Group asks Church: Think of women's health, support RH bill

Amid reports of dialogue between the Palace and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, a group of pro-RH Catholics released on Wednesday an open letter to Catholic Church leaders urging all the dioceses of the country to think of women's health and support the passage of the controversial measure. The letter, issued by the group Catholics for Reproductive Health (C4RH) and presented at a press briefing by Forum for Family Planning and Development president Ben de Leon, appealed to the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy to support the RH Bill, which it said, if passed into law, "is a significant responsible way to save and protect the lives of Filipinos from reproductive health infections and concomitant diseases."

"Reproductive health is both a right and a responsibility," the letter read. "We strongly believe that couples, especially women, would be given the freedom to choose the path they will take in raising their family and have the social responsibility to act in accordance with their conscience and the means within their disposal." It added that the bill will also promote responsible parenthood, thus contributing to the improvement of Filipinos' quality of family life. President Benigno Aquino III has been meeting with the CBCP to present his proposed version of the "responsible parenthood" bill, which he said is a "win-win solution" on the RH bill issue. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview that the responsible parenthood bill being drafted by Aquino's Cabinet reflects the President's stand on the issue. "I believe he has already mentioned that we want to focus on information," she said. Among priority bills Aquino's responsible parenthood bill is among 11 other priority bills he will be presenting to the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council. However, the Catholic Church remains adamant in their stance against the RH Bill. In a report on its website, the CBCP called on President Aquino to clarify the principles he is adopting in his "responsible parenthood" advocacy. "He should really explain what he means by responsible parenthood," said Bishop Paciano Aniceto, chair of the CBCP Commission on Family and Life. The CBCP added that it will make sure Aquino's proposal is not just a "rehash" of the existing RH bills. They also emphasized that they will not support any measure that includes the use of artificial contraceptives, which they believe are abortifacients. Reproductive health advocates are quick to defend the contents of the RH bill, but C4RH noted in its letter that every day that the debate continues, 11 mothers continue to die, leaving behind bereaved families and motherless children. The letter pointed out that the World Health Organization defines reproductive health not only as a mere planning of one's family but also as a "state of complete physical, mental and social well-being... [which] addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system at all stages of life." "For us Catholics, therefore, the promotion of a healthy life protects the well-being of individual members of the family from womb to tomb," C4RH wrote. "A healthy Catholic family is a happy Catholic that is loyal to its church." Catholic Church hierarchy De Leon said the group respects the beliefs of the Catholic Church hierarchy but added that it would help if the latter is also open to hearing out the side of the pro-RH groups. "Our Filipino Catholic bishops have been stubborn on this issue since time immemorial, and there is no way that they will change their position," said lawyer Zenaida Reyes, chairperson of the Philippine NGO Council. "The Palace can always have a dialogue with them to show their respect, but shouldn't [the Church] also dialogue with civil society and women's organizations?" "We don't need to follow the dictates of the church if we believe they're wrong," de Leon said. "The Catholic bishops also make mistakes, they give misleading information. We cannot take that sitting down." C4RH national coordinator Dr. Edelina dela Paz added that the Catholic Church should not try to impose their beliefs on the entire nation when they know that not everybody in the Philippines is Catholic. "They should not impose their Catholic beliefs on all nations," Dela Paz said. "They should also respect other religions and those women's rights to reproductive health." The group also lauded President Aquino and his Cabinet for their conscientious stand on the government's position to support responsible parenthood and to make available all methods of family planning, both natural and modern. . "We are thankful that the Palace has remained strong in this position amidst pressure from the Church hierarchy," de Leon said. The open letter prepared by C4RH will be sent out to dioceses all over the country. Among those who signed the letter are RH Bill proponents and supporters, including Commission on Population executive director Tomas Osias, Manila tour guide Carlos Celdran, and former Health secretaries Alberto Romualdez, Jaime Galvez-Tan and Esperanza Cabral. — RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV