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| Sta. Cruz Parish: Pastoral Center |
When Gwen and I went to Sta. Cruz Church to attend its Pre-Canna Seminar, we certainly did not expect its topic to be about the controversial RH Bill and the artificial contraceptives that it promotes.
At first, I am thinking about how family planning relates to managing marriage. Mr. Alejandro, the speaker, started discussing about how the population of the country is not even a problem that the government should be addressing. He said that by asking the civilians to use artificial contraceptives, the government is only taking the easier route and not solving the root of the problem at all. When he claimed this, my thoughts started to shift from what I know and the information he was feeding me. While I may not be an Economics major student, I know that the Philippines is not overpopulated though the staggering increase of population is apparent.
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| With Mr. Alejandro |
According to Mr. Alejandro, the Church endorses natural family planning since it is the healthiest way of employing family planning measures. Further, it does not cause any physical harm on the individuals who decide to use it. I wholeheartedly agree with him on this one. The infamous RH Bill prompted me to know more about the content of the bill and the possible effects it will have on our country. I was shocked when I read about the possible health consequences one will suffer if he/she uses artificial contraceptives.
As a firm believer of life starting at the conception process, I was alarmed to find out that most of the artificial contraceptives such as oral contraceptives (pills) and IUDs prevent the fertilized egg from implanting itself on the wall of the uterus. This process, personally, is not preventing pregnancy at all; it is forcefully eliminating the chances to live of an innocent life. It is cruel and inhumane; it is abortion.
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| Lecture on the Natural Family Planning |
I previously thought that by allowing the would-be mothers to decide on their own if they have the capacity to raise the children, then the standard of living would surely increase. Individuals who prefer not to have children simply because they cannot afford them need not worry about providing enough sustenance for their families. I thought that poverty might even be alleviated. I thought wrong.
Artificial contraceptives are the government’s solution to poverty. I personally think this is the government’s short-term remedy to the country’s continuing dilemma. This short-range fix would only alleviate poverty temporarily, however, the Filipino culture that it would change would surely linger on. The conservative culture and traditions of the Filipinos would be eradicated, and in its place, would be the hedonistic sexual lifestyle of the community.
I did not really imagined that I would learn so much about the difference of natural and artificial birth planning methods. Moreover, I certainly did not expect my awareness and thoughts of the RH Bill to be exceedingly incorrect. Being a business student, I have always looked on things on the micro- (household) and macroeconomics perspective. I did not realize that I have lost sight of what is morally good and ethical. With the new understanding that I have appreciated, from being a supported of the RH Bill, I have now become someone who shuns the Bill.
Mr. Alejandro told us that the politicians and medical experts who propagate the RH Bill mostly have “something” in it for them; while I reluctantly accept this as a fact (since somehow, I still believe that there is an inkling amount of justice in our political system), I know what he said was probably true.
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| Outside the Sta. Cruz Church |
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