Conception of a Misconception

By: Iza Maria Gonzalez

Oh, the irony.  Or, more accurately,the ironies.

The average Filipino must be tired of hearing the same old argument over and over again. Since time immemorial, poverty has always been attributed to the rapid population growth. Gasgasna, in layman’s terms, but used as the main contention in the insistent pushing for a law on Reproductive Health.Gasgasna, and what makes it so much worse is that this argument is a misconception. How ironic, that from a misconception, a bill was born, and in this bill lies more outward – and in some cases, insulting – ironies.

House Bill No. 4244, or “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and for other Purposes,” is the current Reproductive Health Bill. Authored by Representative EdcelLagman and 103 others, the bill contains vague provisions on the use and distribution of contraceptives, on abortion, and on other concerns. Thus, the first irony – how was it possible that a bill written by so many lawmakers, and is actually a consolidation of six other house bills, still be so unclear?

What remains crystal clear is where the adamant demand for a law on Reproductive Health stems from. Supporters of the bill claim that the uncontrollable growth of the nation’s population greatly contributes to poverty and all the other problems that come with it, such as unemployment, pollution, illiteracy, and the like. According to various studies, however, a young and developing population serves as the backbone of a growing economy. Yet, if the solution to poverty is a progressive economy, then a law should not be created to control population growth. There lies another irony.Why prevent the growth of the population when a sustainable economy – the solution to the escalating problem of poverty – largely depends on it?

A closer look on the problem of poverty will shed light on one of the greatest ironies there is. Is there really a correlation between population expansion and poverty? Is it not lack of education, of employment opportunities, of reforms and plans that lead to development, that truly hinder the progress of Filipinos’ lives? Blaming poverty to the population equates to blaming the people for a problem that they never created. In the first place, it is the incompetence of an ineffectual government that thwarts good governance. To add insult to injury, corruption and erroneous economic policies worsen the problem. Hence, the loveliest irony of all, as if it is not wrong to blame the people for a problem they cannot solve, the reproductive health bill blames the people for a problem that the government itself crafted into the monster it is today.

And of course, there exists smaller but equally disturbing ironies. In Section 4 (Definition of terms) of the bill, under Reproductive Health Care, the bill enacts “proscription of abortion and management of abortion of complications.” The bill states that it does not prescribe and encourage abortion, but mandates every hospital and other medical units to offer the appropriate assistance to women who engaged in abortion without judgement. The provision is fair, but unnecessary, given that even without it, women – or any person for that matter – should be given proper medical care regardless of the circumstance she is in.

The bill also states that it “recognizes that abortion is illegal and punishable by law,” but it allows and even encourages the use and distribution of contraceptives, when in fact, some contraceptives are abortifacients. Therefore, it does not legalize abortion, but in an implicit manner, allows it.Implicit, yes, but an explicit irony.

Proponents of the bill also insist on being pro-choice. Being a democratic country, they say, we are entitled to freedom of choice. In provisions of the bill, couples are free to choose “the number and spacing of their children,” but prescribes and “ideal family size” of two children. The less fortunate in the society choose to have more children because manpower is their only resource. For instance, farmers, having a labor-intensive source of livelihood, need more manpower. Prescribing an “ideal family size” of two children is not always “ideal” for every Filipino family. But regardless of manpower or labor-force, why prescribe an “ideal family size” to a culture known to be family-oriented from the very beginning?

Another contradiction to the bill being pro-choice is that it mandates “all accredited health facilities” to “provide a full range of modern family planning methods.”  The provision implies that the opinion of health facilities on the use of thesaid methods does not matter. Whether or not they are against the use of contraceptives, they are required to make them available to every Filipino citizen.

Pro-choice, but with no choices.Pro-choice, but not pro-life.Yet again, ironic.\

The mere act of making contraceptives and other means of family planning and birth control available to the people – to Filipinos of all ages – will have a serious negative effect on the country’s current state of mind. Being a predominantly Catholic nation, premarital sex, and abortion are two things that Filipinos greatly condemn. If the bill, however, would be passed, it would be as if the use of contraceptives has finally been accepted, leading to an increase in cases of premarital sex. In other words, contraceptives would encourage the youth to engage in premarital sex without considering the responsibilities of parenthood, because they do not see the possibility of being a parent.

 Since it has been proven through the years that not all contraceptives are effective, the bill may also lead to more cases of teenage pregnancy; thus, more young adults unable to finish their education,more children without fathers, and more mothers engaging in abortion.

A final irony: Sex is an act committed for the purpose of reproduction but looking closely, this bill encourages young people to engage in the act without thinking of the responsibilities of being a parent and raising a family. Is this how the bill upholds ‘Responsible Parenthood’?

Instead of allotting another large amount of taxpayers’ money to a law that would prevent, instead of help, the country’s progress, shouldn’t the government focus on the implementation of projects and creation of reforms that would eradicate poverty, the source of all these nonsense?

At the end of the day, there should be no more debate. A bill as vague and as questionable as HB 4244 should not be enacted into a law, for it would only worsen the country’s current situation. If indeed, it is true that the Philippines’ economy is gradually improving, then it is imperative that this bill must not be passed. A vibrant, young, and developing population is the key to a globally competitive economy. Again, the population must NOT be controlled.

Only one abortion should be committed – an abortion of the misconception that population expansion causes poverty, a belief that should not have been born in the first place.