The Reproductive Health Bill (RH) seems to be very popular among Filipino. A poll this week showed that 69% of those surveyed were in favor of the bill. Is it just me, or does anyone else find humor in that number?
Birth Control In The Philippines
I’m a little surprised that it is so high. Even more surprising only 7% were actually against the bill.
Bantayan Island
23% were unsure. That is an amazing number in a country that is strongly catholic since the Catholic church is strongly opposed to the bill. It isn’t just the Catholic church either.
Once, I was walking past a protestant church near my home. I heard the preacher warning how it would lead to abortion in the Philippines. That has been a major position of those opposed to it. Another major position is that there are health dangers related to many birth control measures.
From my education on such matters, yes there are dangers from many forms of birth controls but those dangers are still less than the risk of pregnancy.
This is a hot political issue in the Philippines. If you’ve been following me for long, you probably already know that foreigners are not allowed to partake in political debate. So once again, I must refrain from giving my opinion.
It is surprising that many are not following what the position taken by the church. This may signal some kind of major change within Filipino society. It would take a sociologist to really get into that. I find it very interesting.
I have been observing this debate for a couple of years now. The new president of the Philippines is very supportive of the bill.
Just when it seemed to have faded away, the President Aquino spoke out to support it. The church had asked him to come out against it in his first State of The Republic address but he didn’t mention it at all. Instead, he spoke mostly of graft.
A couple of months later, he made his position known in a way that it would get as much attention as he could get from it.
From what I’ve read, the bill is expected to pass the Philippine senate with little trouble but the house will be more of an issue. The opponents are using every weapon they have to keep it from ever getting out of committee. Personally, I don’t think they will be able to do that.
Even if they do, I would be surprised if the president didn’t later issue a proclamation to make his version of the RH law. It would be challenged in the courts. I have no idea what the outcome of that would be. Other than, while the challenge was ongoing, the law would be in effect.
The bill will provide education on birth control measures but it will also provide birth control products for the poor.
Living in the Philippines for three years, not really a huge amount of time, I’ve already seen a lot of pain caused from ill-timed pregnancies. I have observed a densely populated country where wildlife is far below levels that I was use to in the Southern USA. I think the dense population and pollution are major reasons. Of course, the dense population along with poverty greatly increase the pollution.
The urge to “reproduce” is very strong in humans. At some point, most of us just can’t take it any more. I think people need love and they are going to seek to express that in the most intimate of ways they find enjoyable. I just haven’t seen not having birth control stopping many people from enjoying their bonds.
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Tagged with: Living In The Philippines • Reproductive Health Bill
Filed under: Filipino Culture • Living In The Philippines • Philippine Religion
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I agree with you bud . Having been to the PIs many times ,I have drawn my own conclusions. In a devolping country ,s@@t happens.
In any country, love happens.
So what all does this bill mean. I mean what will happen that isn’t happening now. Don’t they have any type of birth control now or is it all hit and miss.?
Birth control is available but many cannot afford it.
At times, in some locations hospitals wouldn’t provide it at all. I know of an area on Manila where the happened in the last couple of years. The mayor passed a city ordinance or some kind of action that caused the clinics and hospital to be fearful to provide it.
There is also a lot of stigma attached to using it for many. A huge part of it will be education.
I don’t think you’ll see a major change in the birth rate any time soon. Though the support of it signals a possibly change, I think acceptance of use will take much longer. Might be embarrassing for people to take advantage of the free services. So many here just can’t afford it.
Hi Rusty: During my last visit to the Philippines, I had a conversation with a female “Kagawad” of one of the Barangays. As women, we got into chatting about birth control. The Church will only allow the rhythm method. This method failed dismally with one of my cousins. His wife is only 42 and has already 9 children which they could not afford. This Kagawad is very sympathetic towards women who struggle against poverty. She privately counsels women of childbearing age to see their doctors and get on the pill. I believe that there are more supporters in this bill than what meets the eye.
That is still the position of the church as I understand it.
There seems to be massive support for the bill amount the people of the Philippines, at least that is my impression. the polls I’ve seen are highly in favor of it.
Now the opposition is very out spoken but I don’t think they represent the masses.
I have seen numerous predictions of a population explosion in store for the future of the Philippines and I would think it would take a long time for this bill to slow down that trend. There seems to be a lot of pressure on Filipina in these matters.
Recently, I saw a report where doctors in the Philippines released a statement that life begins at conception. That seems contrary to what I know of in Western medicine. I thought it was generally a neutral position on that scientifically. Seems the only one that science could be taken since science so far has not found a way to verify nor deny the existence of a soul.
Since I don’t have freedom of speech, I cannot comment on what I think should happen.
Hi Rusty: Doctor’s give out birth control prescriptions confidentially. The women on the pill are usually upper middle class, professional women. Look around these gated communities and look at Filipino middle class families. They don’t have that many children around. Usually a young couple would have two children. I remembered the “Kagawad” told me that when counseling women on birth control, she reminds the women not to mention this to their priests nor their relatives. If found, they could be ex-communicated from the Church.
Hi Roselyn! Yes they do have confidentiality but there is stigma attached to it here as you acknowledged through the counseling.
It is also human nature to put it off, it wont happen to me, I’ll make him use protection and so on.
I don’t think the problem lies so much with professional women but more so than you might think.
Filipina I know are very adverse to visiting a doctor at all, trying to get Jessie to take meds is next to impossible. I have to make her! LOL
There is a push to provide FREE birth control in the Philippines. The church and many doctors are against it. Those opposed to birth control pills like to overstate the risk and ignore that risk of pregnancy is higher than that of the pill. At least one law maker said the bill under consideration makes pregnancy a disease. It doesn’t but it got headlines.
But the people want it. I just think it will take time, decades to bring real change in population growth. Though it might help young women avoid some very costly mistakes. The current president supports the bill and he is very popular. I think it will pass.
The prior cardinal warns of rampant immoral behavior if it is passed. And the church has threatened lawmakers with excommunication if they support the bill. Many say it leads to abortion which just isn’t true.
One Filipina told me that if a woman takes the pill and grandma dies, they might blame themselves as it was a punishment from God so there are going to be massive cultural issues to tackle if the bill does pass.
The people want it but I’m not sure how many out in the provinces (outside of Manila) will actually put it to use in the near future. I anticipate that few than half will probably a lot less than half.
If my memory is close to correct more than 80% of those in Manila support the bill but the numbers drop to around 60% outside of Manila. Still, very high support. Especially in a country that usually will not take a position contrary to the that of the church.
Rusty: I’m not quite sure what you meant by “I don’t think the problem lies so much with professional women…” As you are American as I am (I am of Filipino-American ancestry), the more educated women become, the less influential the Church is to their lives. Their views are open to the world. They are aware of manipulation techniques of churches. Birth control and having children are choices that they can have in a free world such as the United States.
I truly believe that an educated woman is a good partner to her husband both mentally and economically. It frees the husband from high expectations of providing for the household. Therefore, he becomes a much more happier man and a better husband to his wife. On the other side of the coin, the educated woman has her own resources and feels secure knowing that if her husband passes on, she can survive. She doesn’t have to ask money to treat herself. Overall both individuals are happier.
In the Philippines, women who are not educated are very much influenced by their Church. Hence, they have so many children and the family is in poverty for lack of resources. Some husbands cannot take the pressure and will abandon the family, making matters worse. I believe that passing this health bill, allowing birth control, is essential to the well-being of the Philippines.
Hi Roselyn,
I love to be around educated women. That doesn’t have to mean formal eduction.
I know plenty of women that I considered educated that don’t have a lot of education from schools. I know even more smart women that are not educated.
There certainly are a lot of uneducated women and men in the Philippines. Far too often, women here don’t know their basic rights. I know a girl that was raped by her boyfriend. She told me it was not rape because it was her boyfriend. It was rape, even here. But even that went away when she agreed the second time. But she had no idea about the law at all. I see a lot of cases like that.
I’ve seen women get fired and let go on the spot. You can’t do that here. You have to give them 30 days notice! That seems insane to me. I need to study that law a bit and see if there are exceptions to the rule. It really isn’t an issue for me but it is something else I can add to my eBook once I know more about it. But, I know a girl that got fired from Gaisano shortly after she became pregnant. According to her, it was because she was pregnant. She could have been stealing them blind for all I know. I flat out know I don’t know the entire story. But she should have filed a complaint with DOLE and she didn’t.
I would agree that educated women TEND not be as easily manipulated. I’m a little hesitant to say that is as true where the church is concerned. Especially here. Though, I agree that TREND would still continue.
But that goes to my point. Educated women would be more likely to both use birth control and be able to afford it.
This bill is about giving options to those that can’t afford it. It is about education first and then providing free contraceptives. Cultures don’t change overnight. In the 70′s in the USA, organizations started teaching American’s about pollution and not doing stupid things like dropping your trash where every you happen to be standing.
Smoking is on the decrease in the USA but that took even longer to reverse and it happened through education mostly.
I don’t think this bill is aimed at the empowered person, they don’t need it. Maybe I didn’t understand you’re point in the beginning.
I’ve seen women that are educated in the Filipino system and they still don’t know much about their rights and the protections they have. They fear doctors too. The seem nearly paranoid when it comes to medication. I see it a lot.
In this case though, the majority of the people have already said, yeah right church, you say it is a sin for me to enjoy sex but well, stuff happens and I had sex and I like it and well, I’m going to do it again. Even in the going to mass every day women this is going on more than it is not going on. Many wont go to a doctor unless they are next to death. That is going to slow things down.
They don’t even teach about human sexuality in biology class here.
Change may be coming but as Obama found out, change comes slow.
I basically meant that middle class women don’t need the bill so much. Some of their 16 year old daughters might.
Like you pointed out, it isn’t the middle class with large families and if they have them, they can afford it. They don’t need the bill.
My 17 year old neighbor did. The girl working at Gaisano did. She needed education too. She could have afforded protection. Many can and they don’t get it. It is going to take time to change that way of thinking.
Rusty: I need to clarify myself here and define what I meant by “an educated woman”. I intended to say – “an educated woman who is gainfully employed”.
Rusty: There is no separation of Church and State in the government of the Philippines. As long as this exist, there will be no formal education given about the human reproductive system in the classrooms. I’ve known of nursing students who got pregnant. No education on birth control given at their respective schools. By the way, it may be harder for unwed women to get birth control pills than for a married woman.
Hi Roselyn,
From Wiki:
The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines declares: The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable. (Article II, Section 6), and, No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights. (Article III, Section 5).
On the practical side, if you go to a city owned website, you’ll usually see links or information about the local parish. Officially though, the church has no voice in government. Like he USA though, they are a powerful force.
Yeah, nursing students too often can’t afford contraception but even if hey can, the stigma around its use is strong. That’s why they hide it. Attitudes are a hard thing to change and it takes time.
It almost seems to me the people of the Philippines are in favor of change but they wish others to avail themselves of it while they remain the same. “It wont happen to me.”
It also seems people here want the choice. Still, there is strong opposition. I think one can see it from the some of the comments on this subject on this website.
Based on the poles though, they are not in the majority. It is already interesting that so many are not taking the position of the church on this matter.