Reproductive Health

If Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral ever needs a new career, she should apply for the position of Senior Lightning Rod in the next administration or in a public relations firm.

If the incoming administration is really sincere in reforming the government it should at least have a new look. This means an overall revamp of the Cabinet by appointing fresh faces with novel ideas in performing executive functions. It should not retain any of the past or present Cabinet members of the outgoing administration. To…

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education assured the public yesterday that classroom discussions on sex education would not be about the sex act but about the science of reproduction, physical care and hygiene, correct values and the norms of interpersonal relations to avoid premarital sex and teenage pregnancy.

THERE’S always energy in the air at conferences, workshops and events related to sexual reproductive health or maternal health. It must be the result of the tireless efforts of the advocates who have seen decades of opposition, but have remained unwavering in their stand on the issue.

CEBU, Philippines – The debate on the propriety of integrating sex education into the school curriculum is far from over and opposing sectors believe a thorough discussion is necessary to arrive at a reasonable resolution.

The Likhaan organization’s policy forum “Changing Course to Achieve the MDG5” held at a five-star hotel last week gravely noted the decline of contraceptive use among women who have more children than they want. A Guttmacher Institute study showed that the proportion of modern method users who obtain their supplies from the public sector declined,…

MANILA, Philippines – A Catholic bishop on Friday morning could not help but kiss Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral as he approved of her suggestion that sex education should be taught at kindergarten level.

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE) – Health secretary Esperanza Cabral said sex education should be taught as early as kindergarten, and not when a teen is already pregnant.

Once again Tuesday last week, it was made painfully clear to me why we need to have reproductive health information and family planning options readily available from responsible channels to prevent tragedies. My wife was riding with a friend when her friend’s driver got a cell phone call that got him very troubled. My wife…

Even as the dusts of the last electoral battle have not yet fully settled down, the advocates of the RH bill are already making lots of noises. They are beating their breasts and bragging that most of the politicians who are staunch supporters of the bill were reelected thereby showing that the Church campaign against…

We got a glimpse into the reproductive health concerns of president-elect Noynoy Aquino, which concerns are the needed shot in the arm in the long-festering issue of lack of a national population policy. During the campaign period, Aquino had expressed favoring reproductive health, a position that was perceived to not sit well with the Roman…

MANILA, Philippines—Advocates of the reproductive health bill are bullish about the prospects of passing the controversial measure in the new Congress, hopefully with a little help from presumptive president-elect Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

MANILA, Philippines – Supporters of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill bared yesterday that more lawmakers are likely to push for the passage of the measure in the incoming 15th Congress.

FOR REELECTING RH BILL-BACKING SOLONS The reelection of lawmakers who support the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill in Congress is an indication that the Filipino electorate is still not “mature” vote-wise, an official of the Catholic Church has said.

COTABATO CITY, May 18 — The country’s reproductive health advocates are calling on President-in-waiting Sen. Benigno “Nonoy” Aquino to remain firm on his pro-reproductive health stance and never allow too much religious interference in his governance. This call from RH advocates was raised Tuesday amid warnings from some Catholic leaders on Aquino’s stance on RH.

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino will have hard days with the Catholic Church as far as the controversial reproductive health bill is concerned.

MANILA, Philippines—Roman Catholic bishops around the country Thursday aired their support for “president-in-waiting” Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in his promise to fight poverty and corruption, but reminded that the Church’s stand on the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill would never change.

Today is the day the nation goes to the polls. This is judgment day that the sovereign people have long been waiting for. This is the day when they will choose the leaders whom they believe will resolutely carry out the much needed changes in government they have been dreaming of after almost ten years…

ACTOR ROBIN PADILLA, THE “Bad Boy of Philippine Movies” is being sued for actively endorsing condoms which a political party claimed is an affront to public sensibilities.

MANILA, Philippines – Seven in 10 Filipinos approve of the Department of Health’s promotion of condom use to prevent the transmission of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

Long before the myth of man-made global warming came on the scene, a more pervasive and potentially destructive idea began 200 years ago—the myth of overpopulation.

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources expressed alarm over the country’s food security—not for lack supply, but because of increasing demand.

MANILA, Philippines – Two non-government organizations are urging Filipinos to vote for candidates who favor the reproductive health bill.

The Philippines has a population of about 90 million, which is quite large for an archipelago measuring only 300,000 square kilometers.

CEBU, Philippines – The Department of Health is urging the Department of Education to integrate sex education into the curricula in schools across the country focusing on the modes of transmission and prevention and control of Human Immunodeficiency-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-Aids).

CEBU, Philippines – Kilusang Bagong Lipunan vice-presidential candidate Jose “Jay” Sonza suggested to rename the Reproductive Health Bill into Population Management Bill saying that the title is too sensitive that it had caused a controversy.

We attended the Humane Vitae Awards of the National Pro-Lifers in Government Service Recognition night at the Marriott Hotel last Friday evening led by Dr. Rene Josef Bullecer Country Director of Human Life International Pilipinas with no less than his Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and members of the Task Force for Family and Life-Visayas in…

The only time I ever had anything close to a “birds and the bees” discussion with my dad was just before I got married. Self-control, he advised, was the best approach to sex and family planning. I remember trying to suppress a smile since I am the eighth child in our family and was born…

Is it morally acceptable to vote for an anti-family candidate? With the foregoing considerations, it would not be morally permissible to vote for candidates who support anti-family policies, including reproductive health; or any other moral evil such as abortion, divorce, assisted suicide and euthanasia. Otherwise one becomes an accomplice to the moral evil in question.

What are some experiences in other countries in relation to reproductive health and related to family and life issues?