Truths behind the
RH bill
By
Fr.
ROY CIMAGALA, roycimagala@gmail.com
December 16, 2012
There’s a little, handy
booklet entitled, Handbook of truths behind the RH Bill, which I think
is good to have for the campaign to clarify this delicate issue that
is now swamped with all sorts of confusing arguments.
It focuses more on the
medical, economic, demographic and legal aspects of the issue rather
than on its morality. And so, it is good for those who want to reach
out to those who are a bit allergic to religious arguments but are
more open to its more secular, scientific or empirical perspectives.
I, of course, believe that
the issue is first of all moral – the reason why the Church is very
much involved in it – before it is a medical, economic or legal issue.
But since people have different sensitivities and attitudes, it would
be good if they too can get hold of some clarificatory materials that
satisfies their preferences. This handbook does that.
First of all, I wish to say
that our first freedom, the most intimate freedom we have is religious
freedom, on which is based our sense of morality, among other things.
It is not freedom of speech and assembly, nor even freedom to live,
since all these rights and freedom are based on our religious freedom.
I feel urged to make that
clarification because when I read the arguments used by some of our
congressmen who voted on the issue in the second reading, I now
understand why many of them took what I consider as wrong positions
regarding the issue.
Their idea of our first and
ultimate freedom can be reduced to freedom to be oneself, as expressed
in some allegedly absolute freedom to life, expression and assembly,
right to liberty, etc.
To me, it sounds like a
freedom that does not talk about where it came from and how it used to
be exercised. It is presumed to be self-generated or spontaneously
created that in the end is like saying that we too in our life, in our
very being are self-generated and spontaneously created. That’s, of
course, a ridiculous presupposition.
In short, they are saying
that there is no creator for us. There is no God. This is a form of
atheism that may be considered as practical atheism, not so much the
theoretical one, since it may not be formally professed but is simply
practically and consistently lived.
This, I think, is a point
that needs to be ventilated more widely, since this is not yet fully
appreciated by many. That’s why we have an understanding of democracy,
supposedly based on freedom, that is actually weak and vulnerable to
be exploited by those who have power in one form or another.
Going back to the handbook,
it is a well-written piece by a team of experts in the area of
economics, demography, education and law. It takes the issue to its
deeper and wider implications, exposing the hidden but clear maneuvers
of powerful groups and ideologies averse to supernatural faith and
religion in general.
It is written by competent
authors who are very much into the intricacies of this issue. They are
Dr. Bernardo Villegas, economist; Miss Rosa Linda Valenzona,
demographer; Jo Imbong, lawyer; Roberto de Vera, economist; Raul Nidoy,
educator; and Robert Cortes, educator.
Among the points taken up
and developed, supported by relevant studies and researches, are the
following:
-The RH bill is harmful to
the Filipinos because it endorses drugs and other family planning
supplies and techniques that have serious deleterious effects to their
physical health and to the environment.
-Pills and the IUD kill the
human embryo.
-Pills cause serious
environmental problems.
-The RH bill is harmful to
Filipino society because its intent to control population is based on
wrong facts and wrong economics, and naive to the negative social
effects that will come in its train.
-It implies that a rapidly
growing population causes hunger and shortage of resources. It does
NOT.
-It neglects the fact that
societies that have aggressively pushed for contraception are now
suffering from a “demographic winter.”
-The RH bill is harmful to
Filipino society because it violates the Philippine Constitution and
seeks to enshrine into law forced and artificial ‘rights’ that may
even threaten more basic and genuine human rights.
Let’s hope that this
handbook can contribute to a more meaningful discussion and dialogue
with everyone regarding the issue. We need to be open-minded but clear
about our views and positions that are supposed to be grounded on
well-established principles and assumptions.
Let’s hope that this
dialogue continues and leads us to its proper end.