Reproductive Health

MANILA, Philippines—The largest alliance of Protestant and non-Roman Catholic churches in the Philippines has thrown its support behind the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill as “a means to encourage Filipino couples to seriously consider how to plan their family.”

AN official of the United Nations Development Program sees the passage of a reproductive health bill as aiding the country in achieving the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the incidence of extreme poverty.

MANILA, Philippines—The minority bloc in the House of Representatives will push for the retention of the P880-million allocation for family health at this week’s bicameral conference committee on the P1.645-trillion national budget for next year.

MANILA, Philippines – A group of religious organizations has urged lawmakers to speed up the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill into law.

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, Philippines—Amid the heated and often emotional debates over reproductive health, the population officer of this city has expressed preference for teaching the Church-backed natural family planning method more than the government-supported artificial methods.

In the wake of a public opinion survey showing that nearly seven of 10 Filipinos favor the reproductive health (RH) bill, an influential Catholic priest urged the Church to “walk the talk” in fighting the measure, with “armies” of natural family planning educators in every parish.

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines—A group supporting the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has warned bishops opposing six reproductive health (RH) bills being pushed in Congress that they face imminent defeat, urging them to work and pray to win more lawmakers to their side.

MANILA, Philippines—The Aquino administration would make do with whatever amount Congress had allocated for its budget for responsible parenthood, Malacañang said Saturday.

Who really believes women’s reproductive health is the main concern in House Bill 96? Bill Clinton in Manila. Photo: Philippines InquirerLast week in Manila, Malcolm Potts, grand-daddy of the international family planning movement, announced that unless the much debated “Reproductive Health” bill is passed in this session of Congress, the Philippines would become the next…

The Reproductive Health (RH) bill, now being pursued by its advocates in the House of Representatives, is unconstitutional as it goes against the fundamental rights of the family to be free from state regulation, former Sen. Francisco Tatad said yesterday.

We have lately seen protesting crowds of bus and tricycle drivers and operators who have gone to the streets and public places, blocked traffic and caused so much inconvenience to a lot of people. Obviously 6 or 7 or 8 out of 10 of them believe that it is their right to earn a living…

An official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Wednesday called for a stop to surveys, particularly on the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

The country director for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on Wednesday welcomed results of a recent survey that showed nearly seven of 10 Filipinos standing behind the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill pending before Congress.

MANILA, Philippines – Mayors belonging to the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) backed yesterday the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, saying they wanted their constituents to have an informed choice.

MANILA, Philippines—An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines cast doubt Wednesday on the Pulse Asia survey showing that nearly seven out of 10 Filipinos support the Reproductive Health Bill pending before Congress.

After the Reproductive Health (RH) bill advocates, including their media friends virtually mangled the statement of his holiness Pope Benedict XVI, now the Pope has called upon all politicians and the media to show more respect for human life at its earliest stages, pointing out clearly that embryos aren’t just biological material, they are human…

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

MANILA, Philippines – Seven in 10 Filipinos, mostly residents of Metro Manila, favor the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, the recent Ulat ng Bayan Survey conducted by Pulse Asia showed.

The Students and Campuses section takes a look back at the condom and its colorful confrontations with religion and society throughout the centuries. MANILA, Philippines — For such a tiny thing, the condom certainly has got centuries of controversy behind it.

It’s quite natural for Reproductive Health bill advocates to welcome Pope Benedict XVI’s stance on the use of condoms for exceptional cases, such as when a male prostitute has to use the prophylactic to avoid infecting other persons. In fact, although it would be like reaching for the moon, they would like a more radical…

The Reproductive Health (RH) bill got lashed with prayers as thousands members of a Catholic charismatic group flocked at Amvel City compound in Parañaque City last Saturday.

Here’s a trick question: Which of the following is a grave sin and which is the lesser of two evils—murder with torture or murder without pain? For liberals opposed to the Catholic Church prohibition on contraception, it seemed something could be evil, but not sinful. At least that was how they apparently—or wishfully—understood Pope Benedict…

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang yesterday assured Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III that the entire budget of the Department of Health (DOH) would not be allotted solely for the purchase of contraceptives, but only a portion of it.

MANILA, Philippines –  While supporting the need to limit the size of families, the Department of Health (DOH) will also help married couples with fertility problems have children.

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday insisted on its P880-million budget for the government’s family planning program and purchase of contraceptives next year.

HOUSE Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Thursday said that a survey, even if one conducted by the Catholic Church, would reveal that majority of Filipinos will favor the passage of reproductive health (RH) bills while a well-known prelate accused proponents of the measures of lying for claiming that the bills do not allow abortion.

MECHAI Viravaidya, the family planning pioneer of Thailand and former Cabinet member and senator known as “Mr. Condom,” once explained why he focused on condom use when he first began to propagate the “gospel” of family planning in his country.

Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III on Friday expressed his opposition to the government’s move to allocate P880 million for family planning, specifically for the purchase of articificial contraceptives.

Once more Congress is deliberating on the RH Bill. In the Lower House it is entitled “Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2010” (HB 96) while in the Senate it is SB 2378 entitled an “Act Providing for a National Policy for Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development”.

MANILA, Philippines—House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Thursday welcomed a proposal for the Church to commission its own survey to ascertain the “pulse of the poor” on the reproductive health bill, but predicted it would produce the same results.