By Ramon G. Lopez, M.D.,
FACOG
As of October 31, 2011 the world’s population reached the 7th billion, and will hit nearly 9 billion by the year 2040.
Philippine Star editorial cartoon
With up to 4,000 Filipinos being born every day, the Philippines is the 12th most populous country in the world. The country which has the approximate size of the state of Arizona at 116,000 square miles, has an estimated present population of 94 million and could possibly be at 154,000,000 in the year 2050 if the current annual population growth rate is maintained at about 2.0%.
The initial history of a “reproductive health policy” in the Philippines goes back to 1967 when the leaders of 12 countries (including the Philippines) signed the Declaration on Population, cognizant that population and poverty are among the inherent influencing aspects in the long-term socio-political and economic progress of a country. The Philippine Population Commission was then created to encourage a lower normative standard in terms of family size, and to provide information on reproductive health services and options.
Development Goals
In September, 2000 the United Nations General Assembly concluded the Millennium Summit by adopting a set of Millennium Development Goals or MDGs. Foremost in the agenda of the first MDG is the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; other concerns being that of the attainment of universal primary education, gender equality, reduction of child mortality, improving women’s reproductive health, combating HIV and AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.
Also on the table were proposed initiatives to maintain a sustainable productive environment, and last but not least the development of continued global partnerships between developing and developed countries. All 193 UN member states at that time and which included the Philippines as a signatory, plus at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve these goals by the year 2015.
Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute or extreme poverty or destitution refers to being unable to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter.
There are about 2.7 billion people world-wide estimated to be living in poverty today with Asia and the Pacific region being home to two thirds of the world’s poor. When looking at the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) of a currency, it translates for that currency how much is needed to buy the same things that a dollar could buy in the United States. The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than US $1.25 (PPP) per day, and moderate poverty as less than US $2.00 (PPP) per day.
1.2 million Street Children
The daily income for 45% of Filipinos is less than US $2.00 per day. The poverty incidence is less than 10% for a family with one child, 23% for families with 2 children, and steadily goes up to a 60% poverty rate for families with 9 or more children. The poorest of the poor are the ones having more than 3 children. Among the poorest women who want to avoid pregnancy, at least 41% do not use any family planning method because they have not been educated on how to.
Induced and illegal abortion total to nearly half-a-million annually. It is estimated that there are about 1.2 million street children in the Philippines; about 50,000 to 70,000 alone are roaming the streets of Manila. These are children born into poverty and hopelessly mired in poverty.
The definition of “Reproductive Health Care” had undergone multiple revisions through the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives in its many active debates in its plenary sessions these past 14 years, but essentially embodies in its contents the following:
“It refers to the state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, and in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. This implies the rights of individuals and couples to decide freely and responsibly whether or not to have children; the number, spacing, and timing of their children; to make other decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion, and violence; to have information and means to do so; and to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health.”
Threat of Excommunication
On January 31, 2011 the Philippines’ House of Representatives Committee on Population and Family Relations approved the convergence of the six different bills or acts into a single bill (No. 4244), into An Act Providing For a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and Other Purposes, as sponsored by Representative Edcel Lagman of Albay. Vis-à-vis with this is Senate Bill 2378 on a National Policy on Reproductive Health and Population and Development as put forth by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Forthcoming plenary sessions will determine the fate of these propositions.
These two bills, which essentially have the same goals, have spawned a contentious and divisive debate between its proponents and veto groups as spearheaded by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. The ill will that has been generated has led to the threat of ecclesiastical excommunication of the Catholic Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III and the Bills’ supporters, a call of the CBCP for massive civil disobedience, strikes, and even for non-payment of governmental taxes.
A survey had shown that 41.3% of the 287-strong members of the Philippine Congress are in favor of the RH Bill, while 18.8 % are against it. In the Senate, about 60% or 14 of the 24 Senators support the Bill.
Holistic Contents
The Honorable Edcel Lagman and the other co-authors of their specified proposals capsulized the holistic contents of their Reproductive Health Bill as follows: Maternal, infant and child health, and nutrition, Promotion of breastfeeding, Information and access to Natural and modern family planning methods, Prevention of abortion, and management of post-abortal complications, Adolescent and youth health, Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections (RTIs), HIV / AIDS, and other sexually-transmitted infections (STIs), Elimination of violence against women, Education and counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health, Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers and other gynecologic conditions, Male involvement and participation in reproductive health, Prevention and treatment of infertility and sexual dysfunction, Age-appropriate reproductive health education for the youth.
The linchpins of the Bill would be the Education and Access of the populace, especially of and for the poor and powerless. As proposed, the Reproductive Health Bill therefore makes claim to the following:
1. It does not legalize abortion. Abortion is a criminal act punishable by Philippine law.
2. It is not only about pills and condoms. It is for the availability of choice for the Filipino couple of all family planning methods, natural or artificial.
3. It is not to promote sexual promiscuity. The RH Bill is for the education of the youth about sex and sexuality, with the aim to promote correct and responsible sexual values.
4. It is pro-life, pro-women, and pro quality of life. The RH Bill aims to educate couples with the proper knowledge to help them plan their family based on their preferences and life’s circumstances.
(To be continued next issue)