Big majority of Filipinos back RH bill

Majority of Filipinos stand behind the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill pending before Congress, a recent Pulse Asia survey revealed on Tuesday.

There are six pending bills before the House of Representatives of which the most popular apparently is the one filed by Minority Leader Edcel Lagman.

President Benigno Aquino 3rd said that he will maintain his pro-responsible parenthood stand regardless of what surveys say on the RH issue.

The Pulse Asia survey showed that 69 percent of Filipinos agreed with the RH bill while one in 10, or 7 percent, disagreed with the bill and 24 percent were undecided on the issue.

The survey also showed that the support for the bill was strongest in Metro Manila with 74 percent and Classes A, B and C with 78 percent.

On the awareness of the RH bill, Pulse Asia said that eight out of 10 Filipinos, or 80 percent, knew about it—ranging from 66 percent in Visayas to 90 percent in Metro Manila.

In socio-economic classes, the survey showed that 72 percent to 93 percent of respondents have heard, read or watched something about the RH bill.

But two in 10 Filipinos, or 20 percent, only learned about the bill while being interviewed for the survey.

Meanwhile, Pulse Asia said that a small minority, or 7 percent, who disagree with the bill were asked about their opinion regarding specific provisions of the bill, with the majorities in this small group agreeing with the following provisions—recognizing the rights of women and couples to choose the family-planning method that they want on the basis of their needs and personal and religious beliefs, 79 percent; promoting information about and access to natural and modern family planning methods, 70 percent; and stipulating the use of government funds to support modern family planning methods, 55 percent.

The survey, however, said that 44 percent of respondents disagree with the proposal to include “Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education” in the school curricula, while 39 percent are in agreement.

“More particularly, at least half of those in the rest of Luzon [50 percent] and Mindanao [55 percent] are not in favor of including this subject in the school curricula. The plurality sentiment in Class E is also one of disagreement [47 percent],” it added.
The survey also showed that the public opinion on the issue in classes A, B, C and D was split with 41 percent to 43 percent expressing agreement, and 42 percent to 43 percent supporting the proposal.

In Metro Manila and Visayas, 50 percent of respondents who opposed the bill agreed that sex education should be taught in schools.

The Pulse Asia survey said that public indecision on sex education among those opposing the RH bill was highest in the Visayas with 32 percent.

The survey, which was conducted on October 20 to 29, 2010, used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 representative adults in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The survey had a plus or minus 3-percent margin of error at a 95-percent confidence level.

No change in position

In Malacañang, President Aquino said that his position on responsible parenthood will not change.

“I have not changed my position, it’s still called responsible parenthood and what it seeks to do is paalala sa lahat ng mga magiging magulang or magulang na na ‘yung responsibilidad nila ay dapat nilang tugunan [to remind those who will become parents or those who are already parents that they have responsibilities],” the President pointed out during a chance interview when sought to comment on the Pulse Asia survey on the RH bill.

Mr. Aquino said that recent remarks of Pope Benedict XVI on condom use have not changed his position, and it would be helpful if the Catholic Church became more “sensible” toward the issue of responsible parenthood.

Catholic bishops and the President have disagreements on responsible parenthood and free distribution of condoms to couples who request them.

But a lawmaker said that those respondents who favored the RH bill did not know the dangers of the health services the measure is trying to put in place.

Rep. Anthony Golez of Bacolod City (Negros Occidental), a public health doctor by profession, said that more than half of the services under the RH bill are for abortion, since they involve intrauterine contraceptive devices and pills that not only stop conception, but prevent the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus as well.

“This should signal the different medical society groups and medical scientists to come out and inform our public that when we consider that life begins during fertilization, many of RH services can kill a life in utero,” he added.

Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque City (Metro Manila) backed Anthony Golez’s view, saying that at least 90 percent of Filipinos have not even read the RH bill.

But for Lagman, who has been pushing his RH bill since the previous Congress, the recent Pulse Asia survey revealed the dwindling influence of the Catholic Church hierarchy on its flock, particularly on persuading its followers not to adopt modern methods of family planning.

“The people have spoken yet again. They do not only approve of the passage of the RH bill [since] 79 percent recognize the right of women and couples to decide for themselves which family planning method is best suited to them; 70 percent agree that all forms of family planning methods should be promoted; and 55 percent agree that government funds must be used to support modern family planning methods,” he said.

Rep. Arlene Bag-Ao of Akbayan party-list said that the results of the Pulse Asia survey showed who the real moral majority is in the RH debate.

“We have always known that the bill has the firm support of majority of Filipinos who believe in the bill because of their conscience and pro-life principles,” she added. –Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz, Cris G. Odronia and Llanesca T. Panti Reporters, Manila Times