Friday Fax

April 29, 2005
Volume 8, Number 19

Family Planning Bill in Philippines Paving Way for Legalized Abortion

One of the most populous Catholic countries in the world is set to
significantly liberalize its laws on family planning and "reproductive
health" services, stopping just short of outright legalization of
abortion. The proposed legislation, which is likely to pass within months,
sets in place a "comprehensive national policy" that discriminates against
families with more than two children and requires the Catholic Church to
provide sex education in schools and to pay for the sterilizations of its
employees.

House Bill 3773, entitled, "Responsible Parenthood and Population
Management Act of 2005," says, "The State . . . guarantees universal
access to safe, affordable and quality reproductive health care services."
The bill defines "reproductive health care" as "availability and access to
a full range of methods, techniques and services that contribute to
reproductive and sexual health and well-being . . . [including] family
planning information and services."

Brian Cowles, Director of Research at Human Life International,
points out that "the words 'reproductive health' appear 55 times in the
seven-page bill." UN agencies and pro-abortion groups view such words as
including abortion.

While the bill states that "abortion shall remain to be penalized,"
Meg Francisco of the Filipine Alliance for the Family Foundation, Inc.
says, "The experience of every country that has promoted contraception
shows that abortion will eventually be included." She says that the
"reasons given for contraception are the same as reasons for abortion,"
the two policies are "linked by jurisprudence [such as the] right to
privacy," "and at times, are identical, [since] IUD and the Pill are
abortifacients."

The bill also says that "the State shall encourage two (2) children
as the ideal Family size." The bill does not make two children mandatory,
but says that "Children from these families shall have preference in the
grant of scholarships at the tertiary level." According to Francisco, this
policy "will lead to social stigma for large families . . . [who] would be
considered irresponsible, and their children, unplanned and unwanted."
Francisco also believes that this provision "penalizes the poor, who are
precisely those who need financial aid for college."

The bill sets up mandatory sex education from grades 5-12, with
topics to include "reproductive health and sexual rights," "sexual
identity," and "gender roles." The Catholic Church is not exempt from this
obligation. Moreover, the bill requires all employers, not excluding the
Catholic Church, to provide free of charge, "reproductive health care
services and devices to the workers." The bill considers such services to
include voluntary sterilization.

Francisco also points out that the bill also prohibits persons "to
act from conscience" because it threatens up to six months imprisonment
for "any health care service provider who shall . . . refuse to perform
voluntary sterilization and ligation" and for "any public official . . .
who shall prohibit or intentionally restrict" the provision of services
outlined in the bill.

Copyright 2005 - C-FAM (Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute).
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.

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