Is the RH bill culturally attuned? And why Filipinos love having big families

Are Filipinos really ignorant of reproductive health that's why most of them suffer from unwanted pregnancies and the like? 


Is it really the lack or inadequate access to contraceptives, particularly condoms, that attribute to our high fertility rates?


Is having a high fertility rate the direct cause of poverty?


For the first question, are majority of our population really ignorant of reproductive health? What aspect of reproductive health do our fellow Filipinos profess not to know? 


Is it about the lack of money of the poor to buy condoms or contraceptives that justify Congress request for the State to allocate billions of pesos for condoms and contraceptives? If this is true, then, isn't it wrong for the State to intervene in the private lives of individuals? 


I think access to safe and medically proven contraceptives is really not the issue here--the issue is its non-use. 


I have a question to RH bill advocates---okey, we procured billions of pesos worth of contraceptives, especially condoms. What now? What if the couple just decides to "let it all hang out" during their sexual encounter? Are we going to require couples to use these condoms during their sexual encounter? No where in the bill does it say that, because it already infringes on an individual's privacy rights.


Educating people about reproductive health is laudable. Forcing them to do what they heard is another thing. How can we, the State, ensure that "ignorant" Pinoys would really use the condom during their sexual encounter?


In the rural backwaters of Filipino society, having huge families is the norm simply because, in an agricultural society, numbers play a very important function in farm work. The more males or females you have, the better since parents require their kids to work in the farm. Of course, we, who live in the cities frown such practices or norms and see it as another form of Juan Tamad syndrome. 


Likewise, in the Filipino machismo culture, using a condom is always perceived as "non-macho". 


How will we change such a mindset? Well, it would take not just an RH bill to do that, but probably an entire generation of teaching and mind-conditioning. If we probably change the economic condition in the rural areas, we will be able also to dissuade parents from siring more and more children. 


Why? Because most Filipinos think of siring children is like to betting in the lotto---the more bets you buy, the higher chances of winning. 


What am I saying? Even in rural areas, the prevalent thinking is, the more kids you have, the better chances of improving your economic condition because the more likely you'll have someone among your kids, becoming successful. Just one success story and it will change every thing.


How can you change that? By a mere law, which says that the better number is 2 rather than 22?


The solution really in effective family planning and population management is more of changing the attitudes and mindsets of people rather than intervening in this highly private sexual thing between couples. 


Condoms are not the end all and be all of things. Condomising traditional thinking is best.


By the way, let me provide a win-win solution.


Pass the RH bill, yet erase sections 9 and 10 from it. 


Pass everything, including increasing maternal care facilities but erase sections 9 and 10.