Abortion

ABORTION

Bioethical Principles of Abortion The respect for persons Non--maleficence -maleficence  Non  Beneficence 

The Respect for Persons The moral status of the fetus  The rights of the pregnant woman embryo is i s a ³human being´ ± ±  Whether an embryo core issue 

The Moral Status of the Fetus 

³Whether the fetus is a person´ is crucial for evaluating the argument: The fetus is an innocent person.  It is wrong to end the life of an innocent person.  Therefore, it is wrong to end the life of a fetus. 

Criteria

by humans  Genetic structure Physical sical resemblance  Phy  Presence of a soul  Viability  A future like ours 

Conceived

of Personhood

Personhood Essentials 

Life ± ± as long long as there there is life, life, we we are persons 



Soul ± ± immediate immediate annimation annimation (possession (possessio (poss ession n of a soul at conception) 

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a beating heart is alive

delayed annimation(2nd trimester or later)

Reason--mental Reason -mental functioning (thinking, reasoning, emotions

The Rights of a Pregnant Woman Right to privacy  Right to ownership of one¶s own body  Right to equal treatment self -determination -determination  Right to self

Non--maleficence/Beneficence Non -maleficence/Beneficence Non--maleficence: Non -maleficence: ³First, do no harm´  Beneficence: To do good; taking action that benefit the patients, and that are in their best interest 

The principle of nonnon -maleficence -maleficence is not  absolute, and must be balanced against  the principle of beneficence

Non--maleficence Non -maleficence Improving lives of others rather than adding burden  No specified time limit - most abortions abort ab ortion ions s are early early earl y   Abortion preferable choice to unwanted child -does not lead to increased mental health -does problems  Can the fetus feel pain? 

Beneficence 

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

Best interests of the mother  - impact on life life and and mental m men ental tal state Best interests of the child - qu qual quality alit ity y of of life life lif e - ri risk sk of being bein be ing g unloved/abuse/neglect/ Best interests of society - fin finan financial ancia ciall bu burde burden rden n - he healt healthcare althca hcare re resources resourc reso urces es

DIRECT

ABORTION

Forms of Abortion: Spontaneous and Induced Spontaneous or miscar miscarriage riage ±   ± em embr embryo bryo yo or fe fetu fetus tuss is lost due to natural causes -Before 20th week of gestation Premature - pregnancy pregnancy pregn ancy termination terminat term ination ion earlier earlier than than 37 weeks -Risk is greater those with a known history of  spontaneous abortion, with systemic disease, over  age 35, infection or trauma  ± an intentional intenti inte ntional onal termination terminat term ination ion of  Induced ±   pregnancy

Types of Abortion: Direct and Indirect 

Direct abortion ± abo abortio abortion rtion n wi wille willed lled d either either as

an end or a means  Gravely contrary to the moral law  Immediate purpose of destroying the human fetus at any stage after conception or to expel it before it is viable.



³You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of  conception: abortion and infanticide are abom ab abominable omin inab able le cr crim crimes´ imes es´´ Catechism Church

of the Catholic



Procured abortion ± di dire directly rect ctly ly intended inten int ende ded d

termination of pregnancy before the age of  viability  Against the





Christian

and Human perspective

Humanitarian or Ethical abortion ± ± iin n

case of rape and incest Will not solve but complicate more, with a new trauma  Seek for better alternative 



Eugenic or Selective

pregnancy with with a gravely defective unborn child 



Abortion ±

Intolerantt and paterna Intoleran paternalistic listic false compassion

± re rea reason ason is is Psycho Psy chos social Abortion ±

poverty or by alleged dominion of the mother over her own body  Absolutely immoral ± zy zygo zygote gote te doe d does oes s not not  Moment of conception  ± belong to mother or father alone  Child is a human being who claims in justice his right to life and its protection 

Methods of Abortion 

Abortion procedure with instruments



Drug Abortion

 Aspiration 

Vacuum aspiration 16 weeks after a woman¶s last period  A speculum will be inserted into your vagina.  The opening of cervix may be stretched with dilators  a series of increasingly thick rods.  Tube is inserted through the cervix into the uterus  The tube is connected to a powerful pump with a suction force 29 times more powerful than a home vacuum cleaner  

Aspiration The procedure tears the baby's body into pieces and the hose frequently jerks as pieces of the baby become lodged.  The placenta is then cut from the inner  wall of the uterus and the scraps are sucked out into a bottle. 

Dilation and Evacuation Performed during the second trimester (4(4 6 months) of pregnancy pliers-like -like instrument is needed  A pliersbecause the baby's baby's bones are calcified, as is the skull.  The abortionist inserts the instrument into the uterus, seizes a leg or other part of the body and, with with a twisting motion, tears it from the baby's body. 

D and X (partial birth) 

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The cervix is dilated to allow passage of a ring forceps  A foot or lower leg is located and pulled into the vagina The baby is extracted in breech fashion until the head is just inside the cervix The baby's legs hang outside the th e woman's woman's woma n's body. body bo dy.. With the the baby faceface-down, -down, scissors are plunged into the baby's head at the nape of the neck and spread open to enlarge the wound

D and X 

 A suction tip is inserted and the baby's brain is removed. The skull removed. skull collapses collapses collapse s and the the baby baby is deliv de delivered. livere ered. d. Sha Sharp rp and and suct suction ion curettage curet cur ettag tage e is is continued until the walls of the womb are clean.

Hysterotomy This method is usually used late in pregnancy and is likened to an "early" Caesarian section.  The mother's abdomen and uterus are surgically opened and the baby is lifted out 

Drug

Abortions

Salt

Poisoning

"Candy Apple Babies³  Most often used after the first trimester  (first three months)  The abortionist injects a strong salt solution directly into the amniotic sac (fluid surrounding the baby)  The baby breathes and swallows it, is poisoned, struggles, and sometimes convulses. 



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The mother delivers the dead baby in a day or two (sometimes alive! alive!)) Why "candy apple" babies?

Abortion Pill 

Mifepristone RU--486 RU -486  Used up to 63 days after a woman¶s last period 

Mifepristone 

Blocks progesterone

Misoprostol Taken 3 days after mifepristone  Cramps and heavy bleeding  Bleeding or spotting up to 4 weeks 

Indirect Abortion

Indirect Abortion 

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The abortion is termed indirect when the pregnant uterus itself is excised because its condition is such that its removal is medically necessary. Its death is merely permitted as a secondary effect of an act which needs to be performed.

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The reason for the removal is that the pregnancy (added to some pathological condition from which the mother is suffering) increases her her difficulties or even lessens her chances of survival. In such cases, the surgeon must be sure that the reason for operating is a proportionately grave one.

Tubal Ectopic Pregnancy 

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In the tubal ectopic pregnancy the fertilized ovum lodges in some part of the fallopian tube. The growing fetus causes the tube to swell, and this swelling dangerously stretches the tube's outer wall. Left in this condition, the tube will ordinarily rupture and unless surgery is performed very soon after the rupturing, the mother may die.

Ovarian and Abdominal Pregnancies 

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If the organ to which the fetus is clinging has become so diseased or weakened that it is now a grave source of danger to the woman, the organ may be licitly excised. If at present the condition of the organ is actually pathological and if it is a grave threat to the mother's life, that part of her body may licitly be removed in order to preserve the rest of the body.

of A Catholic Health Care Giver 

Virtue irtues s

Exception« ³ Operations, treatments and medications m edications that have as their direct purpose the cure of a proportionately serious pathologic condition are permitted when they cannot be safely postponed until the unborn child is viable, even they will result to the death of the unborn child´ -E thical thical and Religious Directives for  Catholic Care Service 4th ed. 2001

Virtues on-maleficence -maleficence 1. Non- ³Do ³Do no harm harm to other  oth ot her s´ s´ -Hippocratic oath - ess ssential ential for trus tru st & jus justice 2. Beneficence - po pos sitive action - one one should prevent or remove harm or  risk ri sk of harm, do good or provide a benefit.

3.

Jus Ju stice - tthe he c con cons onstant will w ill to render what is is right. - rel relate related ated d to truthfulness truthfulne truthful truth fulne ness ss,, autonomy autonomy, steward tewards ship, solidarit olidarity y and nonmaleficence.

4.

Fidelity Fidelity - is the faithfulness faithfulness to trus trust and promis promise. - to keep the patient¶s patient¶s be bes st interes interest fir st in mind; and to intend one¶s one¶ s good.

5.

Fortitude/Courage - do doin doing ing g what what is is right without undue fear . - bei being ng tru true e to one¶s one¶ one¶s calling des despite of  being wrong. -Firmne -Firmness Firmness ss of  of s spirit. As a virtue, it is i s a steadine teadiness ss of will in doing good in spite of difficulties difficulties faced in the performance of one's one' s dut duty y.

6.

Compassion Compass ion - is feeling for the loss lo ss /  /s suffering of another  w/ an attempt bey beyond obligation to help or avoid that loss loss /  /s suffering.

ruthfulness ss 7. Truthfulne - the good faith faith intent intent to convey conve conve conv ey the truth to other s

Reproductive Rights Bill HB 3773

Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Management Act of 2005  

bill proposed by the House of Representatives in 2005 20 05 a restatement and substitution to previous proposed house bills, b ills, namely 16, 2029, 2042 and 2250

HB 16 An act creating a reproductive health and population management council  for  the implementation of an integrated policy on reproductive health relative to sustainable development and population management, and for other purposes HB 2029 An act providing for reproductive health care structures and appropriating

funds therefor  HB 2042 An act promulgating a comprehensive policy on birth control  and for this matter creating a bureau of population management  under the department of  health and renaming the department as the department of health and population management and appropriating funds therefor  HB 2250 An act promoting responsible parenthood by providing incentives to couples /  individuals who practice surgical family planning methods providing funds therefor and for other purposes

HB 3773 An act providing for an integrated and comprehensive national  policy on responsible parenthood, population management and human development , creating a responsible parenthood and population f or other purposes management council , and for

This house bill sets in place a national policy that assures the adequate and continuing information and access by persons, persons , particularly women, couples and youth, to a full range of 

medically safe and legal family medically famil y planning methods method s as well as creates an enabling environment for women and couples couple s to freely freely exercis exerci se the freedom of choice on how to effectively effectivel respon pons ibly familie s y and res sibl y plan their families

consistent with the constitutional mandate to be responsive to the demands of responsible parenthood.

Definition

of Terms

Reproductive Health The state of complete physical, mental m ental and social well--being well -being and not merely the absence of  disease or infirmity, in all matters m atters relating relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. This implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so, provided that these are not against the law. so, This further implies that women and men attain equal relationships in matters related to sexual relations and reproduction. reproduction .

Reproductive Health Rights 

the rights of individuals and couples to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children; to make other decisions concerning reproduction reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence; to have the information and means to carry out their decisions; and to attain the highest standared of sexual and reproductive health.

Reproductive Health Care 

availability and access to a full range of  methods, techniques and services that contribute to reproductive and sexual health and wellwell-being -being by preventing and solving reproductive healthhealth -related -related problems in order to achieve enhancement of life and personal relations

Elements of Reproductive Health Care a. Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition; b. Family planning information and services; c. Prevention of abortion and management of postpost-abortion -abortion complications; d. Adolescent and youth health; e. Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections (RTIs), HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmittable infections (STIs) f. Elimination of violence against women; g. Education and conseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health; h. Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers and other  gynecological conditions; i. Male involvement and participation in reproductive health; and  j. Prevention and treatment of infertility and sexual dysfunction;

Population Management 

(a) (b) (c)

(d)

(e)

a program that aims to: encourage the limitation of the number of children to an affordable level of two children per family; attain an optimum fertility fertility rate vis vis-à -à à---vis vis vi s equitable allocation and utilizations utilization s of res resource ources s; realize a balanced spatial dis distribution of the population by dis di scouraging migration to urban center s and decongesting thickly populated areas; promote the effective partnership among the national government, local government units and the private sector in the design, implementation, coordination, coordination, integration, monitoring and evaluation of peoplepeople-centered -centered programs on population, development and environment; and conduct studies on and provide incentives incentives for the deceleration of  population growth

Responsible Parenthood 

the will, ability and commitment of parents to respond to the needs and aspirations of  the family and children more particularly through family planning

Family Planning 

a program which enables couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of  their children and to have the information and means to carry out their decisions, and to have informed choice and access to a full range of safe and effective family planning methods, techniques and devices, excluding abortion which which is a crime.

Guiding Principles 

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The limited resources of the country cannot be suffered to be spread so thinly thinly to service a burgeoning multitude that makes the allocations grossly inadequate and effectively meaningless; Freedom of choice, which is central to the exercise of  any right, must be fully guaranteed by the State like the right itself; While the number and spacing of children are left to the sound judgment of parents and couples based on their  personal conviction and religious beliefs, such concerned parents and couples, including unmarried individuals, should be afforded free and full access acce ss to relevant, adequate and enlightening information on reproductive health and human sexualit exuality y and should

be guided by qualified State workers and professional private practitioners;

Guiding Principles 

Development

is a multimulti-faceted -faceted process that calls for the coordination and integration of  policies, plans, programs and projects that seek qualit y of life of the people, more to uplift the quality particularl y the poor, the needy particularly need y and the marginalized ;



Respect for, protection and fulfillment of  reproductive health rights seek to promote not only the rights and welfare of adult individuals adoles scent cents s' and and couples but those of  adole children's children' s as well;

Guiding Principles While the full range of family planning methods, techniques and devices shall be made available to couples and adults of reproductive age, abortion shall remain to be penalized under  the Revised Penal Code and relevant  jurisprudence; and  While nothing in this this act changes changes the law on abortion , the government shall ensure that pos stt-abortion -abortion women seeking care for  po complications complication s shall be treated and counseled in a humane, nonnon -judgmental - judgmental judgmental and compassionate manner; 

Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Council 



 

Chairperson

- Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NE D A) o-Chairperson - Se Secre Secretary creta tary ry of of the the Department of  CoHealth (DOH) eighteen members m embers Composed of eighteen Central advisory, planning and formulating body of the comprehensive and integrated policy on reproductive health relative to human development and population management

Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Council Functions 

mechanis sm to ens ensure active To provide the mechani and full participation of the private sector  and the citizenr y through their organizations in



the planning and implementation of reproductive health care, population and development programs and projects; access quality and To ensure people's acce ss to quality affordable reproductive health goods good s and service ervices s;

Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Council Functions 

1.

2. 3.

4. 5.

To fully implement the Reproductive Health Care Program with the following components: Reproductive and sexual health education including but not limited to counseling on the full range of legal and medicallymedically-safe -safe family planning methods including surgical methods; Maternal, periperi-natal -natal and postpost-natal -natal education, care and services; Promotion of male involvement, participation and responsibility in reproductive health as well as other reproductive health concerns of  men; Prevention of abortion and management of postpost-abortion -abortion complications; and Provision of information and services addressing the reproductive health needs of the poor, senior citizens, women in prostitution, differently--abled differently -abled persons, and women and children in war crisis situations.

Responsible Parenthood and Population Management Council Functions 



To direct all public hospitals in the country to make available to the indigent mothers who deliver their children in these government mother' s reque reques st the hospitals upon the mother's

procedure of ligation without cos co st to them; To take active steps to expand the coverage of  the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP), especially among the poor and

marginalized women, to include the full range of  sexual and reproductive health services, commodities and supplies as health insurance benefits;

Mandatory Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education in an ageage-appropriate -appropriate manner  shall be taught by adequately trained teachers starting from Grade 5 up to Fourth Year Year High School  The Council shall formulate the Sexuality Education curriculum, which which shall be common to both public and private schools 

Mandatory Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education a. Reproductive health and sexual rights; b. Reproductive health care and services; c. Attitudes, beliefs and values on sexual development, sexual behavior  and sexual health; d. Proscription and hazards of abortion and management of postpostabortion complications; e. Responsible parenthood; f. Natural and modern family planning to prevent unwanted, unplanned and mistimed pregnancies; g. Use and application of natural family planning methods; h. Use and application of modern contraceptive devices; i. Abstinence before marriage;  j. Prevention and treatment of HIV/AI DS and other STIs/STDs, prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and other gynecological disorders; k. Safe sex; and l. Maternal, perinatal and postnatal education, care and services

Ideal Family Size In order to attain the desired population growth encourage e two tw o children as as rate, the State shall encourag the ideal family famil y size. However, this provision shall not be mandator y or compuls compulsor y and no punitive action may be imposed on couples having more than two children. Children from these families shall have preference in the grant of scholarships at the tertiary level, taking into consideration the financial need and academic aptitude of the grantees.

Prohibited Acts  Any health care service provider, whether public or private, who shall: 1. Knowingly withhold information information,, or  or restrict restrict the dissemination dissemination thereof, thereof, and/or intentionally provide incorrect information regarding programs and/or and services on reproductive health including the right to informed choice and access to a full range of legal, medicallymedically-safe -safe and effective family planning methods; 2. Refuse to perform voluntary sterilization sterilization and ligation and other legal and medicallymedically-safe -safe reproductive health care services on any person of legal age on the ground of lack of third party consent or  authorization: Provided, that in the case of abused minors as certified by the DSWS, and pregnant minors, no prior parental consent shall shal l be necessary; 3. Any employer who shall require or cause a female applicant for  employment or an employee to involuntarily submit herself to sterilization or any contraceptive c ontraceptive method, method, including but not limited to injection of depo provera as a condition for employment or continued employment; 

Penalty 

 Any violation of this Act shall be penalized by imprisonment ranging from one month to six months or a fine of P20, 000.00 or  both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the proper court.

 As we can see above, HB3773 is a TOTALITARIAN IMPOSITION of  CONTRACEPTIVE IDEOLOGY on the Filipino People. Punishment is 6 months in jail and or 20,000 pesos for ANY PERSON who disagrees with the Contraceptive Pushers.

http://www.prolife.org.ph/article/articleview/525/1/87#

Current  

Status of HB 3773

14th Congress (filed July 1, 2007  ± ± present) pres pr esen ent) t) Following bills proposed: House Bill 17: AN A CT PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL POLICY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOO D  AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, AN D FOR OTHER PURPOSES (Introduced by Honorable Edcel C. Lagman, for the 14th Congress)  House Bill 812: AN A CT PROVIDING FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH C ARE STRU CTURES AND APPROPRIATIN APPROPRIATING G FUN FU NDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES (Introduced by Honorable Janette L. Garin, M.D., for the 14th Congress) 



2008 ± ± new repr reproduc reproductive oductive tive health health healt h bill: bill: 

HB 5043

 Alliance for the Family Foundation Philippines, Inc. 





We continue to oppose House Bill (HB 17), which is substantially the same as HB 3773, widely widely recognized as ³The Twowo-Child -Child Polic olicy y Bill ill´ ´ which was the consolidated consolidate d Substitute for HB 16, 2029, 2042, and 2550, from the 13th Congress. We continue to oppose HB 812, the third attempt of  our legis legislator s to introduce this thi s Abortion Bill. It is substantially the same as HB 2029 from the 13th Congress and HB 4110 from the 12th Congress. It is time to completely expose the masquerade of House Bills 17 and 812, and reveal directly and unequivocally that all their objections notwithstanding, the thes se Bill ills s will lead towards towards legalization of abortion in the Philippines and statetate-funded -funded antianti-natalis -natali natalis st policies policies.

CATHOLICS CAN SU SUPP PPORT THE RH BILL (HB 5043) IN GOOD CONSCIENCE

(Position paper on the Reproductive Health Bill by individual faculty of the Ateneo de Manila University)

We therefore ask those who denounce the RH Bill as ³pro³proabortion,´ ³anti³anti-life,´ -life,´ ³anti ³anti--women,´ -women,´ ³anti ³anti--poor,´ -poor,´ and ³immoral´ to consider the economic and social s ocial conditions of our people, as borne out by empirical evidence, and to recognize that the bill is, in fact, ³pro³pro-life,´ -life,´ ³pro ³pro--women,´ -women,´ and ³pro ³pro--poor  -poor ´. ´.

The Realities of Women W omen and Their Children Studies show that the majority of women who go for an abortion are married or in a consensual union (91%), the mother of three or more children (57%), and poor (68%) (Juarez, Cabigon, and Singh 2005) When women who had attempted an abortion were asked their reasons for doing so, their top three responses were: they could not afford the economic cost of raising another child (72%); their pregnancy occurred too soon after the last one (57%); and they already have enough children (54%) Thus, for these women, abortion has become a family planning  method, in the absence of information on and access to any reliable means to prevent an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA n.d.) asserts that women¶s access to effective contraception would avert 30 percent of  maternal deaths, 90 percent of abortionabortion-related -related deaths and disabilities, and 20 percent of child deaths. In the Philippines, however, women sorely lack adequate access to integrated reproductive health services. The contraceptive prevalence prevalence rate of the Philippines is only 50.6 percent (NSO, 2006 FPS). This means that only a little over half of  married women use any family famil y planning (FP) method, whether  traditional FP (14.8%), modern natural or NFP (0.2%), or modern artificial FP (35.6%).  And yet an overwhelming majority of Filipinos (92%) believe that it is important to to manage fertility and plan their family, and most (89%) say that the government should provide budgetary support for  modern artificial methods of family planning, including the pill, intraintra uterine devices (IUDs), condoms, ligation, and vasectomy (Pulse  Asia, 2007 Ulat ng Bayan survey on family planning).

The RH Bill as propro-life -life and pro pro--women -women Contrary

to what its detractors say, the RH Bill is not ³pro³pro-abortion,´ -abortion,´ ³anti--life,´ ³anti -life,´ or ³anti ³anti--women.´ -women.´ With ³respect for life´ as one of its guiding principles (sec. 2), the bill unequivocally states that it does not seek to ³change the law on abortion, as abortion remains a crime and is punishable´ (sec. 3.m).

In guaranteeing information on and access to ³medically³medically-safe, -safe, legal, affordable and quality´ natural and modern family planning methods (sec. 2), the bill seeks ³to prevent unwanted, unplanned and mistimed pregnancies´ (sec. 5.k) ,the main cause of induced abortions.

The RH Bill as propro-poor  -poor  Section 8 of the RH bill defines contraceptives as essential medicines, in recognition that family planning reduces the incidence i ncidence of maternal and infant mortality. mortality morta lity.. By placing ³hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, injectables and other other allied reproductive health products products and supplies´ under  the category category of ³essential ³essential medicines medicines and supplies,´ supplies,´ they shall thus be included in the regular purchase of essential medicines and supplies of all national national and local hospitals and other government health units. hospital--based -based family planning for  Section 9 of the bill guarantees hospital  contraceptive methods requiring hospital services. These include tubal ligation, vasectomy, and intrauterine device insertion, inse rtion, which shall be made available in all national and local government hospitals. For ³indigent patients,´ these services ³shall be fully covered by PhilHealth insurance and/or government financial assistance.´

The Situation of Our Youth The reasons mentioned by the youth in 2002 for not using contraceptives, in declining order of importance, are: lack of knowledge on contraception; the belief that contraception is either wrong (against one¶s religion) or  dangerous to one¶s health; objection of the partner; and the view that sex is not fun with contraception.  And yet when female respondents who had already engaged in sex were asked in the 1994 YAFS survey if they were willing and prepared to become parents, an overwhelming 94 percent of them said that they were not.

What are the problems of this House Bill? It exalts human rights as if man is above his Creator  reator ignoring ignoring sacredness of reproductive function given by God. It seeks mandatory sexual education to grade schools up to 4th year  high school (Sec 10) under the penalty of imprisonment of up to six months or fined P20,000.00 or both. (Sec 17) It prohibits one to refuse to perform voluntary sterilization and ligation on the ground of lack of third party consent, it refuses to acknowledge the right of husband or wife to refuse ligation, sterilization, contraception, and other such reproductive health care (Sec 16,a2). It forsees to perform voluntary sterilization, ligation, and other  reproductive health care services for abused minors and pregnant minors without parental consent, and to penalize private and public health care services for refusing to perform it. (Sec 19,a2)

It wants to indoctrinate our people a prejudice against large families (more than 2 children) presenting them a model family size of 2 children or less. (Sec 12) It discriminates children from large families from a taxtax -funded -funded government program with its preferential grant of college scholarship for children from smaller family number. (Sec 12) It wants to indoctrinate the mentality of refusal of having children (which are gifts of God) by ³heightened nationwide multimedia campaign´. (Sec 15) - An -An An open letter to the congressmen of the Philippine Republic

CONS OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILL BY CONGRESSMAN EDCEL LAGMAN

ontraceptives ves Contracepti

are a "first step" towards towards "killing ""kkilling illing the unborn" and are "instruments that favor abortion" "The more contraceptives are used, the more abortions are done." This, he maintains, has been demonstrated in countries where population control has been 'successful'. "To abhor the birth of  children, to use contraceptives to avoid having children or unwanted pregnancies, this is the tripod of abortion". "This is the launching pad for murdering the unborn³.

³One usually leads to the other: when contraceptives fail, abortion is the recourse.³ -Mgr Oscar  Cruz, Archbishop of Lingayen-Mgr Lingayen-Dagupan

The CBCP is strongly opposed to the reproductive health bill because it promotes artificial means of contraception, which it described as "intrinsically evil" in its latest pastoral statement. "The prevention of  implantation of the fertilized ovum is abortion," it had said. -Inquirer.net -Inquirer.net

CATHOLICS CANNOT SU SUPP PPORT THE RH BILL IN GOOD CONSCIENCE (A response to the position paper Catholics Can

Support the RH Bill in Good Conscience) teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile, thus controlling birth in a way which does not in the least offend the moral principles´ (H V  V 16).

umanae H umanae

Vitae (quoted as H V  V )of )of Pope Paul VI. ³«the

Church

The law would promote population control by encouraging couples to have no more than two children It would also provide tax incentives i ncentives to companies manufacturing contraceptive devices and to families that would adhere to it. The Philippines' Catholic Church has come out against the twotwo -child -child law arguing that it is a "veiled attempt at coercion" against families' freedom of conscience. -Mgr Oscar  Cruz, Archbishop of Lingayen-Mgr Lingayen-Dagupan

The bill wants to deprive large families of financial help as a punishment by prioritizing the grant of college scholarship for children from 2 children families. This bill unjustly discriminates Catholics, who are in conscience abound to resist contraception and who have more than 2 children and make up the majority of taxpayers in the country, from availing of taxtax -fund -fund overnment overnm ent scholarship. - An -An An open letter to the congressmen of the Philippine Republic

Promoting promiscuity, promiscuity, free sex s ex and disease among the youth  According to critics the bill entails abortion, the widespread use of  contraceptives (from condoms and the pill to intrauterine devices) for  birth control and a distorted view about sex education, all of which will lead to promiscuity and free sex among the young who believe that condoms will protect them. Diseases

related to reproductive health are precisely cause by immoral acts. The best solution for such is chastity, modesty and purity, in another word, traditional Filipino moral values. However the House H ouse Bill wants to promote reproductive act without any moral value among any persons by its valueless sexual education. - An -An An open letter to the congressmen of the Philippine Republic

Promoting mandatory sexual education The proposed mandatory sexual education to young students to give the ionformation on sexual rights, modern family planning, safe sex, and use of modern conraceptive devices, among other things. This is wrong because it seeks only to produce ³sexually liberated´ children who can demand ³sexual rights´ being ³free from coercion´ from their parents and Commandments of God. The ³sexual rights´ of children and adolescents is wrong because there is no ³sexual right´ for children and for unmarried adolescents, since the Natural Law tells us that the reproductive function is only for  married couples. couples. Also, because attributing to children the right of the married couple, this notion violates our Filipino Fi lipino moral principles and cultural values of the Filipino family. Sex education in school usurps the parents¶ right. Sex education in school disrespectfully defies the duty of parents to raise their  children as responsible, GodGod-loving -loving and patriotic citizens. - An -An An open letter to the congressmen of the Philippine Republic

Interfere with family¶s rights and open up possibilities of abuse The government mandated reproductive health care programs interfere i nterfere with the family¶s rights and open up the possibility of abuse. This attitude of having to ³manage´ reproductive health perpetuates the anti--life, anti -life, propro-abortion, -abortion, propro-choice -choice mentality that will bring about the destruction of marriage and the family. Moreover, when the government mandates reproductive health care programs, the government tramples upon the basic human right of  couples to control their own fertility and determine their own family size. Government involvement in reproduction is also dangerous because of the potential abuses it can bring. - An -An An open letter to the congressmen of the Philippine Republic

Obligation imposed on health care practitioners

Section 21 says: ³Provided, that all conscientious objections of health care service providers based on religious grounds shall be respected: Provided, further, that the conscientious objector shall immediately refer refer the person seeking such care and services to another health care service provider within the same facility or one which is conveniently accessible. -Inquirer.net -Inquirer.net

Opportunity for corruption Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said that the P150 P150--billion -billion budget (just over US$ 3 billion) for the implementation i mplementation of the projects under the Reproductive Health Bill will be sufficient suffi cient as a start--up start -up fund. But ³for the full implementation of the projects, the department would would need more than the amount initially allocated´. Fr Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the CBCP¶s Commission on Family and Life. -

Incidentally, the Secretary of Health announced that an initial amount of  P150 billion as startstart-up -up fund is intended for this project in terms of  the ³infrastructure´ to get it going. Fact is, some s ome P2 billion will be so allocated just for condoms or like medicines or drugs. Is this the reason that politicians as legislators incessantly lobby for the reproductive health bill to be legislated into law? -

PRIMER C. PAGUNURAN (Philippines (Philippi nes Today)

Filipino bishops call for education and development, not contraceptives In a tough statement following the decision by the House Committee on  Appropriations to to approve the Reproductive Health bill, the Catholic Bishops¶ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urged the country¶s lawmakers to spend money on education, food and housing programs for the poor, instead of contraceptives. ³Our lawmakers should not spend billions of pesos for contraceptives. They should spend it on education, food and housing programs for  the poor´. -Fr Melvin Castro -Fr

We should give our future generations the true quality education : diligence, discipline, selfself -sacrifice -sacrifice for the common good, fidelity and chastity. - An -An An open letter to the congressmen of the Philippine Republic

"Population control advocates may have good intentions. Those proposing the ready and easy access to contraceptives could have honest motives,´. But, "intentions and motives cannot overturn the truth and argue against facts.´ -Mgr Oscar Cruz, Archbishop of Lingayen-Mgr Lingayen-Dagupan (asianews.it)

Relation of Abortion to House Bill 3773

Reproductive Rights Bill 3773 In short : advocates contraception as a means of of responsible parenting parenting and for  population management and rejects reject s abortion abortion in its guiding principles principles principl es But : how ever the bill dissociates itself from abortion, recent history and morality discussions show that the two always come hand hand--in -inin-hand -hand

Humanae Vitae "the invitation to contraception as a supposedly 'harmless' manner of  the relation between the sexes is not only an insidious denial of  man's moral freedom. It fosters a depersonalized understanding of  sexuality which which is restricted mainly to the the moment and promotes in the last analysis that mentality out of which abortion arises and from which it is continuously nourished" - Pope Pope John John Paul Paul IIII

 According to

Dr.

Siegfried Ernst, a physician and theologian

the ess "exclusion of the creative c reative ssence ence of contraception is the "exclusion quality of human sexuality in favor of the mere production of  pleasure and ecstasy" ecstasy"

makes po mak poss ssible ible to think thin k onl only y of pleas pleasure at a certain moment without think thin king of cons con sequence equences s after, thus thus contraception is i s made an es escape from the res re spon pons sibilitie ibilities s that the sexual act will otherwis otherwi se bring

In using contraception, however, the intrinsic meaning of intimacy and procreation in a sexual act is detached and isolated from the person Thus : when the sexual act bears fruit, f ruit, it is acted upon using the same detachment and isolation that sex is regarded

it is our our hedonistic hedonistic mentality mentality mentalit y "which "which regards procreation as an obstacle to personal fulfillment" fulfillment" Wherein "the life which could result from a sexual encounter thus becomes an becomes the only only enemy to be avoided at all costs; costs cos ts; abortion becomes ts; poss po ssible ible decis decisive res respon pons se to failed contraception" - Pope Pope John John Paul Paul IIII

 According to Professor Janet Smith "contraception facilitates facilitates the kind of relationships and even the kind of attitudes and moral characters that are likely to lead to abortion³ abortion³

* Some of the contraceptives promoted promoted by the bill are even abortifacients (e.g. IUD, the pill) *