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MIRIAM: TIME RUNNING OUT FOR THE PRO-RH BILL / HOUSE:
COMPROMISE?
MANILA, SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 (PHILSTAR) By Marvin Sy -
Time is running out for the proponents of the reproductive health (RH) bill and
unless a vote is taken by January 2013, the controversial measure could just as
well be buried in the archives of Congress.
[PHOTO -Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Saturday bared
her reasons why the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill should be
passed, even as she lashed out at lawmakers and some Catholic Church leaders for
opposing the measure. In her keynote speech at the Catholic Women's and Men's RH
Fair organized by Catholics for Reproductive Health (C4RH), she said there is
nothing wrong with RH bill and reproductive health itself.
Also at the gathering held at the University of the Philippines College
of Social Work and Community Development, she took swipes at several politicians
and Catholic leaders for blocking the passage of the RH bill.
"Ano bang kasalanan doon, bibigyan mo lang ng impormasyon ang mga
babae, may asawa man o wala. Kung gusto mo magplano ng pamilya, ganito ang mga
metodo na puwede mong gawin. Ang problema natin ay gusto ng mga pari at obispo
na iisa lang ang paraan na gagamitin natin, ang tinatawag na natural birth
control," Santiago said.]
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago admitted this after delivering a speech during
the Catholics for Reproductive Health event at the University of the Philippines
yesterday, where she encouraged all the supporters of the RH bill to put some
pressure on the legislators to put the measure to a vote already.
The Senate will go on a break from Sept. 22 to Oct. 7, go back to work for
two weeks before taking another break from Oct. 20 to Nov. 4.
While she would like to have the RH bill voted upon before the break,
Santiago admitted that this would not happen because of the dilatory tactics the
opponents of the bill have taken to delay its progress.
Santiago lamented that even though the RH bill has already hurdled the period
of interpellation, it is still being subjected to debates led by the opponents
of the bill.
Sen. Pia Cayetano, Santiago's co-author and co-sponsor of the RH bill, has
already introduced her committee amendments to the measure but the opponents of
the bill have indicated that they would still want to raise some more questions,
as though it is still in the period of interpellation.
"The status is that all the questions have been asked but now the opposition
is asking questions even though they belong to the same group. They are
pretending there are still more people to interpellate," Santiago said.
"Our opponents are questioning each other. Now they have come up with the
idea that they need to interpellate each other. They are in the same group and
yet they are questioning each other. So the process is clearly dilatory," she
added.
House eyes compromise on RH bill By Jess Diaz (The
Philippine Star) Updated September 07, 2012 12:00 AMComments (32)
MANILA, Philippines – Leaders of the House of Representatives are eyeing a
compromise to get the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill moving again.
Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II (photo) told a news
conference yesterday that a new version of the RH bill is being drafted which
would have a limited application and target beneficiaries.
"Instead of an all-encompassing law, this proposed new version would apply to
and target only marginal households, effectively those benefiting from the
government's conditional cash transfer (CCT) program," Gonzales said.
"The middle class and the rich, with or without a law on reproductive health,
have access to contraceptives and can very well afford them," he said.
In contrast, Gonzales said the "poorest of the poor" would not have the same
access even if they make an "informed choice" on how to plan their families,
simply because they lack the necessary funds.
"That's where the proposed RH law would come in because the bill mandates the
government to promote the use of and spend for contraceptives that would be made
available to poor families," he stressed.
Gonzales added the compromise version would soon be presented to Catholic
bishops, who are against the RH bill in its present form.
"We hope to hear from the bishops," he said.
Gonzales conceded that hardliners among Church leaders and among congressmen
"will always oppose the bill, whatever its form."
He said they are hoping to consult with bishops during the two-week recess of
Congress, which begins on Sept. 21.
Since the House would be preoccupied with budget deliberations starting next
week until middle of October, Gonzales said the chamber may not be able to
tackle the RH measure again until November.
Amend to appease
At the Senate, Sen. Pia Cayetano (photo) has amended a section
of the RH bill in a bid to appease some of her colleagues who believe it
promotes abortion.
Cayetano, chair of the Senate committee on health and demography, also
reiterated that her RH proposal has no population component.
"Whatever is pegged on population is based on choices of individual families.
This is no population program, so I said I have no problem removing that,"
she explained.
In a bid "to put the issue to rest and allay fears that the RH bill will
promote abortion," Cayetano has included a new subsection (J), which reads:
"Abortion is a criminal act in accordance with existing laws."
Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III (photo) said Section 3
(i) of the bill promotes abortion since it mandates that the government should
help women who need treatment due to post-abortion complications.
Cayetano deleted lines from paragraph (i) of Section 3 which states: "While
this Act does not amend the penal law on abortion, the government shall ensure
that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and
counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner."
The measure was also renamed, "An act providing for a national policy on
reproductive health and responsible parenthood."
The phrase "Population and Development" was deleted from the original title.
However, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile was not convinced by the
amendments.
"You remove the characterization but the substance is still there," Enrile
said.
Enrile (photo) even laughed off the change in the title of the
bill.
"However you call it, it's the same. It's population control. You cannot
erase that. That is already in the record," he said.
Cayetano, in another interview, said hardcore lawmakers who are against the
measure would never agree to a compromise measure.
"Honestly, those who don't like the RH bill, nothing will change. As I said,
even if I submit a blank paper, they would still oppose it," she said.
During the period of amendments, Cayetano also inserted a new subsection that
reads: "All complications arising from pregnancy, labor, and delivery shall be
treated in a humane and compassionate manner."
"Filipinos are known to espouse a culture of kindness and empathy. We uphold
the tradition of reaching out and extending genuine care and concern for our
countrymen in need, more so for women who are pregnant and in need of special
care," Cayetano explained.
Cayetano also moved to delete the phrase, "as essential medicine" in Section
9, the measure that is used to classify family planning supplies.
Instead, Cayetano amended it to read as, "The Philippine National Drug
Formulatory System shall be observed in selecting drugs, including family
planning supplies, that will be included or removed from essential drugs list
(EDL), in accordance with existing practice."
"In addition, the second sentence found on lines 32-34: "These products and
supplies shall also be included in the regular purchase of essential medicine
and supplies of all national and local hospitals, provincial, city, and
municipal health offices, including rural health units" shall be transposed as
the second paragraph of Sec. 9," Cayetano said.
She also inserted a new paragraph that states: "Education and information
materials to be developed and disseminated for this purpose shall be reviewed
regularly to ensure their effective and relevance."
Cayetano was able to introduce 13 amendments to the RH measure, which
included salient yet contestable provisions, including the title of the bill.
After 15 months since Cayetano sponsored the RH bill, the controversial
measure was able to proceed to the period of amendments on Wednesday evening
following a heated debate between her and Enrile.
Their heated exchange took place after Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto
III wrapped up his four-part turno en contra speech on the bill.
Senators also downplayed reports that Sotto may have plagiarized the last
portion of the fourth part of his turno en contra speech last Wednesday.
Sotto was criticized after the social networking site Tweeter buzzed with
tweets that the last part of his RH speech was copied from the 1966 speech of
the late Sen. Robert Kennedy.
Enrile said many personalities have copied ideas from other famous
personalities.
"I would not comment on that. Even those writers are copying the famous
quotes of Aristotle, Plato or Socrates, Machiavelli… everyone. It's a matter of
style," Enrile said.
Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada (photo) said he
would not want to meddle into the internal affairs of Sotto.
"I think it is up to Sen. Sotto to investigate. It is internal on their part.
I have no business meddling in the affairs of other senators," he said.
Estrada revealed that there are many groups lobbying for and against the RH
measure.
"Yes, there are many organizations but not (us) senators. Both from anti-RH
and pro-RH groups. There are some from the religious sector talking to me and
there are some from other organizations who favor the RH bill," Estrada said.
Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Senate has more important issues to tackle
than the issue of alleged plagiarism.
"A storm in a teacup. I don't really think it's an issue that should concern
the Senate too much," Marcos said.
'We ourselves are divided'
Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya (photo), secretary general of
the ruling Liberal Party (LP), said the LP has not taken a party stand on the
proposed RH law.
Abaya said he does not think President Aquino, who is LP's titular head,
would issue marching orders to party members and their allies to support the
bill.
"This is not a political issue. It is an issue that involves religious
beliefs," Abaya said.
"I am pro-life and I am hoping there would be a middle ground that I could
accept," he added.
Gonzales said at present, the House is almost evenly divided on the RH bill
despite its Aug. 6 vote to end discussions on the measure.
"For instance, we have six deputy speakers. Three of them are pro-RH and
three are anti-RH. So you cannot just say that the leadership should expedite
this because we ourselves are divided," he said.
Gonzales and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. (photo) are
supporting the bill.
The majority leader said it would take Aquino's intervention to break the
stalemate
in the House.
"I hope the President gets angry with us," he said in Filipino.
Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez (photo at right), one of
those against the RH bill, said Aquino should not intervene.
"This matter involves religion. You cannot tell how one should practice his
or her religion," he said. – Christina Mendez, Aurea
Calica
FROM WIKI-PILIPINAS
What is the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines?
There are 6 bills pertaining to reproductive health and/or population
management that have been filed for deliberation in both the House of
Representatives and the Senate for the 15th Congress.
The most controversial of these bills is House Bill No. 96 authored by Rep.
Edcel Lagman. House Bill No. 96, also known as the proposed "Reproductive Health
and Population and Development Act of 2010," will cover the following areas:
midwives of skilled attendance
emergency obstetric care
access to family planning
maternal death
review family planning supplies as essential medicines
benefits for serious and life-threatening reproductive health conditions
mobile health care service
mandatory age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education
responsibility of local family planning office and certificate of compliance
capability building of barangay health workers
ideal family size
employers' responsibilities
multi-media campaign
implementing mechanisms
reporting requirements
prohibited acts
penalties
The bill is controversial, as it is being opposed by concerned citizens,
especially the pro-life, pro-family and pro-God groups, regardless of creed or
religion.
The Roman Catholic Church expresses its opposition against the bill on many
counts, most especially the procurement and distribution of family planning
supplies for the whole country, when the available evidence from peer reviewed
medical journals supports the hypothesis that when ovulation and fertilization
occur in women taking oral contraceptives (OCs) or using intrauterine devices
(IUD), post-fertilization effects are operative on occasion to prevent
clinically recognized pregnancy.
Hormonal contraceptives and/or IUDs directly affect the "endometrium" (the
membrane lining the uterus). These effects have been presumed to render the
endometrium relatively inhospitable to implantation or to the maintenance of the
preembryo or embryo prior to clinically recognized pregnancy. These make pills
and IUDS "abortifacient" (a substance or device used to induce abortion).
Pro-life groups, and many professionals in the medical and nursing fields,
believe that physicians and policy makers should understand and respect the
beliefs of patients who consider human life to be present and valuable from the
moment of fertilization.
Patients should be made fully aware of this information so that they can
consent to or refuse the use of artificial contraceptives.
However, the position of the Catholic Church and the pro-life groups does not
mean that they espouse the attitude of "natalism" (or pro-birth, a belief
that promotes human reproduction) at all costs, as if the "number" of
children, in itself, were the unmistakable sign of authentic Christian
Matrimonial life.
The sexual act, properly exercised within marriage only, is ordained
primarily to the propagation of life. If there are reasonable motives for
spacing births, such as serious medical conditions in the mother, or extreme
poverty, then the Catholic Church teaches that married couples may take
advantage of the natural cycles of the reproductive system and use their
marriage precisely those times that are infertile (natural family planning).
Other aspects of the bill being contested by concerned citizens include the
classification of family planning supplies as essential medicines when their
safety/toxicity profile and legal permissibility are questionable.
At the same time, more importance should be given to the prevalent diseases,
the top ten leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Philippines,
namely, infections such as pneumonia and tuberculosis.
Financial resources allotted by foreign donors to assist the Philippine
government programs could actually be better spent towards pursuing health
programs targeting communicable diseases than purchasing artificial
contraceptives.
Very pertinent to the debate about reproduction rights is the right to life.
The Philippine Constitution says that the State "shall equally protect
the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. If artificial
contraceptives are medically proven to induce abortion as one of their
mechanisms of action, then procurement and distribution of such family planning
supplies are unconstitutional and illegal.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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