Catholic youths conducting 'chastity forums' at campuses

A Catholic youth movement has launched a campus tour to conduct a series of forums advocating chastity and encouraging opposition to the reproductive health (RH) bill. The "Live Pure: movement is calling on the youth to live a chaste and pure life and make a stand against the RH bill. “Since the start of 2011, the movement has been speaking at numerous schools in Metro Manila and the provinces," the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said. The members of Live Pure are giving their "time and energy to speak to the different Dioceses and schools for chastity education among the youth," the CBCP said. The group has visited various schools to speak on the value of chastity and keeping themselves pure before marriage. “It also discussed the evil effects of RH bill and rallied the youth to speak up and make their stand for life," the CBCP said. The Catholic Church has been opposing the RH bill as it promotes the use of artificial contraceptives. The Church only accepts natural family planning methods. Members of another group, the World Youth Alliance, also joined the forums to speak about human dignity. Mark Phillip Morales, one of the participants, said the forums helped him realize the misconceptions he had about sexuality, dating, and courtship. - VVP, GMA News