Freedom of choice

IAM not an authority on Catholicism but I am a practicing Catholic. I may not know as much about my faith as a theologian or my priest but I do believe in the Apostles Creed, which, if I recall my religion classes correctly, is the profession if not summation of our faith, of what we Catholics believe in. (That short profession we say at Mass is a lot to take already, I tell you, what with the three Gods in one person concept alone).

I’ve already heard the arguments of the Church, more specifically the Catholic hierarchy, against contraceptives. There is really nothing new about the debate, which was already controversial even during my first term in the Senate, shortly after the Edsa 1986 revolution.

The Catholic line is that sex should be about procreation, or married couples having children. Condoms are a no-no because sex shouldn’t be practiced mainly for pleasure. Sex shouldn’t be practiced out of wedlock, otherwise the moral fabric of society would be in peril.

The thing is, people do have sex outside marriage, and many times have kids that they don’t want. Even married couples end up having unwanted children. Unprotected sex has also resulted in HIV infections. These are realities.

The Catholic Church (not all of us who comprise the Church but the hierarchy) sees something wrong in the reproductive health bill as it offers birth control options to be mandated by law.

Proponents of various reproductive health measures over the years have been unsuccessful in their efforts to enact their advocacy into law because it’s hard to go against the Catholic Church in a country that is predominantly Catholic. As a result, we’ve got a population fast approaching 100 million Filipinos, one of the most populous poor countries in the world.

Something has got to give. I suppose that even though the Catholic Church has repeatedly stated in no uncertain terms that the use of contraceptives is a grave sin, people use them anyway. Why not help them make informed choices. It is the government’s duty to its citizens after all.

Would we rather have more pregnant women going to abortion clinics and endanger their lives? This is not a hysterical response. Again, it’s reality. People get aids. Filipino Catholics who are pressured not to use birth control eventually get pregnant and resort to an abortion in some bogus clinic. We can’t simply tell people to abstain and be more “moral.”

Also, the Catholic doctrine on reproductive health issues affect people of all faiths, not just Catholics. As the President said, he is president of all Filipinos, not just Catholic Filipinos.

The government should help ensure proper family planning and good living conditions for its citizens. The government is responsible for maternal health. Having too many kids can cause death for the mother and squalor for the remaining family members.

In richer countries, having a child might affect one’s lifestyle but in poorer countries like the Philippines it can mean a serious risk to the mother’s health.
The government should do its duty to its citizens and we as citizens should also be responsible. The Church should also be responsible to its members, whose contributions may I remind our dear priests and bishops, help support them.

We in the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) support the President’s pro-choice family planning policy. It’s a courageous demonstration of political leadership, amid strong resistance from Catholic Church officials.

We are absolutely behind the President’s decision for government to provide modern contraceptives to couples who would prefer to limit their number of children and avoid unplanned pregnancies.

The President’s policy is a fair and sensible approach to human development and population management. We’ve seen how workers who planned their families have been able to achieve a superior quality of life compared to those who did not plan ahead.

Over the years, TUCP has been delivering family planning and reproductive health services at the workplace, with the financial aid of the Los Altos, California-based David and Lucile Packard Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund, among other donors.

We simply explain to workers the benefits of responsible parenthood, and all the options available to them should they wish to secure the family’s welfare by restricting their number of children.

The couples themselves enjoy absolute freedom of informed choice and ultimately decide for themselves the family planning method they wish to embrace, based on their needs and their strong personal and religious beliefs.

TUCP is also pushing for the inclusion of a clause on family planning and reproductive health clinics and services at the work-place in every collective bargaining agreement between union and management.

Far too many working mothers and infants are dying every year as a result of unplanned pregnancies. Unless government pushes for the use of condoms, in the years ahead, the country would lose a greater number of able-bodied male and female workers to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS.

No Filipino family should be deprived of a life of health and equal opportunity, just because they have no immediate access to new family planning methods.

ernestboyherrera@yahoo.com –Ernesto F. Herrera, Manila Times