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Senate urged to conduct inquiry on alleged abortifacient contraceptives


A group of citizens is urging the Senate to conduct an inquiry on allegedly abortifacient contraceptives. In a petition submitted to the Office of the Senate Secretary on Monday, the group asked the Senate to probe the alleged "abortifacient action" of certain contraceptives. The petitioners were Ma. Andrea Mandigo, Eric Manalang, and Norman Cabrera. According to them, certain modern methods of family planning prevent an already fertilized ovum from continuing to a full term pregnancy. They added that these types of contraceptives violate the "firm intention" of the Constitutional Commission to protect the life of the unborn. “The intention of the petitioners is to seek the Senate to conduct an inquiry and ascertain if pending legislation will mandate the procurement and distribution of abortifacient contraceptives, keeping in mind adherence to specific provisions of our Constitution," the petitioners said through their counsel Atty. James Imbong of the St. Thomas More Society Law Center. In the same petition, the petitioners presented medical findings of the supposed side effects associated with the use of certain contraceptives, such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, hardening of the arteries, and heart disease/stroke, among others. Under the Senate Rules of Procedure adopted by the chamber on August 9, 2010, any person shall be allowed to initiate an inquiry through a petition of this kind. RH issue The petition was filed as the debate on the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill continues between RH advocates and the Catholic Church. While the Catholic Church favors only natural means of family planning, RH advocates say the bill only seeks to provide reproductive health services to the public. At the House of Representatives, the RH bill is being discussed in the plenary and awaiting approval on second reading. On the other hand, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago's Senate Bill 2378 or “An Act Providing for a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development is still pending before the Senate health committee. Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, who is a known critic of the RH bill, is expected to deliver a privilege speech on the issue later in the day. - VVP, GMA News

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