European Parliamentarians say Filipinos need an RH law

By PLCPD
August 30, 2012

QUEZON CITY  –  European parliamentarians who are in the Philippines for a study tour said in a press briefing today that the Filipinos need a reproductive health law in order to have better access to health services.

Hon. Ricardo Baptista Leite, Member of the Parliament from Portugal, said an RH law can help people live better lives. A medical doctor by profession, Leite said an RH law will give "true information so the people can make informed choices" about various health services.

Leite and four other parliamentarians from Sweden, Cyprus, Lithuania and the United Kingdom, are here in the country for a five-day study tour on family planning and sexual and reproductive health rights. This is organized by the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development (EPF) and hosted by the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD).

Separation of Church and State

Leite, who comes from a predominantly Catholic country like the Philippines, said Portugal had similar health indicators as that of the Philippines 30 years ago when their own reproductive health policies have not been institutionalized. However, Leite said even their church became part of the process to conceive a law that helped the Portuguese people have better access to necessary health services which specifically lessened maternal and infant mortality.

The Portuguese Parliamentarian said that as a practicing Catholic himself, "there is no greater act of Christianity than saving lives as a reproductive health law would do."

Leite also said that the passage of a reproductive health bill in Portugal can be attributed to the fact that the separation of church and state is a reality. "The Vatican Church respects the constitution and is highly engaged in activities that can lead to a healthier population," he said. "In our country, the church is an ally in providing good health," he added.

Hon. Birute Vesaite, another parliamentarian from the predominantly Catholic country of Lithuania, echoed the sentiments of her fellow parliamentarian from Portugal. Vesaite said the reproductive health bill is, in fact, "a matter of social justice."

Vesaite particularly brought up the urban poor's lack of access to health services. The parliamentarian delegates to this study tour were able to visit urban poor communities who lived under the C3 bridge along Navotas, internal refugees who lived in an evacuation center in North Bay Boulevard South and tenements along Smokey Mountain in Tondo, Manila.

As part of their study tour, the Parliamentarian delegation also paid courtesy to the members of both Houses of Congress yesterday, August 29.

AAMBIS-OWA Partylist Representative Sharon Garin, on the other hand said that Filipino legislators should learn from the European Parliamentarians who fought for a law which gave their people better access to health services.