RH Bill dispute is finally over

AN ADVOCACY WORTH OUR SUPPORT AND COOPERATION – Just the other day, Congress had put the final polish on the highly controversial Reproductive Health Bill or RH Bill, in which the House of Representatives voted 133 in favor, 79 against and 7 abstained. Meanwhile the Senate voted 13 in favor and 8 against the approval of the bill. It’s just a matter of time or probably before the end of the year when President Benigno Aquino III finally signs the bill into law.
After months of being severely pounded by harsh critics led by the influential Catholic Church hierarchy, the intense debates are finally over. But the anti-RH Bill forces, who are badly disheartened and upset over the decision of Congress, blame President PNoy solely for alleged “parliamentary interference.” Also, they fesl that it was a “day of mourning” for the Filipino nation.
One primary reason for their strong opposition is the allegation that the Aquino government resorts to family planning and birth control program to reduce fertility levels and population growth rates, but actually not to improve women’s overall health and well-being. Overbearing church leaders, in particular, even seek the help of pro-life advocates and women’s groups including media to support them put women’s issues in a proper perspective. The move aims to demonstrate that reproductive health deserves as much space as stories of politics, crime and violence.    
For the RH Bill detractors, the past months and week of intense debates in Congress are simply a matter of sluggish reaction to the quick changing news cycles. They pointed out that the main issue of the government’s reproductive health policy revolve around the “anti-life and anti-family laws and practices into our social order.” And besides, they stood firm in their opinion that certain provisions in the RH Bill promotes and leads to abortion, therefore it’s a case of corruption- mentally and physically. Is that so, monsignors?
Moreover, severe critics say that if we were to examine past experiences, the several millions of pesos that government has previously earmarked for its population control and family planning program have not produce appreciable results. It traces the progression of international population policy when past and present government faced with dwindling resources and fast-growing population that they began trying to control birth rates. But most of the methods introduced by our current lawmakers to accomplish their objectives on birth control and family planning procedures were focused solely on limiting women’s capability to bear children.
And for the displeased and disappointed critics, government reproductive health program is more than mere statistics because it often neglected women’s real needs and concerns. Too often, though, women end up being treated as mere tools in a campaign to tow down population growth rates. Since the start of the debates, over-assuming church leaders, pro-life advocates and women’s groups decided to intervene in every twist and turn aimed at making lawmakers realize that lifting women’s status in life by providing them with education, skills training and jobs along with ensuring their political participation and physical well-being was more a permanent approach to managing population rather than plunged contraceptives into them.
With the anti-RH Bill groups marching on the streets and spewing lot of diatribes, however, it lamentably offered nothing to help solve the country’s worsening population problem and ease out the burden faced by the government. Goodness gracious! Despite all the tirades coming from different directions, the Aquino administration remains unfazed. It has consistently emphasized that overpopulation, more than anything else, is straining the country’s resources. The population grew at a rate of 2.5 % annually and the county is now home to an estimated 96 million people. If the annual population growth rate continues at accelerating pace, the country’s population is expected to double in approximately 30 years.
Population experts noted that if the present dispensation will accord lesser concern to the burgeoning population, the annual growth rate could be even slightly higher. With population increasing at accelerating speed will we be able to double in 30 years – the number of homes, jobs and classrooms? What about food, clothing, water, power and medical services? What about social services, peace and security? Then there’s criminality and brutal lawlessness – will we be able to double the number of courts and prison cells? All the problems that go with these social aberrations are expected to swell.
But the government could only undertake advocacy work on population and human development and make it succeed if officials – from top to bottom would embrace sacrifice, work hand in hand and set aside self-righteous pride in addressing the needs and concerns and see to it that the urgent program should be strictly followed and implemented. It’s an advocacy worth the people’s support and cooperation.