Reproductive Health

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday backpedaled on his promise to push legislation on responsible parenthood and freedom of information, leaving them out of his administration’s list of priority bills that will be presented to lawmakers on Feb. 28.

An expanded list of priority bills to be discussed in the first Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting scheduled on Feb. 28 was finally presented by Malacañang to the media yesterday but it did not include the controversial Responsible Parent-hood (RP) bill, Freedom of Information (FoI) bill as well the Whistleblowers Act which President…

THE poem describes two young lovers aching with desire. The obsession is mutual, carnal, complete. The man lingers over his lover’s eyes and hair, on her teeth, lips, temples, neck and breasts, until he arrives at “the mount of myrrh.” He rhapsodizes. “All of you is beautiful, my love,” he says. “There is no flaw…

In last Friday’s column (Reaching another crossroad), the CBCP has clearly shown in its pastoral letter that contrary to what its advocates are claiming, the RH bill does not really promote reproductive health, does not reduce but increases the rate of abortion, does not really prevent HIV/AIDS, empowers women with ownership of their own bodies…

At least two Catholic bishops have warned of a “civil disobedience” campaign if the controversial bill on birth control is passed into law.

In its pastoral letter dated January 30, 2011, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has finally drawn the battle lines in clear and bold strokes “what they object to and what they stand for” regarding the controversial RH bill now being discussed in Congress.

MANILA, Philippines – Catholic bishops would back civil disobedience if the Responsible Parenthood (RP) Bill is passed into law.

Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz warned President Aquino with being faced with daily street protests led by the Church once the Reproductive Health (RH) bill that his administration is backing gets Congress’ approval.

Leaders of the Catholic church have called on the people to once again “act together” in condemning the Reproductive Health (RH) bill following the House panel’s approval of the consolidated version of the birth control measure.

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives committee on population and family relations approved yesterday a consolidated version of several measures on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill despite a last-ditch effort of some lawmakers to block it.

MANILA, Philippines—Saying that the dialogue with Malacañang on the reproductive health (RH) bill only revealed the huge disconnect between the two parties on the issue, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Monday exhorted the faithful to consider mass action amid efforts in Congress to fast-track a family planning measure.

MANILA, Philippines – Enlightened pro-reproductive health Catholics who are leading the campaign for the use of both modern and natural family planning methods are happy over President Benigno C. Aquino’s firm stand on the issue of providing reproductive health services, particularly to the most vulnerable groups in Philippine society.

MANILA, Philippines – Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco pushed yesterday for the immediate passage of the “Women’s Right to Know Act” which seeks massive public campaign to educate the Filipino women on the importance of reproductive health care.

Malacañang spin-doctors seem to be working full blast in their efforts to push through with the alleged “Responsible Parenthood” bill. In a Philippine STAR news last Tuesday, January 25, 2011 (page 8), Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said that government officials and Catholic Church representatives met last Monday, January 24, 2011 to reconcile differences on the…

THERE is no need to come up with a responsible parenthood (RP) bill to compliment the pending reproductive health (RH) bill measure proposed in the House of Representatives, an RH bill author in the House said Wednesday. House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman noted that the responsible parenthood bill parallels Lagman’s House Bill 96 along with…

OFFICIALS from Malacañang and the Catholic Church met for the second time on Monday to discuss the responsible parenthood (RP) bill—the Palace’s proposed version of the reproductive health (RH) bill—and agreed to treat it as a poverty-reduction measure of the government.

THE PALACE and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) held another dialogue on the reproductive health (RH) issue yesterday, underscoring the importance of free and informed choice on family planning, a Palace spokesperson said.

MANILA, Philippines –  With the announcement of President Aquino that the Reproductive Health (RH) bill would be one of the priority bills of the Aquino administration, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales yesterday reminded the government that morality could not be legislated.

LUCENA CITY, Quezon, Philippines – Two Catholic bishops, priests, lay people from different church organizations in Quezon province held a motorcade and rally on Saturday to drive home their opposition to the reproductive health bill pending in Congress.

BAGUIO CITY, Jan. 21 (PIA) – The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) Baguio supports the Reproductive Health Bill but against anything that would harm the health of women and babies.

MANILA, Philippines—The reproductive health bill is one of 12 priority bills that President Benigno Aquino III will be presenting to Congress for approval this year.

Yesterday, President Noynoy Aquino called the first meeting for the year of his full Cabinet, the third such gathering since he took office. This was apparently such an important event that the media had to be advised about it.

Committee level approval of RH bill eyed in February THE controversial reproductive health (RH) measure and the freedom of information (FOI) bill are on top of Congress’ agenda when it resumes sessions today.

Like it or not, most of the members of Congress do not observe regular office hours. Nor do they report for work regularly every working day. Only their lowly staff members punch time cards and report for work regularly. It is accepted and common knowledge that plenary sessions or committee hearings are often delayed or…

MANILA, Philippines (PNA) – Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Enrique Ona affirmed on Thursday the position of the government to support responsible parenthood by providing the Filipino people with necessary information that would be helpful in raising their families.

VATICAN CITY: Sexual and civic education in schools in Europe is an “attack” on religious freedom, Pope Benedict XVI said on Monday in a traditional annual address to foreign diplomats to the Vatican.

Next week is already the Sinulog Week for Cebu (how time flies, indeed) and I asked Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama to be my special guest on our talk show “Straight from the Sky” so we did the taping in the new mayor’s office in Cebu City, which is now located at the ground floor…

MANILA, Philippines –  Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman yesterday expressed support for the Reproductive Health Bill.

A BISHOP has asked legislators in Misamis Occidental province not to vote for the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill pending in Congress or risk being disallowed to take Holy Communion.

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Pia Cayetano vowed Sunday to push through with more public hearings this year on the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill even if the measure is not part of the priority legislative agenda of the current Senate leadership.