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Reproductive health bill forwarded to House plenary


MANILA, Philippines - The controversial reproductive health bill in the House of Representatives has been endorsed for plenary discussions where 240 lawmakers will deliberate and vote on the measure. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, author of the bill, said the development is a “victory for RH advocates who have been waiting for the enactment of this bill for almost a decade.” In a statement, Lagman denied that the proposed measure - “Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development Act of 2008” – is pro-abortion as claimed by the Catholic Church. “The bill is not about condoms and pills and neither is it about religion. It is primarily about health and rights,” he said. Reproductive health, Lagman said, is a “basic human right that government must promote and protect.” This development came less than a week after the archdioceses of Manila, Cebu and Pampanga launched a signature campaign to block the reproductive health bill’s passage in Congress. Lagman dismissed the signature drive, saying it is destined to be “flawed if conducted under the threat of damnation or waged in churchyards and confessionals.” “Catholics who refuse to sign against the measure should not be branded as pro-abortion or threatened with excommunication. Neither should a homily of misinformation about the reproductive health bill precede the solicitation of signatures,” he said. - GMANews.TV