It appears that the proponents and sponsors of the Lower House Reproductive Health Bill won’t stop at nothing to secure its passage. Again they have resorted to a publicity blitz on the result of another survey showing that more than 60% of Filipinos are in favor of the bill in an obvious attempt to sway enough members of the lower chamber to support it. This is a clear sign that they have run out of convincing arguments and valid reasons for its enactment into law.
A bill is enacted into law because it is intrinsically valid and for the public good, not because six, seven, eight, nine, or even ten out of ten Filipinos believe it to be so. Something inherently wrong or evil does not become right or good simply because of the opinion of an overwhelming majority. Besides, the legality of its provisions depend on what the law says, not what the people say, while the truth of some of its policy statements and premises depends on whether they conform to actions, events, conditions as happening, existing or really taking place, not on whether they correspond to the thoughts or beliefs of a great number of people. Hence, survey results are immaterial in deciding whether or not to enact a bill into law.
More importantly, survey results on the bill are not completely reliable. They may not reflect the peoples’ real judgments and opinions. In the first place, if the questions merely lead the people to the desired answer, then they are just putting words into their mouths and not actually getting their independent opinions. Secondly, the people may not be fully and accurately informed of the subject of the questions propounded hence their answers are given out of ignorance. And third, if the survey has been commissioned by an interested party who paid for it then the results are usually made to reflect what that party desires.
In this particular survey made by Pulse Asia, the survey questions almost certainly did not inform the people as respondents about the many objectionable features and adverse effects of the bill.
It did not inform the people surveyed that, in promoting “reproductive health”, the bill allows couples and individuals to choose from and use contraceptive pills directly causing abortion like Depoprovera RU 486, Norplant, Emergency Morning-After Pill; it did not inform the people that the other pills are not fail safe and also indirectly lead to abortion as a means of getting rid of the unwanted pregnancies; it did not inform people that all these contraceptive pills have adverse effects on virtually every organ of the human body, interfering as it does with the normal functioning of the woman’s vitally important reproductive system that may have side effects like cancer, hypertension, heart disease etc; it did not inform the people that other artificial contraceptive devices like the IUD insertion also cause abortion or result in intrauterine trauma, pelvic infections and ectopic pregnancy; it did not inform the people that condoms have high failure rate against AIDS, STDs and even against pregnancy; it did not inform the people that tubal ligation, vasectomy and other family planning methods specifically targeting the poor actually deprive them of the chance to have more children in case of their improved economic situation or in case of death of their present children, thereby leaving them without support in their old age.
The survey questions of course did not tell the interviewees that the bill runs counter to several constitutional provisions particularly: Section 12, Article II, recognizing the sanctity of family life, protecting and strengthening the family as a basic autonomous social institution, mandating the State to protect the life of the mother and the unborn from the moment of conception, and supporting the primary right and duty of the parents in the rearing and education of their children and the development of their moral character; Sections 1 and 2 Article XV strengthening the solidarity and total development of the family as the foundation of the nation as well as the inviolability of marriage as the foundation of the family; Section 3(1) Article XV mandating the State to defend the rights of the spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and demands of responsible parenthood; and Section 5, Article III guaranteeing the free exercise of religion, religious beliefs and convictions.
The survey questions did not point out the dire social consequences shown by experiences in countries that adopted the same bill providing the same reproductive health services where child abuse and wife battery are rampant, woman’s status is lowered and couples split due to women’s feelings of being used as sex objects to satisfy men’s sex drives and where more than 50% of marriages end up in divorce. The survey questions also did not tell the people that in countries where sex education was introduced in schools from grade 5 to fourth year high school, unwanted teenage pregnancies increased and incidence of STDs among youth soared per WHO report.
Hence, during this time when the world is already in global recession, Filipinos are asking our legislators this question: why would you still insist and allow the passage of this bill where our country will spend billions of pesos (P5 billion?) to guarantee universal access to harmful RH care services, methods, devices, supplies; to fully implement RH education, information-dissemination through nationwide multi media campaign; and to introduce sex education among our school children that has dire consequences on the youth, just to promote a “satisfying and safe sex life” under the guise of “reproductive health?
Note: Books containing compilation of my articles on Labor Law and Criminal Law (Vols. I and II) are now available. Call tel. 7249445.
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E-mail at: jcson@pldtdsl.net