Reproductive Health Bill

The news screams on the disagreement between the president and the church. As the church continues to rally against the use of contraceptives and artificial birth control, the state puts its foot down saying that they will back up the bill promoting birth control. The church counters this by threatening the president with a call for excommunication and civil disobedience.

This has been a long argument malingering through two different administration.

And why shouldn’t it. A lot Filipinos have been considered poor and struggling to make meets ends. A huge portion of these people are those with large number of kids. This should be tackled and should be talked about. Arguments and disagreement is the start of finding a compromise and a solution.

On a documentary by one of the local channels, they interviewed a poor family who confessed that none of their kids were planned. With more than 8 kids, that shows very poor planning.

I wish I can say that this is an isolated case, but it isn’t. A lot of our fellow Filipinos are pinned to poverty because of poor family planning. The sad part is, a lot of the kids are doomed to a difficult life and  a bad future because of this.

To the church’s point, population is not a problem. The lack of education and sheer poverty is.  In fact, human resource which is brought about by population is considered a wealth by many nations. So why threat is as a problem?

Defining Insanity: To do the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result.

Consider this: (1) The government has made leaps and bounds to address education and poverty. For the last few administrations,  improving education and bringing in jobs have always been their key focus. Unfortunately, this has seemed to be an eternity to solve. (2) Population can be a double-edged sword. If it is not managed properly, it can work against you. A mix of people who are collaboratively working towards the success of the country would spell out greatness for that country. But a crowd of people, begging and soliciting help from the government would spell poverty and hunger for the whole country.

The problem of Poverty and Population has been a chicken and an egg. Due to poverty, a lot of Filipinos are not prevy to education. the lack of education has pushed them towards a life less thought off. Having a life less thought-off lead to having a relatively big family which they cannot support. Having a family which you cannot support increases poverty

Putting in family planning in the picture cuts the circle in the middle. It might not address the root cause but would provide a quick win on the fight against poverty.

So there’s my stand. I’m pro the reproductive health bill. I think that it’s not the end all solution but its a start.