Manila, Filipino academics and parliamentarians unite in defense of life
Manila (AsiaNews) - Student organizations and new parliamentary blocs in "defense of life". In the Philippines the fight against pro-abortion policies, including the infamous law of "reproductive health" strongly opposed by the bishops and the Catholic community is gathering pace. The student movement at the University of Asia and the Pacific has called a pro-life conference for September 7, entitled "Real Love Revolution 2013," the event will bring together boys and girls from different backgrounds and will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center Plenary Hall in Pasay, Metro Manila municipality.
The conference aims to explain to
Filipinos, especially to young people, the importance of chastity and the
defense of life in all its forms and expressions. The
speakers will explain the different aspects that revolve around the choice of
chastity and how this is reflected in contemporary society. But
they will also discuss the Reproductive Health Bill (RH Law), contraception,
divorce, pre-marital sex and teenage pregnancies.
A
solemn Eucharistic celebration will also be held, presided over by the new
president of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Msgr. Socrates Villegas,
Archbishop of Lingayen-Dagupan. The
function is expected to be attended by at least 8 thousand people.
Meanwhile some MPs, led by Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, the vast majority coming from the "independent block" have formed a "coalition for life" in the Lower House. The purpose is to promote policies, laws and regulations that are "pro-life", which favor the family and fight against the RH bill. Issues and values, they add, already "under attack" in the West, which are now being eroded or diminished in the Philippines.
The "reproductive health" law has taken 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 last December, rejects abortion clinics, 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 instead promote a Natural Family Programme (NFP), which aims at providing the general public a culture of responsibility and love based on natural values.
The bill is sponsored primarily by major international organizations, such as UN and UNICEF, which link high birth rates to 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 case, emphasizing the "absolute" value of human life that will "win over birth control."
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