Bishops to Noynoy: Reconsider stance on RH bill

While his mother once had the full support of the Church, Sen. Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III now risks the ire of a group of Catholic bishops over his stand on the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. Several Catholic Church leaders urged the son of former President Corazon Aquino to reconsider his stance on the controversial legislation. “He might able to get the support of the bishops if he will oppose the passage of the RH bill," Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Jose Collin Bagaforo said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) website. CBCP Family and Life Commission executive secretary Fr. Melvin Castro said Aquino should “clarify" his position on the RH bill and take a “more open view." He said they are “worried" over Aquino’s current stand on the issue. “Like other candidates, he really has to explicitly state his stand about these values and issues and we will encourage voters to vote based on their positions," he said. [See: 'Scared' Gibo says Church's ire won't deter his support for RH bill] Earlier, Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal said he is now considering whether Aquino should be included in the Church’s list of politicians who should not be voted. Vidal said he was disappointed to learn that the senator is a member of the Philippine legislators Committee on Population and Development, an organization pushing for population control. Castro said the Church’s family and life ministry with thousands of supporters nationwide might resort to bloc voting in the 2010 elections to ensure the defeat of “anti-life" politicians. One of the provisions of the RH bill is the use of contraceptives in family planning which is fiercely opposed by the Church. Some bishops warn that the Church’s official backing in the next year’s elections will only be given to those who oppose the bill on maternal health care. At present, the government leaves family planning issues to local governments and few of them advocate artificial contraception. The Church advocates abstinence to control population growth. - GMANews.TV