President Benigno Simeon Aquino III remains firm on his stand that couples should be presented with reproductive health (RH) options — both natural and artificial family planning methods — even though government officials are engaged in dialogues with Catholic bishops. In an interview with reporters after a Palace meeting with bishops on Friday, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said he and other Cabinet officials "made very clear" to the bishops Aquino's five-point position on responsible parenthood. The five points of Aquino's position are:
"I am against abortion. I am in favor of giving couples the right to choose how best to manage their families so that in the end, their welfare and that of their childen are best served. The State must respect each individual's right to follow his or her conscience an religions convictions on matters and issues pertaining to the unity of the family and the sacredness of human life from conception to natural death. In a situation where couples, especially the poor and disadvantaged ones, are in no position to make an informed judgment, the state has the responsibility to so provide. In the range of options and information provided to couples, natural family planning and modern methods shall be presented as equally available." Intention of the dialogues Lacierda said the aim of the dialogues is to explain Aquino's position to the bishops — who are vehemently against the use of artificial birth control methods such as condoms and pills — and "to see their concerns, how it can fit into the position of the president." Lacierda said Aquino's position has been his stance since his days as senator. Responsibility, choices Aquino had earlier said that the government "is obligated to inform everybody of their responsibility and their choices, at the end of the day, government might provide assistance to those who are without means if they want to employ a particular method." His statement did not sit well with the Catholic bishops and leaders, who view artificial contraceptives as abortifacients. They said it the use of such gives way to promiscuity. Those who attended Friday morning's one-hour meeting at the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) building within the Malacañang compound, the second meeting between the government and the bishops, were Lacierda, PMS head Julia Abad, and Health Secretary Enrique Ona. The bishops present were Socrates Villegas (Balanga, Bataan) Luis Antonio "Chito" Tagle (Imus, Cavite), Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) secretary general Msgr. Juanito Figura, and other representatives. The two camps agreed to meet again between December 7 to 15, said Lacierda, adding that the two camps cannot meet before Decmeber 7 because the bishops are not scheduled to return to Manila until December 6 for their visit to Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. RH bill Lacierda said the Cabinet officials also clarified that Malacañang is not involved in the passage of the RH bill, saying the measure's fate rests solely on the legislative branch. The controversial measure proposes to legislate government support for both natural and artificial birth control methods as part of the government's "consistent and coherent national population policy." It has been widely opposed by the Church and other religious groups. For their next meeting, the government side will be composed of Abad, her father Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad, Lacierda, Ona, and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman. The Catholic bishops' side have yet to name the membes of their dialogue panel, Lacierda said. He said Aquino will ultimately join the dialogues. — RSJ, GMANews.TV 
GMA Brandtalk
Tracking
Archives
