MANILA, APRIL 18, 2011 (STANDARD) PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Sunday said he will have the responsible parenthood bill passed despite threats from some groups to have him excommunicated.
"My conviction is firm to have the responsible parenthood bill passed," he said in a speech before graduating students of the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.
"I am aware there are sectors opposed to this, but I have an obligation as a leader to dialog with all sectors and to calmly explain our position to them, even if some have been calling for my excommunication.
"We have to listen to all people even if a lot have observed that their minds are already closed. But in the end, I have to decide. I have to follow my own conscience and I have to do what is right."
The responsible parenthood bill is widely seen as a watered-down version of the reproductive health bill, which is being debated in the House of Representatives.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines last month resumed its dialog with the Palace on the responsible parenthood bill after church leaders unilaterally withdrew from the meetings on Feb. 20.
At the House, the authors of the reproductive health bill have agreed to amend several provisions of the measure, including the introduction of a paragraph in the bill making sex education in schools optional.
House Minority Floor Leader Edcel Lagman, one of the proponents of House Bill 4244, or the consolidated RH bill, said he and his co-authors had agreed to give parents the option to decide whether their children should attend sex education classes.
The amendment is aimed at reducing opposition to the bill, which has been led by Catholic bishops and other Catholic lay organizations who oppose all forms of birth control. Joyce Pangco Pañares
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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