Monday, July 21, 2008 Nalzaro: D.E.A.T.H.S. bill By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
FOR the Roman Catholic Church and pro-life groups, the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 is an anti-life bill.
They dub it “Deaths Bill.” Deaths stands for divorce, euthanasia, abortion, total population, homosexuality and sex education. Whoever coined these words, which pro-life groups prominently displayed in a placard during their rally last week, must have a very vivid imagination.
Why are they including other issues when there are no pending bills in Congress on these matters? Is there a pending bill on euthanasia or mercy killing? It is not acceptable here because of our culture and values on close family ties. As for the reproductive health bill, it does not promote legalizing abortion, contrary to what they claim. These pro-life groups are trying to mislead the public by saying that the bill is pro-abortion when in fact it is not.
I thoroughly reviewed the copy of the proposed bill but I did not encounter any section that says abortion will be legal. The bill, though, aggressively promotes population control through the artificial family planning method.
That’s why I raised this question in my last Saturday’s column: Is prevention abortion? One of the provisions of the bill under the “Guiding Principles” states: “While nothing in this Act changes the law on abortion, as abortion remains a crime and is punishable, the government shall ensure the women seeking care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner.”
Dr. Rene Joseph Bullecer, country director of Human Life International and who strongly opposes the bill, said that what they are doing is guiding and teaching the people about morality. What morality is he talking about? Does the church hierarchy impose sanctions against priests who are immoral by having live-in partners and who are active homosexuals?
Some of our church servants are even more immoral than us. The church should cleanse it ranks first.
For the benefit of those who have not read the proposed bill, which was already approved in the committee on health and was referred to the Appropriations Committee for approval of its appropriations provision, here are some of its key provisions:
1) Mandates the Population Commission to be the central planning, coordinating, implementing and monitoring body for effective implementation of the act; 2) Provides for the creation of an enabling environment for women and couples to make an informed choice regarding the family planning method that is best suited for their needs and personal convictions; 3) Provides for a maternal death review in local government units, national government hospitals and other public health units.
4) Ensures the availability of hospital-based family planning methods such as tubal ligation, vasectomy, intrauterine devise insertion and other family planning methods in all national and local government hospitals except in specialty hospitals; 5) Considers contraceptives and other allied health products and supplies as essential medicines and supplies and shall form part of the National Drug Formulary and the same time shall be included in the regular purchase of essential medicines and supplies of all national and local hospitals. 6) Provides for a mobile health care service in every congressional district to deliver health care goods and services; 7) Provides mandatory age-appropriate Reproductive Health Education starting from Grade 5 to fourth year high school; 8) Mandates the inclusion of the topics on breastfeeding and infant nutrition as essential part of the information given by the city or municipal office of the family planning; 9) Penalizes the violator of this Act from one month to six months imprisonment or fine raging from P10,000 to P50,000 or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court.
