utilizing modern preventives. 38 By 2009. a outstanding Filipino politician offered the undermentioned sum-up of the political relevancy of Catholic learning on contraceptive method: He cites recent studies demoing bulk of Catholics prefering a generative wellness jurisprudence. necessitating authorities to learn household planning to the young person. and the authorities administering legal preventives like rubbers. pills and IUDs. Religion. says Lagman. ranks merely 9th out of 10 grounds why adult females do non utilize contraceptive method. That a Catholic can still be a good Catholic and utilize household be aftering methods outside the lone church-approved natural household planning methods has been expressed by a figure of module and staff members of the Catholic establishment Ateneo de Manila University. a place besides held by University of the Philippines academicians. Lagman is himself a Catholic. and goes to mass when he can. 39 If the Catholic Church has enjoyed a privileged place with regard to Philippines authorities policies in household planning. and if the Church has hampered authorities attempts to command birthrate and cut down the population. it seems. however. to hold been uneffective in progressing Catholic learning on contraceptive method and sterilisation.
