Church drive vs RH bill form of violence against women—solon – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

(We are posting different news, articles etc that convey different views on the issue of the Reproductive Health Rights- HROnlinePH) Church drive vs RH bill form of violence against women—solon – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos. By Cynthia Balana Philippine Daily Inquirer Source: inquirer.net, Posted 04:51:00 03/29/2011 Filed Under: Churches (organisations), Women, Family planning, Legislation…

Human Rights Online Philippines

March 29, 2011

2–3 minutes

Articles, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Catholic Church, Edcel Lagman, ESCR, Family planning, Health, Human Rights, Human Rights defenders, Inquirer.net, Philippine Daily Inquirer, philippines, Reproductive health, Reproductive Health Bill

(We are posting different news, articles etc that convey different views on the issue of the Reproductive Health Rights- HROnlinePH)

Church drive vs RH bill form of violence against women—solon – INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos.

By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Source: inquirer.net, Posted 04:51:00 03/29/2011
Filed Under: Churches (organisations), Women, Family planning, Legislation

600loqal_lagman — Hon. Edcel Lagman, photo source http://ph.yfittopostblog.com/

MANILA, Philippines—The campaign of the Catholic Church to torpedo the reproductive health bill pending in Congress propagates violence against women, House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman said Monday in a statement.

Lagman, the main sponsor of consolidated House Bill 4244—or the proposed Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development—cited as an example of the violence the unremitting and yearly pregnancies that affect women who are denied access to family planning, including legal, medically safe and effective contraception.

Modern methods

He said the Catholic Church has been propagating misinformation on modern family planning methods while the government has been procrastinating on the passage of the long-delayed measure.

Lagman also blamed the husbands and other men who impose themselves on their wives or partners despite the lack of a viable family planning method.

He said that this form of violence against women constituted physical, psychological and financial violence which are punishable under Republic Act No. 9262, or the Anti Violence Against Women and Their Children Act.

“It is physical violence because unremitting pregnancies pose high risks to women and constitute a major cause of maternal death and illness. The National Demographic and Health Survey reveals that 11 women die daily from maternal causes,” Lagman said.

“It is psychological violence because women who are driven to abortion because they cannot afford another child suffer grave psychological trauma. It is likewise financial violence because unremitting pregnancies prevent women from finishing their education and securing remunerative work for which reason they are condemned to financial subjugation,” he said.

500,000 abortions annually

Lagman said that based on a University of the Philippines’ Population Institute study, an average of 500,000 abortions are performed annually in the country.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines has issued a pastoral letter calling on the faithful to reject the RH bill as it is a form of “moral corruption.”

The bill, according to its stated purpose, seeks to provide universal access to medically safe, legal, affordable, effective and quality RH services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information and education with priority on the needs of women and children in underprivileged sectors.

The plenary debates on House Bill 4244 will resume in May after Congress went on recess on March 25.