Thursday, July 24, 2008

Some Cold, Hard Facts

Fact: The new RH bill criminalises abortion.

Fact: The Philippines is one of the few predominantly Catholic countries with no clear policy on population management and reproductive health.

Fact: The Catholic hierarchy of our closest socio-cultural cousins - Latin Americans - expressed a need to contextualise the encyclical Humanae Vitae as soon as it came out in 1968. Latin American bishops endorsed the responsible use of contraception.

Fact: The Philippine constitution renders the separation of Church and State inviolable.

Fact: As a republic, the government should express the will of the people - not the will of the Catholic clergy.

Fact: ARMM suffers the highest rates of maternal an infant mortality as compared to other parts of the country.

Fact: As a republic, the government must also be accountable to non-Catholic Filipinos. In March 2004, Muslim religious leaders have allowed legal and safe methods of contraception.

Fact: 473,000 abortions occur annually (estimates based on 2000 data, its probably higher now).

Fact: Abortion happens whether it is legal or not. Or whether the Church acknowledges it or not.

Fact: Western Europe, which has legalised abortion, has the lowest abortion rate in the world.

Fact: The bigger the family, the higher the poverty incidence rate.

Fact: The poor outnumber the non-poor.

Fact: The non-poor shoulder the burden of taxes.

Fact: YOU are presently paying for subsidies which keep the poor afloat.

Fact: YOU pay taxes. The Church does not.

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