MANILA: 16th January 2006 -- When we said, late last
week (#1389, 13th), that Salesian Cooperators in the Philippines were
active in the pro-life movement, you might have wondered why the
Philippines, the most Catholic country in Asia and one of the most
Catholic in the world, one of the best educated populations too, in
Asia, would need to regard this issue as one of high priority.
The result of a vote in the Philippines parliament today, possibly
taking place as this is being written, may answer that question - a
vote on 'reproductive health care' which is in fact a vote for a 2
child policy.
This is what Filipino Salesian Cooperators have been
working against. The Bill was introduced in the Philippines House
of Representatives before Christmas. It goes to the vote today.
The Church has understandably been the strongest voice against the
proposed policy. If the bill is passed, it will be called, most
likely, the 'Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Act'.
What would such a bill imply, say, for a Salesian
school? One of the provisions of the bill is that reproductive
health care information must be provided to all children within the
education programme, from class 5 onwards. Refusal to do so
(there are possibilities for exceptions on ethical or religious
grounds, but these too are restrictive) can result in fines or
imprisonment up to 6 months. The provision of abortifacients,
contraceptives will become standard procedure, usually through health
care clinics which teenagers will have the right to visit without
parental consent. The bill will not penalise parents who choose
to have more than two children. Instead, negative incentives will
be in place - meaning the two-child families will receive benefits,
those with more, no.
How could such an approach come to pass in this
Catholic country? The ground has been well-prepared by
international organisations. One such is the International Planned
Parenthood Foundation, actually housed in the same premises as the
House of Representatives.
Clearly the matter raises many questions.
Education and health programmes in a country with the highest
population growth rate in the world (2.36% per annum) are
inadequate. It has long been popular to take the cause-effect
argument along the too many-too much poverty line. Another
argument of course, could be the too much poverty-bad government and
policies line. Today might indicate whether or not the House of
Representatives in Manila is prepared to take the knife to some of its
own festering wounds rather than to its families.
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