Passion For Reason
Separating Church and State, fact from fiction
By Raul Pangalangan
Philippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 01:39:00 07/25/2008
Most Read
MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Daily Inquirer front page on Tuesday featured a photo of a mother and three small children silhouetted against the light, living in a hammock under a bridge, with the fetid tide just two feet below them. I noticed that the children, presumably all hers, were spaced barely a year or two apart, with a newborn cradled in her arms and two older children, neither of whom could have been over five years old.
On that same day, the latest Social Weather Stations survey reported that 14.5 million Filipinos experienced “involuntary hunger” between April and June 2008, a record high equivalent to almost three million households.
At the same time, House Speaker Prospero Nograles—proclaiming, “I am a devout Catholic”—called for a “ceasefire” in the all-out assault by the Catholic Church against the reproductive health and population control bills pending in Congress.
The good bishops talk about the sanctity and dignity of life. Living with three children under a bridge: Where is the dignity? Where is the sanctity? Do we respect life by making it difficult for that woman to plan for her family? So that her sleeping two-year-old won’t accidentally fall into the foul stream and die, if not from drowning, from swallowing poisoned water?
Do we respect their dignity if we condemn them to an earthly hell where they inhale putrid air with each breath day and night?
This is not a debate about the nuances of Catholic theology. This is simply about the most dearly held norms in our Constitution, the basic distinction between truth and falsity, and plain common sense.
Hardline clergy have labeled as “evil” the sponsors of the Reproductive Health Care bills pending before Congress, and have called them “abortionists.” That is a lie.
I have read the various bills authored by Senators Rodolfo Biazon and Panfilo Lacson and Representatives Edcel Lagman and Janette Garin. I can categorically say that there is not a single mention in any bill of legalizing abortion. In contrast, a computer search shows that the bills mention the word “abortion” solely in order to reiterate that “abortion shall remain to be penalized under the Revised Penal Code and relevant jurisprudence” and to provide programs to teach people about the “proscription and hazards of abortion.”
In fact, each time they define “family planning” (so that couples may “decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children”), they always affirm that “abortion is not included as a family planning method” and that the methods “exclud[e] abortion, which is a crime.” In case the bishops still have any doubts, the authors go out of their way and affirm that “abortion remains a crime and is punishable.”
Indeed, when the bills refer to family planning programs, they actually aim “to help women avoid abortion [by] preventing unintended pregnancies and ensuring access to quality family planning methods.” They cite convincing evidence that access to contraceptives is the best way to reduce abortions.
One-third of all pregnancies in the Philippines have ended up in abortions and, in 2000 alone, they recorded 473,400 cases of induced abortions, more than 90 percent of them by married women. A survey by the poll group Social Weather Stations shows that 97 percent of Filipinos want to be able to control their fertility and plan their families—and almost 90 percent of the respondents are Catholic.
One woman out of six wants family planning but can’t practice it for lack of access to family planning health services. Almost 60 percent of contraceptive users depend on government for their supply of contraceptives. If the bishops truly oppose abortion, why exclude contraceptives from the government’s family planning services when we all know that to do so will simply lead to more abortions?
The only way for the bishops to sustain their argument is to say that contraception and abortion are one and the same thing. But that is a matter internal to Church doctrine. It is binding on true believers. It cannot command nonbelievers. Not all Filipinos are Catholic, and not all Filipino Catholics subscribe to the same level of dogmatism as the local bishops’.
Our own Constitution recognizes the “right of spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions.” In a famous US case cited by the Philippine Supreme Court, it was said: “If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion ….”
Which family planning method to use is for the spouses alone—not for any government—to decide in their behalf.
To confine family planning to the clergy’s approved methods is to impede that free choice.
What galls me about the raging debate is the in-your-face brashness of the Catholic clergy. Having twisted the facts, they now intimidate our secular officials to toe dogma, threatening to withhold from them the sacraments.
I wonder: Do they still give communion to that bishop in Antipolo City who was found a few years back to be keeping a mistress? To the infamous plunderers in government? To all those sexual offenders referred to by no less than Pope Benedict XVI last week? The bishops must be consistent in telling the truth and in punishing sinners before they can pontificate.
Otherwise, what they show is not theological devotion but secular arrogance, the bluster of power, cocky in the knowledge that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, bereft of legitimacy and opportunistic to the core, will yield to expediency, kiss the hand that anoints, and lend the sword of an unworthy Caesar to carry out a strained—and self-defeating—reading of scripture.
There are those who believe without questioning, but there are those who question because they truly believe.
* * *
Comments to passionforreason@gmail.com
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Humanae Vitae
Pinoy Kasi Behind HUMAN LIFE
By Michael Tan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:42:00 07/25/2008
Most Read
MANILA, Philippines—Today is the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (On Human Life), cited as the basis for the Catholic Church’s prohibition of “artificial” contraception. I am certain many people, Catholics included, are not even aware of the encyclical and, among those who know of the encyclical, very few would have read the document.
Catholics and non-Catholics alike simply presume that the Catholic Church has always banned contraception, and that they do this based on doctrines that have not changed across time.
Rina Jimenez-David’s columns last Tuesday and Wednesday summarized the work of historians and theologians showing that the Catholic Church has not always been consistent on issues of sexuality, including family planning and abortion.
John Nery’s column on Tuesday grappled more with the applications of “Humanae Vitae,” and raises questions many people are asking today not just about family planning but about the very function of marriage itself.
My column will focus on the scenes behind “Humanae Vitae.” Understanding these events could help us answer some of the questions we constantly ask about the Catholic Church and family planning. My account here mainly relies on an extensively researched book by Robert Blair Kaiser entitled, “The Politics of Sex and Religion,” published in 1985. (He also wrote “The Encyclical That Never Was,” published in 1987.) Kaiser knows the Vatican, having worked for Time magazine and writing on Catholic Church issues all through the 1960s.
To put “Humanae Vitae” in context, we have to go further back for a quick review of the Church’s perspective on sexuality. Early Christians adopted a view, borrowed from the Stoics, that saw the body and sex rather negatively. Physical pleasures were dangerous, and sex, well, St. Augustine wrote that the only “excusing good” for sex was reproduction.
Calendar method
Despite these views and the emphasis on procreation, Catholics sought to regulate their fertility through the centuries with a variety of methods, from herbal potions to withdrawal. When these failed, they resorted to abortion and even infanticide. It’s a situation that we still see today in many countries, including the Philippines.
Contraception continued to be haphazard into the 20th century simply because little was known about the physiological processes around fertility. It was not until 1930 that two physicians, Kyusaku Ogino and Herman Kraus, working independently, learned to calculate the incidence and length of a woman’s infertile period, paving the way for more scientific family planning methods.
That same year, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical “Casti Connubii” (On Chaste Marriage) reiterating that “the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children,” but noting that there were also matrimonial rights, albeit secondary, that needed to be considered: “...mutual aid, the cultivating of mutual love, and the quieting of concupiscence, which husband and wife are not forbidden to consider as long as they are subordinated to the primary end and so long as the intrinsic nature of the act is preserved.”
In 1951, in a speech before Italian midwives, Pope Pius XII said couples could limit intercourse to the infertile period, if they had good reasons for limiting the number of children. This was the calendar method, which unfortunately was not very reliable, especially for the many women with irregular menstrual cycles.
The pill
In the 1950s, medical scientists were able to develop a hormonal contraceptive pill, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1960. Here now was a very reliable method of contraception. “The pill” sparked mixed reactions, including hopes for couples who wanted to space births, as well as fears that this would lead to hedonism.
Curiously, one conservative theologian, Marcelino Zalba, suggested the pill could be allowed for Catholic sisters working in war-torn Belgian Congo to prevent pregnancies from rape.
The discovery of the pill could not have happened at a tenser period for the Catholic Church. The liberal Pope John XXIII had initiated Vatican II, introducing many reforms and upsetting conservatives. In 1963, he created a Pontifical Commission on Population, Family and Birth to study marriage. After John XIII died, his successor Pope Paul VI expanded the pontifical commission, which had theologians, sociologists, obstetricians and social scientists, including a Filipina, Dr. Mercedes Concepcion of the University of the Philippines. (She has since retired from teaching, but remains active in population work, where her surname has not gone unnoticed.)
The commission reviewed Catholic Church documents as well as research on family life. They also interviewed Catholic couples about married life. When conservative papal advisers realized the commission was becoming sympathetic to contraception, they had 12 conservative bishops brought in to sit with the commission.
In the end, the commission issued a majority report, supported by 30 of the 35 lay members, 15 of the 19 theologians and nine of the 12 bishops. The commission observed that “the regulation of conception appears necessary for many couples who wish to achieve a responsible, open and reasonable parenthood in today’s circumstances.” The commission even suggested that contraception is a “cultural mission which the Creator has commissioned to men, whom he has made his cooperators.”
The conservatives were alarmed, to say the least. To allow contraception, they advised the Pope, would contradict “Casti Connubii” and undermine the Catholic Church’s doctrinal authority. There were fears as well of the pill bringing about hedonism and state-sponsored family planning. Pope Paul VI eventually set aside the majority report and issued “Humanae Vitae” with this fateful passage (par. 14): “Every matrimonial act must remain open to the transmission of life. To destroy even only partially the significance of intercourse and its end is contradictory to the plan of God and to his will.”
Forty years after “Humanae Vitae,” the debates continue, even as millions of Filipinos’ lives are affected by that encyclical. Many Catholics go about their way using the pill and other “artificial” contraceptives, sometimes on advice of priests and nuns who tell them to follow their conscience.
The problem is that many more Filipinos want to space births—through “natural” and “artificial” means—but have no access to services because politicians are held hostage by conservative Catholic bishops and lay people who insist there is no need for family planning.
The tyranny of a conservative minority produced “Humanae Vitae.” Today, a vocal minority seeks to impose an order even more stringent than “Humanae Vitae” in blocking any form of family planning, as well as a discussion of the broader issues around sexuality and human life which the pontifical commission had handled so well.
* * *
Email: mtan@inquirer.com.ph
By Michael Tan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:42:00 07/25/2008
Most Read
MANILA, Philippines—Today is the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (On Human Life), cited as the basis for the Catholic Church’s prohibition of “artificial” contraception. I am certain many people, Catholics included, are not even aware of the encyclical and, among those who know of the encyclical, very few would have read the document.
Catholics and non-Catholics alike simply presume that the Catholic Church has always banned contraception, and that they do this based on doctrines that have not changed across time.
Rina Jimenez-David’s columns last Tuesday and Wednesday summarized the work of historians and theologians showing that the Catholic Church has not always been consistent on issues of sexuality, including family planning and abortion.
John Nery’s column on Tuesday grappled more with the applications of “Humanae Vitae,” and raises questions many people are asking today not just about family planning but about the very function of marriage itself.
My column will focus on the scenes behind “Humanae Vitae.” Understanding these events could help us answer some of the questions we constantly ask about the Catholic Church and family planning. My account here mainly relies on an extensively researched book by Robert Blair Kaiser entitled, “The Politics of Sex and Religion,” published in 1985. (He also wrote “The Encyclical That Never Was,” published in 1987.) Kaiser knows the Vatican, having worked for Time magazine and writing on Catholic Church issues all through the 1960s.
To put “Humanae Vitae” in context, we have to go further back for a quick review of the Church’s perspective on sexuality. Early Christians adopted a view, borrowed from the Stoics, that saw the body and sex rather negatively. Physical pleasures were dangerous, and sex, well, St. Augustine wrote that the only “excusing good” for sex was reproduction.
Calendar method
Despite these views and the emphasis on procreation, Catholics sought to regulate their fertility through the centuries with a variety of methods, from herbal potions to withdrawal. When these failed, they resorted to abortion and even infanticide. It’s a situation that we still see today in many countries, including the Philippines.
Contraception continued to be haphazard into the 20th century simply because little was known about the physiological processes around fertility. It was not until 1930 that two physicians, Kyusaku Ogino and Herman Kraus, working independently, learned to calculate the incidence and length of a woman’s infertile period, paving the way for more scientific family planning methods.
That same year, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical “Casti Connubii” (On Chaste Marriage) reiterating that “the conjugal act is destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children,” but noting that there were also matrimonial rights, albeit secondary, that needed to be considered: “...mutual aid, the cultivating of mutual love, and the quieting of concupiscence, which husband and wife are not forbidden to consider as long as they are subordinated to the primary end and so long as the intrinsic nature of the act is preserved.”
In 1951, in a speech before Italian midwives, Pope Pius XII said couples could limit intercourse to the infertile period, if they had good reasons for limiting the number of children. This was the calendar method, which unfortunately was not very reliable, especially for the many women with irregular menstrual cycles.
The pill
In the 1950s, medical scientists were able to develop a hormonal contraceptive pill, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1960. Here now was a very reliable method of contraception. “The pill” sparked mixed reactions, including hopes for couples who wanted to space births, as well as fears that this would lead to hedonism.
Curiously, one conservative theologian, Marcelino Zalba, suggested the pill could be allowed for Catholic sisters working in war-torn Belgian Congo to prevent pregnancies from rape.
The discovery of the pill could not have happened at a tenser period for the Catholic Church. The liberal Pope John XXIII had initiated Vatican II, introducing many reforms and upsetting conservatives. In 1963, he created a Pontifical Commission on Population, Family and Birth to study marriage. After John XIII died, his successor Pope Paul VI expanded the pontifical commission, which had theologians, sociologists, obstetricians and social scientists, including a Filipina, Dr. Mercedes Concepcion of the University of the Philippines. (She has since retired from teaching, but remains active in population work, where her surname has not gone unnoticed.)
The commission reviewed Catholic Church documents as well as research on family life. They also interviewed Catholic couples about married life. When conservative papal advisers realized the commission was becoming sympathetic to contraception, they had 12 conservative bishops brought in to sit with the commission.
In the end, the commission issued a majority report, supported by 30 of the 35 lay members, 15 of the 19 theologians and nine of the 12 bishops. The commission observed that “the regulation of conception appears necessary for many couples who wish to achieve a responsible, open and reasonable parenthood in today’s circumstances.” The commission even suggested that contraception is a “cultural mission which the Creator has commissioned to men, whom he has made his cooperators.”
The conservatives were alarmed, to say the least. To allow contraception, they advised the Pope, would contradict “Casti Connubii” and undermine the Catholic Church’s doctrinal authority. There were fears as well of the pill bringing about hedonism and state-sponsored family planning. Pope Paul VI eventually set aside the majority report and issued “Humanae Vitae” with this fateful passage (par. 14): “Every matrimonial act must remain open to the transmission of life. To destroy even only partially the significance of intercourse and its end is contradictory to the plan of God and to his will.”
Forty years after “Humanae Vitae,” the debates continue, even as millions of Filipinos’ lives are affected by that encyclical. Many Catholics go about their way using the pill and other “artificial” contraceptives, sometimes on advice of priests and nuns who tell them to follow their conscience.
The problem is that many more Filipinos want to space births—through “natural” and “artificial” means—but have no access to services because politicians are held hostage by conservative Catholic bishops and lay people who insist there is no need for family planning.
The tyranny of a conservative minority produced “Humanae Vitae.” Today, a vocal minority seeks to impose an order even more stringent than “Humanae Vitae” in blocking any form of family planning, as well as a discussion of the broader issues around sexuality and human life which the pontifical commission had handled so well.
* * *
Email: mtan@inquirer.com.ph
DSWD Chief backs Reproductive Health Bill; Velarde against
DSWD chief backs reproductive health bill; Velarde against
By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO and JENNY F. MANONGDO
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral yesterday aired support for the reproductive health bill, saying that the people should have an informed choice on family planning.
"I am pro-natural family planning but also prochoice in which case we should be able to give information to all families and access to services so that they can make intelligent choice for their families," Cabral said.
Although Catholic Church leaders have remained strong on their stance against the bill, supporters of the consolidated reproductive health bill have become more aggressive in pushing the measure.
They emphasized the need for religious leaders and reproductive health advocates to convene on the merits of the bill and give the couples an informed choice on family planning.
Members of the Reproductive Health Alliance Network (RHAN) said the bill will allow the people to exercise their democratic rights in planning for their desired family size.
Cabral said the DSWD has presented a position paper to Congress and to the Commission on Population (PopCom) regarding their position on the controversial bill.
She said even the DSWD-attached agency, the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) supports the reproductive health bill.
Cabral said she is firm in supporting the bill though it is not in line with the President’s stand.
"Lahat naman tayo ay may freedom of speech at kung tayo ay magkakaroon ng clash na irreconcilable, alam na natin kung ano dapat nating gawin. Kung sino ang nag-appoint sya ang may karapatan na magtanggal sa trabaho. So lahat kami ay ever ready kung ano man."
Meanwhile, El Shaddai leader Bro. Mariano "Mike" Velarde is mobilizing its members against the reproductive health and population management bill in Congress.
"We will (mobilize our members). Sapagkat para ma-realize ng taong bayan na we are being deceived by these people," Velarde said. Several El Shaddai members are set to attend Friday’s Prayer Rally for Life organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in España, Manila.
Velarde said instead of pushing people to use artificial means of family planning, the government should just let the people decide on how they should plan their own families.
"Ang tanong ko nga diyan ay bakit niyo pinipilit na itulak ang mga pills na yan na gamitin ng tao at the expense of the government tax money? E di hayaan yung gustong gumamit niyan. Free choice tayo di ba? Ang choice ng tao ay hindi pwedeng i-legislate," said Velarde. He said he would rather let lawmakers promote and educate the public on the proper use of resources and family planning."I-educate natin ang tao tungkol diyan at turuan natin itong ating taong bayan na gamitin ang kanilang natural talent and resources… yan ang ating pagka-abalahan hindi yung pagtutulak ng mga drogang ito na para matigil ang pagdami ng population," Velarde said.
By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO and JENNY F. MANONGDO
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Esperanza I. Cabral yesterday aired support for the reproductive health bill, saying that the people should have an informed choice on family planning.
"I am pro-natural family planning but also prochoice in which case we should be able to give information to all families and access to services so that they can make intelligent choice for their families," Cabral said.
Although Catholic Church leaders have remained strong on their stance against the bill, supporters of the consolidated reproductive health bill have become more aggressive in pushing the measure.
They emphasized the need for religious leaders and reproductive health advocates to convene on the merits of the bill and give the couples an informed choice on family planning.
Members of the Reproductive Health Alliance Network (RHAN) said the bill will allow the people to exercise their democratic rights in planning for their desired family size.
Cabral said the DSWD has presented a position paper to Congress and to the Commission on Population (PopCom) regarding their position on the controversial bill.
She said even the DSWD-attached agency, the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) supports the reproductive health bill.
Cabral said she is firm in supporting the bill though it is not in line with the President’s stand.
"Lahat naman tayo ay may freedom of speech at kung tayo ay magkakaroon ng clash na irreconcilable, alam na natin kung ano dapat nating gawin. Kung sino ang nag-appoint sya ang may karapatan na magtanggal sa trabaho. So lahat kami ay ever ready kung ano man."
Meanwhile, El Shaddai leader Bro. Mariano "Mike" Velarde is mobilizing its members against the reproductive health and population management bill in Congress.
"We will (mobilize our members). Sapagkat para ma-realize ng taong bayan na we are being deceived by these people," Velarde said. Several El Shaddai members are set to attend Friday’s Prayer Rally for Life organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) in España, Manila.
Velarde said instead of pushing people to use artificial means of family planning, the government should just let the people decide on how they should plan their own families.
"Ang tanong ko nga diyan ay bakit niyo pinipilit na itulak ang mga pills na yan na gamitin ng tao at the expense of the government tax money? E di hayaan yung gustong gumamit niyan. Free choice tayo di ba? Ang choice ng tao ay hindi pwedeng i-legislate," said Velarde. He said he would rather let lawmakers promote and educate the public on the proper use of resources and family planning."I-educate natin ang tao tungkol diyan at turuan natin itong ating taong bayan na gamitin ang kanilang natural talent and resources… yan ang ating pagka-abalahan hindi yung pagtutulak ng mga drogang ito na para matigil ang pagdami ng population," Velarde said.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
CBCPhils - Double Standard
DOUBLE STANDARDS 07/17/08 Posted under Uncategorized
I find it painfully hypocritical that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) would suggest not giving communion to members of the church simply because of their stance on family planning.
What about other members guilty of other “sins?” What about the politicos who steal from the people and still have the gall to show their faces at church every Sunday? That’s been going on for decades, and yet they pick this as a reason to kick somebody out? Why not also refuse to give communion to Gloria’s entourage who flew overseas just to watch Pacquiao’s bout, even as we were still reeling from Typhoon Frank’s aftermath?
Talk about double standards. While I don’t agree with Gabriela on many matters, I will side with their point that abortion happens simply because many women here have neither the financial nor the emotional means to care for their child. There are probably more reasons, but given our level of poverty, this is the most likely cause.
If the church is so against abortion, then why don’t they care for the unwanted child? Or would they rather he or she grow in “a situation of sin,” where starvation and neglect will push them to resort to drastic actions just to stay alive?
I am angered especially because I am also a practicing Catholic. Since when did we end up with leaders with this backward thinking. Family planning does not equal anti-life. If anything, it ensures that the couple will have the means to properly care for their offspring.
As for the argument that sex education would lead to immoral acts, this flow of logic implies that reading about lock picking will also encourage us to commit thefts, or that reading about serial killers will turn us into murderers. Except that this doesn’t happen normally, unless the one reading is already mentally disturbed.
This only reveals that the CBCP is selling their pulpit’s common sense and integrity short. We are smarter than that, and we certainly deserve better leaders than that.
-Antonio Yang III, Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila
PRO RH Legislators are the People's CHAMPIONS!
Pro_RH Legislators: The People’s Champions!
The Filipino people need champions.
Champions in Congress to craft policies that respond to the needs of their
constituents. We need them to address pressing issues through laws so that pro-
people and pro-poor programs are implemented, rights are respected and,
therefore, lives become better.
A national policy on reproductive health (RH) is one of our needs. At a time when
prices of basic commodities and services are soaring amidst widespread poverty,
ordinary people urgently need all the help they can get.
Wage increases, tax breaks, food and electricity- consumption subsidies are good
but not enough. These initiatives are not sustainable. With the ever-increasing
scarcity of resources, government will eventually not be able to adequately address
the needs of the people.
Legislators have to deal with the need of our families, especially the poor to plan
their lives. RH information and services are needed to enable people to make informed and intelligent decisions that will: save women’s lives, facilitate having children that parents can provide for, prepare the youth to handle responsibilities that go with having relationships, and empower men to realize and use the various options available to them in planning their families.
The existence of such urgent needs cannot be denied. In the City of Manila alone where RH services have been virtually absent for the past eight years, throngs of residents flocked to the Tondo Sports Complex last Friday to avail of free family planning information and services offered by NGOs and the City Health Department. Manila residents in poor communities acted on their need at the first opportunity offered them.
An increasing number of local government units (LGUs) are also stepping up to address this need as evidenced by the passage of RH ordinances in Aurora province, Sulu, Olongapo, and Quezon City to name a few. Moreover, there are LGUs that are presently processing their own RH ordinances.
In Congress, we have RH champions. These legislators have taken action based on the facts that:
•10 Filipino women die daily due to pregnancy and childbirth complications;
•3 out of 4 of these women who die are aged 15-19 years old; and
•Internationally, 99% of all women who die from such causes come from
developing countries.
We, RH advocates laud the courage, determination and foresight of these legislators
to work for measures that offer strategic solutions to current crises. Like
many of our people, we are one with our legislators who stand with ordinary
Filipinos; with women on the issue of RH. As shown by the 2004 Pulse Asia
survey:
•86% of respondents support candidates with programs for women’s health;
•82% supports candidates who are in favor of couples’ free choice of family planning
methods;
•82% considers candidates supportive of a law on population as worthy of their
votes; and
•83% favors candidates who support allocating funds for family planning.
We ask our legislators not to give up on our needs--not to give up on our rights.
We ask our legislators to continue being our champions until that day when all
Filipinos, rich and poor, shall have the opportunities to pursue a life of quality.
The Filipino people need champions.
Champions in Congress to craft policies that respond to the needs of their
constituents. We need them to address pressing issues through laws so that pro-
people and pro-poor programs are implemented, rights are respected and,
therefore, lives become better.
A national policy on reproductive health (RH) is one of our needs. At a time when
prices of basic commodities and services are soaring amidst widespread poverty,
ordinary people urgently need all the help they can get.
Wage increases, tax breaks, food and electricity- consumption subsidies are good
but not enough. These initiatives are not sustainable. With the ever-increasing
scarcity of resources, government will eventually not be able to adequately address
the needs of the people.
Legislators have to deal with the need of our families, especially the poor to plan
their lives. RH information and services are needed to enable people to make informed and intelligent decisions that will: save women’s lives, facilitate having children that parents can provide for, prepare the youth to handle responsibilities that go with having relationships, and empower men to realize and use the various options available to them in planning their families.
The existence of such urgent needs cannot be denied. In the City of Manila alone where RH services have been virtually absent for the past eight years, throngs of residents flocked to the Tondo Sports Complex last Friday to avail of free family planning information and services offered by NGOs and the City Health Department. Manila residents in poor communities acted on their need at the first opportunity offered them.
An increasing number of local government units (LGUs) are also stepping up to address this need as evidenced by the passage of RH ordinances in Aurora province, Sulu, Olongapo, and Quezon City to name a few. Moreover, there are LGUs that are presently processing their own RH ordinances.
In Congress, we have RH champions. These legislators have taken action based on the facts that:
•10 Filipino women die daily due to pregnancy and childbirth complications;
•3 out of 4 of these women who die are aged 15-19 years old; and
•Internationally, 99% of all women who die from such causes come from
developing countries.
We, RH advocates laud the courage, determination and foresight of these legislators
to work for measures that offer strategic solutions to current crises. Like
many of our people, we are one with our legislators who stand with ordinary
Filipinos; with women on the issue of RH. As shown by the 2004 Pulse Asia
survey:
•86% of respondents support candidates with programs for women’s health;
•82% supports candidates who are in favor of couples’ free choice of family planning
methods;
•82% considers candidates supportive of a law on population as worthy of their
votes; and
•83% favors candidates who support allocating funds for family planning.
We ask our legislators not to give up on our needs--not to give up on our rights.
We ask our legislators to continue being our champions until that day when all
Filipinos, rich and poor, shall have the opportunities to pursue a life of quality.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
LAW MAKERS TO BE FIRM ON PHIL. POPULATION BILL
Ex-health chief urge lawmakers to be firm on population bill
Activist priest scoffs at politics behind lobbying
By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:29:00 07/19/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Former Health Secretary Alberto Romualdez on Saturday asked the lawmakers not to compromise with the Catholic bishops on the reproductive health bill.
"I don't think that's an issue that the Church should interfere with. That's a social and economic policy, which is purely the business of the government. I don't think they should even say anything about that,'' he said in an interview after a press forum in Quezon City.
"Why should the House and the Senate negotiate with the Church on a social issue?'' he added.
Romualdez, who never got to implement a program to increase the budget for the purchase of contraceptives and promote the two-child policy after President Estrada was toppled in 2001, said he agreed with the intent of the bill
"My own position is, if we want to have a sensible population management program, it should be one that aims at reducing our population growth rate to zero. That can be done only with a two-child policy [that can be implemented for 10 to 15 years],'' he said.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, principal author of the House bill, also scoffed at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Commission on Family and Life's announcement that supporters of the bill would not be welcome to the July 25 prayer rally of the Catholic community in Manila.
"If organizers of the prayer rally on the Filipino family on July 25 do not welcome reproductive health and family planning advocates then that is their call and discretion,'' he said.
"We do not intend to gatecrash this vaudeville of misinformation. It is, however, disheartening that those who claim to be purveyors of truth, are in fact peddling misinformation,'' he added.
He said he got a copy of the "Manifesto of Filipino Families,'' which would be read and circulated on July 25, and which contained some misinformation, like claims that Congress has been railroading the bill, and laws on reproductive health would lead to abortion, among others.
"This is completely untrue. On the contrary, a rational and comprehensive national policy on family planning, which includes contraceptive use, reduces significantly the rate of abortion as documented by international studies,'' he said.
"Consequently, there is no need to legalize abortion if there is an increased usage of modern and effective contraceptives,'' he added.
In his email, activist priest, Fr. Robert Reyes said everyone should "develop the fine moral sensitivity to see and sense what is behind the current controversy.''
"While big words like life, conscience, and law are being bandied about, an imp, a little pesky god called convenience is romping about. The focus on population and threats of excommunication are convenient tools of convenience favoring those it means to favor, which unfortunately do not include the poor,'' he said.
Since Pope Benedict XVI has always been concerned about the "fast spreading culture of death,'' the debate on population management would be a "timely and convenient issue'' for the bishops to show support for him, he said.
"In like manner, the population controversy gives a bishop-friendly President a convenient opportunity to give and show her support to her bishop-friends as a sign of her profound gratitude,'' Reyes said in an e-mailed statement.
And since President Macapagal-Arroyo was friendly to the bishops, lobbying against "pro-choice'' and "anti-life'' bills in Congress would be "easy and quite convenient,'' he added.
But lost in the atmosphere of convenience were the poor who had to contend with the spiraling prices of food and fuel every day, said Reyes, called the "running priest'' for staging runs to highlight his causes and who now works for the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong.
"In all these, those who suffer the most are not heard,'' he said.
While the protagonists in the debate are heard, many poor women “will quietly use contraceptives and resort to abortions (induced and spontaneous),'' according to Reyes.
The Catholic Church will stage a series of prayer rallies this week in a bid to pressure the House of Representatives into dropping the reproductive health bill, which has been passed at the committee level in the House of Representatives.
The CBCP has met with the President to reiterate the Church’s fierce opposition to the bill, saying the measure would pave the way for the eventual acceptance of abortion in the country.
Arroyo responded by vowing to stick to her stand against contraceptives' use.
Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus Dosado has issued a pastoral statement ordering priests in his archdiocese to refuse
communion to what he called pro-abortion politicians.
Lagman and reproductive health advocates have explained that the bill seeks to control the country’s population growth, currently one of the highest in the world at 2.36 percent every year, by educating couples on their choices of artificial and natural birth control methods. To strengthen this choice, funding would be provided for the free distribution of condoms and birth control pills.
Hundreds of thousands of induced abortions are being conducted every year in the Philippines, leading to deaths of many mothers. Reproductive health advocates say poor mothers resort to abortions because they are not aware of completely safe contraceptives and birth spacing.They added that many mothers have compromised their health by giving birth to five up to six children without reasonable birth spacing.
Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Activist priest scoffs at politics behind lobbying
By TJ Burgonio
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:29:00 07/19/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Former Health Secretary Alberto Romualdez on Saturday asked the lawmakers not to compromise with the Catholic bishops on the reproductive health bill.
"I don't think that's an issue that the Church should interfere with. That's a social and economic policy, which is purely the business of the government. I don't think they should even say anything about that,'' he said in an interview after a press forum in Quezon City.
"Why should the House and the Senate negotiate with the Church on a social issue?'' he added.
Romualdez, who never got to implement a program to increase the budget for the purchase of contraceptives and promote the two-child policy after President Estrada was toppled in 2001, said he agreed with the intent of the bill
"My own position is, if we want to have a sensible population management program, it should be one that aims at reducing our population growth rate to zero. That can be done only with a two-child policy [that can be implemented for 10 to 15 years],'' he said.
Albay Representative Edcel Lagman, principal author of the House bill, also scoffed at the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ Commission on Family and Life's announcement that supporters of the bill would not be welcome to the July 25 prayer rally of the Catholic community in Manila.
"If organizers of the prayer rally on the Filipino family on July 25 do not welcome reproductive health and family planning advocates then that is their call and discretion,'' he said.
"We do not intend to gatecrash this vaudeville of misinformation. It is, however, disheartening that those who claim to be purveyors of truth, are in fact peddling misinformation,'' he added.
He said he got a copy of the "Manifesto of Filipino Families,'' which would be read and circulated on July 25, and which contained some misinformation, like claims that Congress has been railroading the bill, and laws on reproductive health would lead to abortion, among others.
"This is completely untrue. On the contrary, a rational and comprehensive national policy on family planning, which includes contraceptive use, reduces significantly the rate of abortion as documented by international studies,'' he said.
"Consequently, there is no need to legalize abortion if there is an increased usage of modern and effective contraceptives,'' he added.
In his email, activist priest, Fr. Robert Reyes said everyone should "develop the fine moral sensitivity to see and sense what is behind the current controversy.''
"While big words like life, conscience, and law are being bandied about, an imp, a little pesky god called convenience is romping about. The focus on population and threats of excommunication are convenient tools of convenience favoring those it means to favor, which unfortunately do not include the poor,'' he said.
Since Pope Benedict XVI has always been concerned about the "fast spreading culture of death,'' the debate on population management would be a "timely and convenient issue'' for the bishops to show support for him, he said.
"In like manner, the population controversy gives a bishop-friendly President a convenient opportunity to give and show her support to her bishop-friends as a sign of her profound gratitude,'' Reyes said in an e-mailed statement.
And since President Macapagal-Arroyo was friendly to the bishops, lobbying against "pro-choice'' and "anti-life'' bills in Congress would be "easy and quite convenient,'' he added.
But lost in the atmosphere of convenience were the poor who had to contend with the spiraling prices of food and fuel every day, said Reyes, called the "running priest'' for staging runs to highlight his causes and who now works for the Asian Human Rights Commission in Hong Kong.
"In all these, those who suffer the most are not heard,'' he said.
While the protagonists in the debate are heard, many poor women “will quietly use contraceptives and resort to abortions (induced and spontaneous),'' according to Reyes.
The Catholic Church will stage a series of prayer rallies this week in a bid to pressure the House of Representatives into dropping the reproductive health bill, which has been passed at the committee level in the House of Representatives.
The CBCP has met with the President to reiterate the Church’s fierce opposition to the bill, saying the measure would pave the way for the eventual acceptance of abortion in the country.
Arroyo responded by vowing to stick to her stand against contraceptives' use.
Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus Dosado has issued a pastoral statement ordering priests in his archdiocese to refuse
communion to what he called pro-abortion politicians.
Lagman and reproductive health advocates have explained that the bill seeks to control the country’s population growth, currently one of the highest in the world at 2.36 percent every year, by educating couples on their choices of artificial and natural birth control methods. To strengthen this choice, funding would be provided for the free distribution of condoms and birth control pills.
Hundreds of thousands of induced abortions are being conducted every year in the Philippines, leading to deaths of many mothers. Reproductive health advocates say poor mothers resort to abortions because they are not aware of completely safe contraceptives and birth spacing.They added that many mothers have compromised their health by giving birth to five up to six children without reasonable birth spacing.
Copyright 2008 Philippine Daily Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
Solon: Catholic Church propagating lies about birth control, family planning
Solon: Catholic Church propagating lies about birth control, family planning
07/19/2008 09:07 PM
MANILA, Philippines - A pro-choice senior member of the House of Representatives on Saturday accused the Catholic church of deliberately spreading “falsehoods" about the government’s consolidated bills on reproductive health and family planning.
In a statement, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the author-proponent of reproductive heath bills, said he and his colleagues “do not intend to gatecrash" the July 25 prayer rally on the Filipino family, as they don’t want to be a party to “this vaudeville of misinformation."
“It is, however, disheartening that those who claim to be purveyors of truth, are in fact peddling misinformation," Lagman said referring to the “Manifesto of Filipino Families."According to Lagman, the manifesto – which the Catholic Church espouses – “will only mire the faithful in ignorance and shackle our women to a life of unremitting pregnancies because it contains deliberate falsehoods." He said in the Bible, John 8:32 unequivocally states, “The truth shall set you free."
“An inordinately huge population growth rate of 2.04 percent imperils family life as a ballooning population impacts adversely on health, education, food security, employment, shelter and the environment – the very essentials of sustainable family life," he said. Lagman said the “misrepresentations" are as follows: * “Congress is railroading the family planning bills. This is false.
These bills have been pending in Congress for the past four Congresses. This length of time of more than one decade belies railroading.* “Laws on reproductive health and family planning eventually lead to legalization of abortion. This is completely untrue. On the contrary, a rational and comprehensive national policy on family planning, which includes contraceptive use, reduces significantly the rate of abortion as documented by international studies.
Consequently, there is no need to legalize abortion if there is an increased usage of modern and effective contraceptives."“There is absolutely no truth to statements that if contraceptives are widely used, the legalization of abortion will be inevitable. There are numerous countries that allow the dissemination of information and promote the access to modern family planning methods and yet still proscribe abortion like the Catholic countries of Guatemala, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela, Paraguay, Ireland and Malta, among others.*
“A national policy on family planning will drastically reduce the population and would result in a population winter. Again, this is a false scare tactic. Despite the expected reduction in the annual population growth rate once a national policy on family planning is in place, the number of people will still continue to increase due to the dynamics of population momentum considering the number of Filipino women of reproductive age.
Experts led by UP Economics professors have declared in a paper entitled “Population and Poverty: The Real Score" that given the excruciatingly slow decrease in our Total Fertility Rate, a so-called population winter will not happen in the country for “at least another 100 years.“Even with a sustained family planning program, our population will continue to increase for another 60 years, by which time our total population would have reached a staggering 240 million according to the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB).* “We should pay homage to OFWs for their dollar remittances as “a payoff of high fertility in the past." This is a cockeyed view on fertility.
Must we continue exporting our people as a “blessing" of a runaway population? High fertility has resulted to the absence of local employment to millions of Filipino workers who are forced to seek jobs abroad despite the hardships and loneliness of working in foreign shores, not to mention the social costs of migration, which tend to destroy the solidarity of the Filipino family.* “The side effects of contraceptive pills are life-threatening. This is incorrect. Medical science shows that the side effects of pills are minimal, if ever.
Family planning saves lives. One-third of all maternal deaths can be prevented by family planning. Unwanted pregnancies are more life threatening to mothers and infants.“Medical and scientific evidence show that if we take into consideration all the possible risks connected with a modern contraceptive like pills, the medical risks associated with them are infinitely much lower than those related to an actual pregnancy and childbearing. This is an unequivocal fact."
Meantime, pro-life Rep. Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque’s first district assured the public that the pro-life caucus of the House of Representatives will continue to defend the dignity of life and family. He defended, on the other hand, the Catholic Church amid criticisms about its opposition to what it believes is pro-abortion. The bill’s authors “are painting a doom's day scenario and unnecessarily scaring the public that poverty will exacerbate if we fail to pass this." “They even go to the extent of attacking the Catholic Church for its advocacy on Pro-life and on its teachings on the Dignity of Life and preservation of the Family. We would like it known to the people that we will continue to fight against the Reproductive Health bill based on rational, constitutional and moral basis," Zialcita said. “We believe that as legislators, it is our supreme duty to protect and uphold the interest of the people in accordance with the mandate of the Constitution, and will not be beholden to small interest groups like multinational pharmaceutical companies," he added. “It is our sworn duty as legislators to promote the common good, for the benefit of the majority of the people," Zialcita said in a statement. - GMANews.TV
07/19/2008 09:07 PM
MANILA, Philippines - A pro-choice senior member of the House of Representatives on Saturday accused the Catholic church of deliberately spreading “falsehoods" about the government’s consolidated bills on reproductive health and family planning.
In a statement, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, one of the author-proponent of reproductive heath bills, said he and his colleagues “do not intend to gatecrash" the July 25 prayer rally on the Filipino family, as they don’t want to be a party to “this vaudeville of misinformation."
“It is, however, disheartening that those who claim to be purveyors of truth, are in fact peddling misinformation," Lagman said referring to the “Manifesto of Filipino Families."According to Lagman, the manifesto – which the Catholic Church espouses – “will only mire the faithful in ignorance and shackle our women to a life of unremitting pregnancies because it contains deliberate falsehoods." He said in the Bible, John 8:32 unequivocally states, “The truth shall set you free."
“An inordinately huge population growth rate of 2.04 percent imperils family life as a ballooning population impacts adversely on health, education, food security, employment, shelter and the environment – the very essentials of sustainable family life," he said. Lagman said the “misrepresentations" are as follows: * “Congress is railroading the family planning bills. This is false.
These bills have been pending in Congress for the past four Congresses. This length of time of more than one decade belies railroading.* “Laws on reproductive health and family planning eventually lead to legalization of abortion. This is completely untrue. On the contrary, a rational and comprehensive national policy on family planning, which includes contraceptive use, reduces significantly the rate of abortion as documented by international studies.
Consequently, there is no need to legalize abortion if there is an increased usage of modern and effective contraceptives."“There is absolutely no truth to statements that if contraceptives are widely used, the legalization of abortion will be inevitable. There are numerous countries that allow the dissemination of information and promote the access to modern family planning methods and yet still proscribe abortion like the Catholic countries of Guatemala, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela, Paraguay, Ireland and Malta, among others.*
“A national policy on family planning will drastically reduce the population and would result in a population winter. Again, this is a false scare tactic. Despite the expected reduction in the annual population growth rate once a national policy on family planning is in place, the number of people will still continue to increase due to the dynamics of population momentum considering the number of Filipino women of reproductive age.
Experts led by UP Economics professors have declared in a paper entitled “Population and Poverty: The Real Score" that given the excruciatingly slow decrease in our Total Fertility Rate, a so-called population winter will not happen in the country for “at least another 100 years.“Even with a sustained family planning program, our population will continue to increase for another 60 years, by which time our total population would have reached a staggering 240 million according to the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB).* “We should pay homage to OFWs for their dollar remittances as “a payoff of high fertility in the past." This is a cockeyed view on fertility.
Must we continue exporting our people as a “blessing" of a runaway population? High fertility has resulted to the absence of local employment to millions of Filipino workers who are forced to seek jobs abroad despite the hardships and loneliness of working in foreign shores, not to mention the social costs of migration, which tend to destroy the solidarity of the Filipino family.* “The side effects of contraceptive pills are life-threatening. This is incorrect. Medical science shows that the side effects of pills are minimal, if ever.
Family planning saves lives. One-third of all maternal deaths can be prevented by family planning. Unwanted pregnancies are more life threatening to mothers and infants.“Medical and scientific evidence show that if we take into consideration all the possible risks connected with a modern contraceptive like pills, the medical risks associated with them are infinitely much lower than those related to an actual pregnancy and childbearing. This is an unequivocal fact."
Meantime, pro-life Rep. Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque’s first district assured the public that the pro-life caucus of the House of Representatives will continue to defend the dignity of life and family. He defended, on the other hand, the Catholic Church amid criticisms about its opposition to what it believes is pro-abortion. The bill’s authors “are painting a doom's day scenario and unnecessarily scaring the public that poverty will exacerbate if we fail to pass this." “They even go to the extent of attacking the Catholic Church for its advocacy on Pro-life and on its teachings on the Dignity of Life and preservation of the Family. We would like it known to the people that we will continue to fight against the Reproductive Health bill based on rational, constitutional and moral basis," Zialcita said. “We believe that as legislators, it is our supreme duty to protect and uphold the interest of the people in accordance with the mandate of the Constitution, and will not be beholden to small interest groups like multinational pharmaceutical companies," he added. “It is our sworn duty as legislators to promote the common good, for the benefit of the majority of the people," Zialcita said in a statement. - GMANews.TV
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Phiippine Gov't and Church over Abortion Row
PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AND CHURCH LOCK HORNS OVER ABORTION ROW
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008Source: Gulf News
Manila: The head of the 240-member House of Representatives expressed opposition to a Catholic Church directive telling clerics to refuse the sacrament of communion to politicians who abet abortion.
In a statement that marks a rare occasion where perceived liberal politicians openly locked horns with the conservative Roman Catholic clergy, House Speaker Prospero Nograles said he disagrees with the stand of Ozamiz City Archbishop Jesus Dosado on refusing communion to politicians who do not share the same views with the Church on abortion.
"While I agree with the Archbishop that we should not legalise abortion, I don't really agree that those who believe otherwise should be denied the right to receive the body of Christ in Holy Communion," Nograles said.
Filipino politicians had typically avoided confrontation with the Catholic Church on certain politically- sensitive social issues, including abortion.
In a pastoral letter released Sunday, Dosado, prelate of the Southern Philippine archdiocese, explicitly said that "pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be denied Holy Communion until they bring to an end the objective situation of sin."
The pastoral letter was also apparently aimed at mustering opposition against a bill pending at the House of Representatives, House Bill 00017, which essentially provides access to Filipino families to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning.
Family planning The Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development bill seeks to provide the environment for Filipino couples and individuals to enjoy the right to plan their families.
The bill has been co-authored by at least 48 members of the House and was approved by the House Committees on health and population and family relations.
It is expected to be calendared for the second reading by the House Committee on Rules when Congress resumes session on July 28.
Date: Tuesday, July 15, 2008Source: Gulf News
Manila: The head of the 240-member House of Representatives expressed opposition to a Catholic Church directive telling clerics to refuse the sacrament of communion to politicians who abet abortion.
In a statement that marks a rare occasion where perceived liberal politicians openly locked horns with the conservative Roman Catholic clergy, House Speaker Prospero Nograles said he disagrees with the stand of Ozamiz City Archbishop Jesus Dosado on refusing communion to politicians who do not share the same views with the Church on abortion.
"While I agree with the Archbishop that we should not legalise abortion, I don't really agree that those who believe otherwise should be denied the right to receive the body of Christ in Holy Communion," Nograles said.
Filipino politicians had typically avoided confrontation with the Catholic Church on certain politically- sensitive social issues, including abortion.
In a pastoral letter released Sunday, Dosado, prelate of the Southern Philippine archdiocese, explicitly said that "pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be denied Holy Communion until they bring to an end the objective situation of sin."
The pastoral letter was also apparently aimed at mustering opposition against a bill pending at the House of Representatives, House Bill 00017, which essentially provides access to Filipino families to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning.
Family planning The Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development bill seeks to provide the environment for Filipino couples and individuals to enjoy the right to plan their families.
The bill has been co-authored by at least 48 members of the House and was approved by the House Committees on health and population and family relations.
It is expected to be calendared for the second reading by the House Committee on Rules when Congress resumes session on July 28.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
RP not meeting maternal mortality rate cut targets
By TRINA LAGURAabs-cbnNEWS.com
The goal of the Philippines to reduce maternal mortality rate (MMR) to 52 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015 will be unattainable unless proper family planning is implemented, according to a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report.
The report, released Friday during the World Population Day Forum in Mandaluyong City, said that in the early 1990s the country's MMR was 209 deaths per 100,000 live births, but by 1998 the ratio significantly decreased to 172.
The group, however, was alarmed by the slow drop in the number of maternal deaths since then, noticing that the MMR decreased only to 162 per 100,000 live births in 2006 or only about 22 percent in past 13 years.
This means that about 10 women die giving birth every day, the UNFPA said
"At this pace, by 2015 MMR will have only declined to 140, and the target of 52 will be unachievable," it said.
The report pointed out that better results can be achieved to bring down the MMR since the three major causes of maternal deaths – hypertension, hemorrhage and unsafe abortion – are preventable.
The UNFPA maintained that "through appropriate family planning," the MMR could decline by almost 30 percent. Maternal health is one of the goals included in the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to reduce poverty across the globe by half by 2015.
MDG 5, in particular, aims to reduce MMR by 75 percent from 1990 to 2015, as well as increase access to reproductive health care.
"In the Philippines, four babies are born every minute, exerting pressure on the country's resources to support these children and plan for their future. None of the MDGs can be achieved if we do not address the issues of population squarely," it said.
The Philippines, along with more than 140 countries, marked the World Population Day Friday, an event that called on nations to promote women empowerment and reduce maternal deaths.
By TRINA LAGURAabs-cbnNEWS.com
The goal of the Philippines to reduce maternal mortality rate (MMR) to 52 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2015 will be unattainable unless proper family planning is implemented, according to a United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report.
The report, released Friday during the World Population Day Forum in Mandaluyong City, said that in the early 1990s the country's MMR was 209 deaths per 100,000 live births, but by 1998 the ratio significantly decreased to 172.
The group, however, was alarmed by the slow drop in the number of maternal deaths since then, noticing that the MMR decreased only to 162 per 100,000 live births in 2006 or only about 22 percent in past 13 years.
This means that about 10 women die giving birth every day, the UNFPA said
"At this pace, by 2015 MMR will have only declined to 140, and the target of 52 will be unachievable," it said.
The report pointed out that better results can be achieved to bring down the MMR since the three major causes of maternal deaths – hypertension, hemorrhage and unsafe abortion – are preventable.
The UNFPA maintained that "through appropriate family planning," the MMR could decline by almost 30 percent. Maternal health is one of the goals included in the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to reduce poverty across the globe by half by 2015.
MDG 5, in particular, aims to reduce MMR by 75 percent from 1990 to 2015, as well as increase access to reproductive health care.
"In the Philippines, four babies are born every minute, exerting pressure on the country's resources to support these children and plan for their future. None of the MDGs can be achieved if we do not address the issues of population squarely," it said.
The Philippines, along with more than 140 countries, marked the World Population Day Friday, an event that called on nations to promote women empowerment and reduce maternal deaths.
FREE! No-Scalpel Vasectomy
PRO QUALITY LIFE Training & Dev’t. Inc. (Q-LIFE)
Advocating Poverty Reduction & Quality Life for the Poor. . .
1-93 J. Osmeña Ext. Cebu City, Phils. (063-32) 4166084/2590989
e-add: proqualitylife@gmail.com
To: All Heads of LGU’s, GO’s, NGO’s, CBO’s,
the Media and to all SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE Companies and Filipino Citizens,
Please reproduce/post this or pass this info to those who need
to be informed on this –
ECONOMIC CRISIS ? NSV an option and FREE !
With the current economic crisis . . . continuing and indefinite rise in the prices of gasoline, rice and just about every basic commodities, how can the low to no-definite- income workers provide for the basic needs and at least a decent life for their several children? and ensure they will not be an additional problem/burden to others and to our society?
It is very essential this time, for PARENTS ( and soon to be parents- the youth) to have a sense of RESPONSIBILITY. If they have low or no definite income (and want to properly raise quality children...) they can decide to have only 2 or few children! They can have several options, from any of the Modern Fertility – Based or the Non-Fertility Based Family Planning Methods.
No-Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV) is just one but a good option for men who don’t want additional children It is a modern technique, safe, simple and quick (15 mins.) procedure. No incision, no suture, just BAND-AID! High success rate, more than 99%, with the modern equipment from the U.S.
Responsible men should take this opportunity, while this is FREE! at Sacred Heart Hospital. Other private institution is charging P3,000+ per procedure.
There is no side effect whatsoever on the strength and sexual functioning. Many workers/laborers and professionals have underwent Vasectomy including the Filipino Founders of NSV International, Inc. Urologists Dr. Ramon Suarez and Engr. Bob Kiamko and their families/relatives and lately his son also Dr. Ron Suarez.
For NSV Orientation, (and other Q-Life Programs & Services) pls. contact Mrs. Frohnie D. Cagalitan of PRO-QUALITY LIFE Training & Dev’t. Inc. (Q-Life) Tel 4166084/2590989 (9-12am M-F) or for NSV schedule pls. contact Mrs. Myrna H. Danuco, Sacred Heart Hospital Tel 2540477.
Advocating Poverty Reduction & Quality Life for the Poor. . .
1-93 J. Osmeña Ext. Cebu City, Phils. (063-32) 4166084/2590989
e-add: proqualitylife@gmail.com
To: All Heads of LGU’s, GO’s, NGO’s, CBO’s,
the Media and to all SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE Companies and Filipino Citizens,
Please reproduce/post this or pass this info to those who need
to be informed on this –
ECONOMIC CRISIS ? NSV an option and FREE !
With the current economic crisis . . . continuing and indefinite rise in the prices of gasoline, rice and just about every basic commodities, how can the low to no-definite- income workers provide for the basic needs and at least a decent life for their several children? and ensure they will not be an additional problem/burden to others and to our society?
It is very essential this time, for PARENTS ( and soon to be parents- the youth) to have a sense of RESPONSIBILITY. If they have low or no definite income (and want to properly raise quality children...) they can decide to have only 2 or few children! They can have several options, from any of the Modern Fertility – Based or the Non-Fertility Based Family Planning Methods.
No-Scalpel Vasectomy (NSV) is just one but a good option for men who don’t want additional children It is a modern technique, safe, simple and quick (15 mins.) procedure. No incision, no suture, just BAND-AID! High success rate, more than 99%, with the modern equipment from the U.S.
Responsible men should take this opportunity, while this is FREE! at Sacred Heart Hospital. Other private institution is charging P3,000+ per procedure.
There is no side effect whatsoever on the strength and sexual functioning. Many workers/laborers and professionals have underwent Vasectomy including the Filipino Founders of NSV International, Inc. Urologists Dr. Ramon Suarez and Engr. Bob Kiamko and their families/relatives and lately his son also Dr. Ron Suarez.
For NSV Orientation, (and other Q-Life Programs & Services) pls. contact Mrs. Frohnie D. Cagalitan of PRO-QUALITY LIFE Training & Dev’t. Inc. (Q-Life) Tel 4166084/2590989 (9-12am M-F) or for NSV schedule pls. contact Mrs. Myrna H. Danuco, Sacred Heart Hospital Tel 2540477.
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