Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Responsible Parenthood is still pro-choice, pro-life

We are overpopulated, that's why we need to manage our population, says Senator Ping Lacson in support of the efforts being made right now by the administration to modify the RH bill and turn it into a Responsible Parenthood bill. This bill, being crafted right now, is a full modification of the RH bill, to make it more acceptable to every sector in Philippine society.


Communications secretary Ricky Carandang says Filipinos live in a democracy, hence, should be given the right to choose which method to use in countering unwanted pregnancy. I agree with Carandang. People should be given the right to choose, as it is now. 


What is so contemptible about the current version of the RH bill is the principle of state intervention  or state interference in that choice. Why is the government so willing to buy billions of pesos worth of condoms to be given for free to people? One would reason that that's the essence of democracy--for people to avail of other options, government or the state should help them gain free access to these other methods.


But, that's just it. If you truly understand the concept of rights and democracy, you'll accept the fact that for every right exercised, there is a corresponding responsibility to it.


You want other methods of contraception available for you, do something to avail them without government buying it for you. Poverty is no reason for the un-exercise of responsibilities. Poverty is also no excuse for you to enlarge your family. In feudal societies, parents want a big family because it's additional hands in tending the land. In a capitalist society, big families are being frowned upon because of the high costs of maintaining such. 


What the Catholic church opposes is the principle of state intervention in family planning. If, say the Palace says that it is amenable to the democratic way of solving the balooning population problem, it has to recognize that it must give people the free hand to choose which method and emphasize that the exercise of such rights entail responsibilities. One of that responsibility is financial.


If condoms and other methods are expensive, the solution is not for government to buy them and distribute them for free. The solution is lower their prices so that a higher number of people would be able to avail of them.



1 comment:

  1. The EQ Post strongly believes that parents can have as many babies as they want BUT they have the obligation to raise each of them properly.In the Philippines,there are baby factories all over the poor communities simply because the man just wanted SEX and the woman could not say NO or didn't know what to do to prevent unwanted ...pregnancies. That's why the EQ Post is 100% for the Reproductive Health bill.

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