PMA waiting to be invited to congressional hearings on RH bill

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) is waiting to be invited to congressional hearings and other deliberations on family planning, as it reiterated yesterday its policy that “new life begins at fertilization.”

PMA president Dr. Oscar Tinio also said that Dr. Santiago del Rosario was not authorized to speak for the group during a hearing of the House of Representative on the Reproductive Health bill last Dec. 15.

“Had the PMA been officially invited to the hearing, we could have sent an official representative who is authorized to speak on the subject matter,” Tinio said in a Dec. 16 letter to Biliran Rep. Rogelio Espina Jr., chair of the House committee on population and family relations.

He said Del Rosario “had uttered statements that were contrary to the official stand of the PMA on family planning.”

Tinio noted that as PMA president, only he or his duly authorized representative is allowed to issue official statements on behalf of the group.

The PMA shares the view of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that life begins at the moment of fertilization or when the “sperm and mature ovum unite to form the embryo.”

Quoting the Ethical Guidelines in Obstetrical and Gynecological Practice and the Ethics of Reproductive and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Tinio claimed that “the zygote, pre-embryo, or embryo, are already considered unique human beings and are therefore entitled to full moral support as that of an adult.”

He added that the PMA is willing to voluntarily offer its scientific and medical expertise on the reproductive health issue to both the government and the Church.

“We are just waiting to be invited. So far, only the Catholic Church officially consulted us on the matter. Medical doctors are major stakeholders and front liners in the reproductive health and wellness of our nation. As the experts in this field we should be consulted on policies concerning reproductive health,” Tinio said.