Most Catholics want free contraceptives

MANILA, Philippines – Amid stiff opposition from the powerful Catholic Church, a vast majority of its flock – comprising at least 85 percent of the 83 million Filipinos – wants the government to provide them with means to plan their families.

A survey conducted by Pulse Asia in 2007 shortly before the senatorial elections in May, showed that most Catholics favor a state-subsidized allocation for modern contraceptives.

“A whopping 90 percent of all the Roman Catholics surveyed declared their support for state subsidy of modern contraceptives vigorously prohibited by the Catholic Church,” revealed Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, main author of the reproductive health bill.

He also revealed that 96 percent of his fellow Bicolanos and 95 percent of President Arroyo’s cabalen (provincemates) in Pampanga – both touted as the “most religious” ethnic groups – likewise support government allocation for the use of contraceptives.

“The results of these surveys are instructive even as they are revealing. If the Church wants to continue to become significant in the lives of the faithful, they must listen to their flock or risk becoming irrelevant,” Lagman said.

Even the youth supports the advocacy. A report of the Philippine Population Report, entitled “Pinoy Youth: Making Choices, Building Voices,” indicated that 90 percent want government to provide family planning services.

A separate 80 percent, meantime, believe that these services should reach them.

In the same survey, a majority of the ethnic groups “disagreed” with the proposition that churches or religious sects should impose the methods that member couples should avail themselves of.

Pro-church groups led by Quezon City Rep. Annie Rose Susano succeeded in derailing for a day the sponsorship speech of Lagman in the House of Representatives, where House Bill 5043 will be undergoing debates in plenary.

The controversial measure is entitled “Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development Act of 2008 (RH bill).”

Among those who made known their opposition to the measure are Reps. Pablo Garcia of Cebu, Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque, Trinidad Apostol of Leyte and Ma. Carissa Coscolluela of party-list Buhay, the sectoral group formed by El Shaddai leader Bro. Mike Velarde.

“We should protect our people from harmful products and promote health as mandated in our Constitution. Actually we should prevent harmful products, like contraceptive drugs and devices, (from) proliferating in the market,” said Zialcita.

Coscolluela, for her part, said passing the measure would “bring about a culture of promiscuity; at worst, a culture of death.”

“The greatest danger of the bill lies not only in its policy mandating the widespread use and ready availability of life-threatening birth control devices, but more so in the severely misguided attitude toward life and pro-creation that it will implant in our youth,” she said.

“We must open our minds to the import and merits of the RH bill and reject contrived criticisms, expose barefaced lies, refute malicious innuendoes, and resist menacing threats,” Lagman answered.

“We must not fear to legislate because it is courage which is the handmaiden of a good and vital law,” said the senior House member, who quit his chairmanship of the House appropriations committee to focus on his advocacy bill.

“This bill is not solely about pills, condoms and IUDs. Neither is it about sex, morality or religion no matter how desperately its oppositors claim it is. It does not legalize abortion nor does it seek the legalization of abortifacients,” Lagman explained.

“The bill is rights-based and does not have a demographic target. It is even a misnomer to call it a birth control measure,” he said.

“There is no bias for or against natural or modern family planning methods because both will be promoted with equal vigor to truly assure freedom of informed choice. It is principally about rights, health and sustainable human development,” Lagman said.

“The bill is fully transparent. There is no hidden agenda. There are no caveats,” he added.   “Verily, the heart and soul of the bill is freedom of informed choice. Neither the State nor the Church has the authority to impose its preference or will on the citizens or the faithful.”

Numbers game

Meanwhile, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday said it has learned its lesson during the first week of plenary debates on the RH bill, and would now send a bigger contingent to the House of Representatives next week.

Fr. Melvin Castro, CBCP-Episcopal Commission on Family and Life executive secretary, said they were greatly outnumbered by the supporters of the controversial bill during the initial plenary hearings at the House.

“During the first plenary, last Tuesday, our number was about 100 but it went down the following days. While the supporters of the RH bill were more organized and numbered about 500,” said Castro.

He said the Catholic Church thought there was no need to bring in a big group to hold a vigil at the House gallery and that the bishops’ effort to individually talk to their respective congressmen to convince them not to support the RH bill, was enough.

They realized that they and other pro-life groups have to change their tactic. “We need more warm bodies there,” he added.

They use to rely on the Diocese of Novaliches and other organizations to fill the seats in the gallery, but this time they would ask the help of the dioceses in Central Luzon and Southern Luzon, he said.

“We would come out as a stronger group,” he said.

The CBCP official added: “We have not yet thought of asking the dioceses in Bicol, let us see first what will happen in the second week.”

He said the charismatic group El Shaddai Prayer Partners Foundation, through its three Buhay party-list representatives, has also been helping in the campaign against the RH bill.

In fact, during the grand fellowship last night, El Shaddai servant leader Bro. Mariano “Mike” Velarde was scheduled to tackle the RH bill in his healing message.

Castro said they would continue to be vigilant until Congress goes on recess on Oct. 10.  – With Evelyn Macairan