Bishops oppose Reproductive Health law, but are open to dialogue with its supporters
Manila ( AsiaNews / CBCP ) - The president of the
Bishops' Conference of the Philippines ( CBCP) and Archbishop of Lingayen
Dagupan , Msgr. Socrates
Villegas, has staunchly rejected rumors that the Church has "mellowed"
its position on the Reproductive Health Law. In
contrast, the local Catholic leadership maintains the strongest opposition to
the norm, which was introduced with the aim of controlling the growth of the
population and for years the center of a fierce controversy. During
a press conference held at the end of 108th Plenary Assembly of the Filipino
bishops , the bishop said that "we must
stand by the truth, but we must always be loving as we stand for the truth. The
position [RH] does not change but the reaching out is added into it".
The
Reproductive Health Bill 4244 took nearly 14 years to be approved , after five
different changes over a year of discussions in Parliament and the fierce
opposition of the Church. The
measure, approved in December 2012, rejects clinical abortion, but promotes a
family planning program that invites couples to have no more than two children
. It
allows in some cases for conscientious objection , but at the same time
promotes voluntary sterilization . Church
and Catholic associations argue in favour of the Natural Family Programme (NFP
), which aims at providing the general population with a culture of
responsibility and love based on natural values.
The
bill is mainly promoted by major international organizations such as the UN and
UNICEF, which link the high birth rate to the high rate of poverty in the
country. The
countries that do not adhere to these standards will lose their right to
receive humanitarian aid. In
recent months, the archbishop of Manila , Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle ,
intervened in the dispute , emphasizing the "absolute" value of human
life that will "win over birth control ."
These
days the president of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has decided to
reiterate the position of the Church, to silence rumors of a sudden about turn
by the prelates regarding the controversial law known as Republic Act 10354 . Bishop
Villegas called for "respect for those who have a different
opinion and more than that we reach out to them and let us be friends beyond the
RH Law". Msgr. Villegas also cited the possibility of more disagreements and
called for the things that would bridge the gap between opponents and
proponents of the population control policy.
"There will be many more disagreements - said the president of the episcopate - but let us not allow our disagreements to disunite us further. Because
we have enough disunity already, so let us look for the things that unite us. That
is the spirit." He also asked members of the media to 'be partners' in bringing
out the truth "and the truth must always be proclaimed no matter what the cost.
But the truth must always be proclaimed with much love." The law remains on
halt after the Supreme Court last year issued a status quo ante order which
prohibits the law from being implemented.
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