The Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) is one hell of a beast. The Philippines’ Roman Catholic Church literally sees it as such — a beast straight out of hell that will undermine everything that it stands for. It has, today, come down to the vote: Will Philippine Congress approve or reject the bill? It is therefore ultimately (as with most things of consequence for that matter) political.
As with most things political, the epicentre of the politicking needs to be politically correct in order for the right personalities to be on board. The RH Bill has now been made politically-correct beyond recognition. The Bill is now, supposedly about “about health, rights, [and] choices.”
But is it really?
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Back in the old days, there was really just one overarching issue that ready-access to artificial contraception really sought to address: population. The short of it is quite simple, really:
The Philippines is over-populated.
We have committed to supporting a 100-million-strong portfolio of humanity despite an inherent inability to generate enough economic output to sustain these numbers in a manner that meets established global standards of human development. This simple reality ties back to my definition of poverty:
Our poverty stems from an inherent inability to honour commitments we have locked ourselves into.
Every child born is a commitment we need to honour. Our commitment to every child born is to raise her so that she develops into a productive adult that can contribute to the economy. People who are not prepared to honour that commitment should not have children lest the children they bear become mere burdens to the lot already crowding and laying waste to this wretched nation.
So whilst ready-access to contraception (which made direct sense in the context of national poverty) has since been re-branded to “reproductive health” (which muddles the whole point), the true essence of the much-needed social re-engineering effort has gone from the real — stemming the increase in numbers of a people renowned for their inability to feed themselves — to the nebulous — “health, rights, and choices” — after all the emo activists and legislators took it all over and articulated it in their peachy slogans, taglines, and now its ultimate form: the flawed construct we call the “RH Bill”.
And we wonder why Da Pinoy story never gets told — because we are a people who never fail to exhibit our talent for losing the plot.
The whole “debate” around “reproductive health” now misses the point — that we are all personally responsible for our future fortunes. Unfortunately, Filipinos are a people not exactly renowned for a strong ethic of personal responsibility.
It is only when we understand that we are all ultimately personally responsible for our own fortunes that we begin to become aware of how many aspects of our culture contribute to propagating a culture of poverty. We are a society imprisoned in a mindset that is grounded on the notions that we cannot influence our own destinies, that employment is owed to us by Government, and that those who have more have in some way deprived us of opportunity simply by being “more fortunateâ€. We think that good fortune is granted to us by “God’s graces†and that bad fortune is “God’s willâ€.
Before there can be “health, rights, and choices” there needs to be enough wealth to underpin all of those. In order to have enough wealth to get around you have to both (1) live within your means and (2) create more wealth to sustain increased consumption. Filipinos have demonstrated a consistent inability to do the latter: create wealth indigenously even in the best of circumstances. Therefore, the choice is clear: Filipinos must live within their means. In the context of population it means that our numbers need to be controlled so that we don’t outstrip our naturally-stunted abilities to feed and employ our lot.
Is it really about “reproductive health”? Think again. History has shown that well-meaning activist rhetoric and, more so, agenda-driven politics does not necessarily equate to the right thinking.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Oh yeah the yellow bald president is said to have realised a significant problem in schools, and that is —overcrowding of children, and this bill is said to be their answer to this problem… To have these young innocents killed as early as inside their mothers’ womb. That is crazy.
And so it goes, that the future unborn generation is to be blamed for the great possibility of hunger for the entire planet. And not one of the currently existing, adult human being is to be blamed for the obvious lack of jobs, education, conscientious urban planning, unscrupulous abuse of the environment and most of all, the many millions on welfare due to laziness or plain illness or plain old age. How convenient. How very nazi in ideology.
correction: “unconscientious or careless urban planning”
“Only the guilty are guilty. Their children are not.”
-Elie Wiesel
I don’t find the angle of RH Bill as a front for abortion policies that believable yet. But I agree, there are better things to do than this. On school overcrowding, obviously, more schools are needed. But instead, the government wants more recipients of CCT.
Contraception is not infanticide. Contraception prevents conception from taking place. NO conception = No baby. A being is not being killed. Women are simply using technology to control their own bodies. Confusing abortion and contraception makes no sense, at all. That is crazy.
According to the HSBC research, which Malacanang is said to be proud of, the Philippines will rank 16th among the world’s top economies by 2050. But how?!!!…
Here it goes, according to the report the populace will play a vital role for that, considering the country’s looming population, as of now pretty large in size of more or less 93,000,000 Filipinos. Now, how can that be if you are going to restrain the vital tool for growth?
They should be proud, mainly because it will give recognition for the Philippines in the world. PINOYPRIDEFTW! #Sarcasm
Emphasis on 2050.
Why not make it so by 2030? 2025? Or just to twist the proverbial bayonet, 2020?
Kasalanan ni Gloria kung bakit hindi maipasa pasa ang RH bill. Upang makuha nya ang suporta at boto ng simbahang Katolika, hindi nya pinayagan ang pagpasa sa bill na ito. Talaga itong si Gloria, Gloria magnanakaw ka!
Still with the whole yellow propaganda crap I see….
You still wouldn’t realize that you are getting yourself humiliated here time and again.
Your president is the one at fault here.
MORON
Hindi ba si PNoy ang nang-akit sa simbahang Katoliko sa pamamagitan ng pangalan ng kanyang ina upang siya ay manalo sa pagka-presidente?
Yes, he did. Well, he could actually be an anti-RH person, for all we know; he just trying to lure investors in this country with that “wow-cool” legislation. Even then, how could he keep them now; with the sin tax reform bill now in act?
Aaaand now it’s Arroyo’s fault kung bakit hindi naipasa ito. Sarap pala maging isip-bata, ‘no?
In fact, Gloria has her support on the RH Bill but the reason why you say that is because she was demonized by the biased media and even the church, who are staunch Aquino allies. Source for the record or your rotten mouth is full of HEARSAY, idiot.
Talaga tong si Fishball, Fishball SUPER TANGA ka! XD
Sa bagay, fishball palagi ang habol niya. Hindi mga masustansyang pagkain. Kaya pala mapurol ang utak e. Not surprised. 😛
Come to think of it, Fishball is right. It’s Gloria’s fault. It’s always someone else’s fault. PNoy is never wrong. PNoy did not do anything wrong. How could he, he hasn’t done anything, anything at all, in his life. Oh yeah, he did finish Mass Effect 3 and Diablo 3, so those must be achievements.
Please get your info right. GMA has stated that she is against the RH Bill.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/39055/ex-president-arroyo-to-oppose-the-rh-bill
I believe she used to support it during her term. Now she’s turned against it. But IMO, I think she dilly-dallied during her term in order to delay it.
@ChinoF: I believe she did support it near the beginning of her term but by the end of it she eventually became undecided and eventually against the bill.
Gloria has her support on the RH Bill but the reason why you say that is because she was demonized by the biased media and even the church, who are staunch Aquino allies. Source for the record or your rotten mouth is full of HEARSAY, idiot.
Yeah, right!
uhmm…ano daw???
Gloria, Gloria, Gloria. Lagi na lang si Gloria.
Why don’t you find another scapegoat, like Tito Noy. Better yet, shut your piehole and support solutions that actually work for the Philippines.
I’m going to make a bet that if the RH Bill passes (which seems increasingly unlikely), the birth rate will not decline.
Interesting. A priest has spoken up about the RH bill. But, he is a Jesuit and would be considered a heretic, yet again, by other Catholics.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/5340/my-stand-on-the-rh-bill
Come on! Responsible Parenthood being advocated by Noynoy? Does he even know how it feels of raising ones own child? You can even say it is the greatest achievement of all achievements because it is in your child whom you will inherit your properties, legacies etc. Palibhasa bakla wahahaha.
Cut Noynoy some slack. He does not know what it feels like to be a responsible leader either.
Exactly, lawmaking, in my opinion needs some sort of experience. Experience in the sense that the law of common good will not be sacrificed. In the case of Noynoy, he headed into the palace without a family of his own so he must learn upon staying there how lonely it was working for a nation without such support. As he even describe it as quite dark and lonely in itself that’s why he prefer going home or is it that his mother’s ghost always visits him there asking, “Hoy Noy! Kelan mo naman kaya ako mabibigyan ng apo? Be a man.”
As president, you must take pride of your population no matter how big it is. It can trigger economic growth if you won’t deprive them of opportunities in life, access to education, there should be no discrimination as to social status. But what’s happening is in contradiction to what is supposed to be equality in the Philippine society. Thanks to GMA somehow we have quite recovered from being the “Sick man of Asia” to one of Asia’s tiger cubs and to being a newly industrialized economy, What we are enjoying today are the fruits of Gloria’s effective policies. But the current president have more work getting done.
@Pussyfoot,
“Come on! Responsible Parenthood being advocated by Noynoy? Does he even know how it feels of raising ones own child? You can even say it is the greatest achievement of all achievements because it is in your child whom you will inherit your properties, legacies etc. Palibhasa bakla wahahaha.”
Arent you a little bit blind and hypocritical here? What about all those guys in church preaching you to “go and multiply” and preaching about family values while they themselves dont even know what a family is. Pls tell what you just said each sunday to the one that is preaching and then you are consistent.
If the RH bill will be executed as presented then I am all for it but I doubt if it will really help. The power of the church is still too big and too influential.
Its the sole task of parents to intruct their kids about love and sex (regardless of the gender of the kids). It are their kids and hence only they (the parents) are responsible for them. Only in case the parents are ignorant and oblivious then the school should step in. In the Philippines that will mean the school has to step in in 100% of the cases. But because all schools have a religious signature they will probably not give the pupils and students true facts or full facts. Because then it will undermine the existenz of god.
Well, at least some public schools fully supported sex-ed.
During high school, we had such lessons as part of values education, though much of it looks like part of a scare tactic in hindsight.
But here’s the thing, showing pictures of the effects STDs, viewing a live birth, and computing the amount of money needed to raise a child made us doubt if unsafe sex was worth it. Coincidentally, the number of teen pregnancies became 0 from 2-3 before the curriculum included some sex-ed.
Well maybe, too hypocritical from a certain point but please don’t perceive me of being blind. As I am saying, I only talk about the bill which is being prioritized by noy even though he’s not yet in the aisle of raising his own family, well you should have my point to that clearly and it seems hypocritical to get the priests involved here since it is clear indeed that he church is against it and I’m talking about noynoy who is actually a signatory to the bill. To conclude, I’m not entirely against the bill for the sake of women’s rights. What I’m not in favor to is the possibility of abuse in its implementation.
So where do you stand? Anywhere opposite Penoy’s? Too one-track minded. I would have thought you guys to be at least aligned with Penoy on this one, what with your so-called “enlightened” thinking. But then you cling to the church’s medieval age thinking.
Just goes to show your real colors, anywhere opposite Penoy’s, that’s where you go.
Hahaha.
wtf! when will people stop blaming somebody else and just for once DO something! sick and tired of this effing blame game. just DO and keep your effing mouth shut. shessh. anyway, while you’re at it blame gloria for the upcoming end of the world on dec 2012.
Hehe, you’re a total retard like yourself. Only whiny little babies like yourself play the blame game. Am I right, Yellow Zombie? And also, you have squatter mentality so please think. You’re an idiot. 😀
And that Dec. 2012 thingy is just a sham. Like yourself. Ugh. 😛
@daido
please read carefully what i wrote before you shoot your mouth off and hit yourself on the foot. i am actually referring to abnoy for his blaming everybody else other than himself and his Yellow Zombies as well. and stop this name calling. it doesn’t suit you. i thought you were an intellectual person based on what you have written on all the issues here. which i have read and mostly have agreed to. be careful who you call an idiot or a sham.
Hehe, my mistake. 😛 Sometimes, it’s difficult to figure out. The name calling is a hit or miss but I’m glad that we are on the same side.
And one more thing: the current president is doing that. You should tell him to keep his mouth shut and does his job. But he’s a cowardly douche because he is know for his INCOMPETENCE. Arroyo never did that.
Anyways, blame YOURSELF since you have that flawed thinking of yours.
With or without this bill, though I do support it for certain circumstances, by the end of the day, this bill will not control the Filipinos’ extreme love for the flesh. This will only encourage Filipinos to experiment more and will try to be more “adventurous”. The tendency of the youth to test the waters will only be pushed further.
The contraceptives are now available and yet it is has help lower the rate of population growth.
In reality, with this bill we give a lot of irresponsible Filipinos the freehand to play over and over.
Proper education, financially enabling employment, and DISCIPLINE is what needs to be inculcated in the Filipino culture so this bill would actually work for its real purpose.
correction: The contraceptives are now available and yet it did NOT help lower the rate of population growth.
fast growing population, poverty, std are among the most essential points why rh bill is proposed.
dogs can have sex whenever they want. humans cannot. female dogs knows nothing about woman cycle including fertile and infertile periods. woman with her intellect can say no to sex at fertile periods when she does not to be pregnant. man should understand the woman’s no if he does not the woman to be pregnant. hard to control?then, they dn’t have any difference from dogs. it’s not about law, it’s about the use of intellect.
you insists that there should be a law to make sure the population will be properly managed?it’s not r bill but a law that will penalized irresponsible parents e.g jail the parents having 5 children when they are only capable of feeding 3 children!there you addressed issue on population and poverty (that, if you are associating population as one big factor on poverty)
std-dogs can have sex to any dog i.e male dog may do sex to as many female he want. man is not a dog, so he must not supposed to have sex to any woman(be prudent, do not enter any hole you are not familiar with- use your intellect not your org). woman, never allow any man have sex with other than your partner, you can never acquire std. hard to control? you’re of no difference from dogs. you insists to have a law that will assure your health esp against std? rh bill is not the one you need, but a law that would penalized man or woman (in sex age)who acquired std because they acquired std because of their being irresponsible of themselves when are supposed to know this can be prevented with their proper use of intellect. it’s not about law, it’s about the use of intellect.
rh bill? it will only reinforce sex-gratifying desire of men and women esp the youth. why? with pills, condoms, iud’s, etc. as essential medicines, wow! at fourth year high school a student is an M.A on Sex, why not? she already had taken this at grade 5!
fast growing population, poverty, std are among the most essential points why rh bill is proposed.
dogs can have sex whenever they want. humans cannot. female dogs knows nothing about woman cycle including fertile and infertile periods. woman with her intellect can say no to sex at fertile periods when she does not want to be pregnant. man should understand the woman’s no if he does not want the woman to be pregnant. hard to control?then, they dn’t have any difference from dogs. it’s not about law, it’s about the use of intellect.
anyone insists that there should be a law to make sure the population will be properly managed?it’s not rh bill but a law that will penalized irresponsible parents e.g jail the parents having 5 children when they are only capable of feeding 3!there you addressed issue on population and poverty (that, if you are associating population as one big factor on poverty)
std-dogs can have sex to any dog i.e male dog may do sex to as many female dogs he want. man is not a dog, so he must not supposed to have sex to any woman(be prudent, do not enter any hole you are not familiar with- use your intellect not your org). woman, never allow any man have sex with you other than your partner and certainly you can never acquire std. hard to control? then, you’re of no difference from dogs. still anyone insists to have a law that will assure man and woman’s safety against std? rh bill is not the one you need, but a law that would penalized man or woman (in sex age)who acquired std because they acquired std not by accident but by their being irresponsible of themselves when they are supposed to know this can be prevented with their proper use of intellect. it’s not about law, it’s about the use of intellect.
rh bill? it will only reinforce sex-gratifying desire of men and women esp the youth. why? with sex education as early as as grade 5 age and with pills, condoms, iud’s, etc. as essential medicines, wow! at fourth year high school a student is already an M.A on Sex, why not? she already had taken this at grade 5!
if by strong insistence of these sex-driven proponents, rh bill is approved, expect that one day this will be the dialogue of a mother and her 14-year old daughter” mother: where will you go my little daughter? daughter: to a party mom. mother:with your boyfriend? daughter: of course mom. mother: hmm, how about…daughter:no probs mom,i always bring with me pills and condoms”
well, there’s money in rh bill.how require all establishments to provide rhb-related provisions (e.g condoms, pills) to all their employees as among the employees’ benefits. thus, doubling, tripling/multiplying the markets
@K3
“Well, at least some public schools fully supported sex-ed. During high school, we had such lessons as part of values education, though much of it looks like part of a scare tactic in hindsight. But here’s the thing, showing pictures of the effects STDs, viewing a live birth, and computing the amount of money needed to raise a child made us doubt if unsafe sex was worth it. Coincidentally, the number of teen pregnancies became 0 from 2-3 before the curriculum included some sex-ed.”
If I am correct by what I was told and taught during Biology lessons, then its not that easy to get pregnant.
1) you have to know when a woman is ovulating, As each woman is different not every woman ovulates on the same day.
2) you have to have a good healthy sperm cell that can swim or crawl to the egg cell
3) you have to have a good healthy egg cell.
Because the sperm cell stays alive for 24-36 hrs inside the female body, you have about a window of 3-4 days to get pregnant during one month. On all other days you can practise unsafe sex (if the purpose is not getting pregnant). But if the purpose is not getting any STDs/HIV/AIDS then you really have to know your partner, you have to trust him/her and beleive what he/she says about his past sex-life. But does everybody always tell you the truth? Hence its better to take your own responsibility and demand that each party use contraceptives (birth control). Better safe than sorry. And when you think the coast is clear you can always visit a hospital (or a GP) to do an STD/HIV/AIDS test. Its pretty easy to get an STD but its not that easy to get AIDS/HIV. But you have to know who you are fucking with.
Now from a romantic point of view: Making love is beautiful (whether before or during marriage) but only if the act is done in a consentual and mutual environment, without force, without any form of blackmail or pressure.
Now I hope they told you all this during sex-ed in your school. But in the Philippines, I doubt it. Showing a live birth does not contribute to safe or unsafe sex or any other dangers or even the beauty of sex. In my country 98% of the sex-acts are not done with the purpose of pro-creating. But to show one´s love, to enjoy, lust, passion, intimacy, romance.
Nope, we learned the bad/ugly/scary things from sex-ed.
We learned the “good” things from experience 😉
Good thing you mentioned the biology part. That was actually mentioned in our classes on why the rhythm method may not always be effective.
As for the birth video, I think it was to emphasize the physical pain women in labor may feel, I always thought it was a scare tactic but who knows, maybe they were trying to show the good things that come from sex.
As CBCP’s stand proves, the popular idea is that “proper” sex is just for pro-creation.
@K3,
What is CBCP? Anyway CBCP thinks very old fashioned and conservative. Pls allow me to be a little bit graphical here. All I am interested in is my partner´s orgasm and my own orgasm and if that is reached simultaneously (her´s and mine) than my world rocked and then I will feel like one, melted as one. If only I reached orgasm then that is poor sex for me. “Porper” sex? I only know good sex and poor sex. I described you the poor one just now, and I will leave it to your imagination and fantasy what good sex is. But it will include a long and lasting fore play.
BTW: I dont want to become a dad and my partner knows that. So we are never into the “pro creation” thing. And mind you: my partner is a Philippine woman. And I dont want to marry and she knows that too. Whats the added value of marriage anyway? Will I love her more during marriage then before? Now that would be ridiculous. I dont need a certificate or god´s blessing to consume my relationship.
I think you know CBCP well, the so-called moral teachers of the Filipino society.
Unfortunately, some teachers (actual, professional teachers) are influenced by their respective priests, bishops, and upbringing to believe that sex is only for pro-creation. Some of the kids these teachers influence also come to believe this as absolute truths.
As long as professionals can’t keep their religion separate from their jobs, the cycle of outdated beliefs and misguided practices continues, especially in the education sector.
CBCP–the Philippines’ answer to Iran’s Council of Ayatollahs.
CBCP – Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.
Yes, Aegis-Judex above me has described them in a very succinct way.
@K3,
I was and am honest to you when I said/say I dont know what CBCP is and stands for. Otherwise, I would be patronizing you. Why is there so much focus on teachers to teach kids re Sex-ed? (Repetition) It should be the parents responsibility, task and duty to inform their own kids re “the bees and the honey”. A teacher is there to teach me academical skills and know-how. I dont think there is anything academical about sex/making love. And just maybe teachers have no personal experience in Sex so than all they can do is – what a priest does – teaching from a book. Whereas parents do have practical & factual experience, right? So, in that aspect, I dont need an RH bill. But then again what if my parents know shit, nothing, zilch, nada, zero bec all they did was procreating in the name of god?
Just FYI: I am still living in my home country (The Netherlands) and my partner (now currently in Singapore for just one month but not as OFW) lives in Cebu City.
PS: are there also amateure teachers? (no kidding, serious question). In my end of the woods we have teachers, period. One either is a teacher or one is not a teacher. Although by education I am not a teacher but I am sure I am equipped enough to stand in front of a class. Its not hard/difficult to be a nanny or KinderGarten teacher or even a primary/elementary school teacher.
CBCP is the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines. But believe me, even though you don’t know the acronym, your initial reply “Anyway CBCP thinks very old fashioned and conservative.” is very much true.
Regarding teaching, I agree that parents should be the first teachers with a matter as sensitive as this. However, most Filipino parents I know fail in this regard. They find the subject “lewd” so they can’t teach their kids properly.
So I believe the next best thing is to get trained teachers to help parents with such issues.
I think all teachers should be licensed professionals BUT a lot of the teachers I’ve had during elementary and high school were far from professional. A lot of them were petty, like the kids they taught. And most of these same people had tenure. Iguess that also speaks a lot about our education system.
`lewd` or not but the parents do have the “experience(s)” in making love/having sex/procreating* (* you may choose which applies). But if they (the parents) dont know anything about the theoretical/practical issues (like: menstruation, ovulation, erogene zones, healthy sperm cells, healthy egg cells, male orgasms, female orgasms, G-Spot, STD, SDI, HIV, AIDS, Libido, lust, PDA, birth control) then the parents are of no use at all.
But can those certified professional teachers fill that void? I doubt it myself.
I am an advocate of the RH Bill but I dont think it will help to decrease the Phili population in the short run. “Rome wasnt built in one day”.
Young people must be informed about all and everything to make the right decisions. As long as that doesnt happen, then the population will only increase substantially.
I live every day scratching my head because of by these people who are stuck with the medieval teachings by the church. There is no democracy anymore. The church keeps shoving it’s belief to the country just because the majority are catholics and forgetting that some have their different belief. Still, at the end of the day we make our own choices. But the people from the poverty line are not well educated about family planning, illnesses that they can get from unsafe sex etc. The church said that the parents are responsible for teaching or guiding their children about these sensitive issues. But their parents don’t know whats what. That’s when the government intervenes. To inform people. eh.. But they are not that effective in my opinion with the Catholic church on the way. Whatever happened to the separation of the state and the church?
btw, a type, it’s Bishops’.
@Aegis-Judex,
Thanks for the clearification. It sounds like Nazi-Germany or the Stasi from former East Germany.
Like the US FDA (food & drug agency), the Philippine government should make sure that the every most up-to-date contraceptives (birth control) are available on the Philippine market. If those contraceptives are (too) expensive then the government may decide to subsidies a few of them. Or make them part of any package of PhilHealth insurance.
The population should be made aware of how one´s sexual body works primarily by the parents, then by the educational system, or their own GP (General Practioner). By the way does today´s Phili youth not use sites like Wikipedia to find anything about their own body? Arent they curious to know the truth? I mean, to have sex using the Calendar-method is very tricky. Pls boys and girls, dont ever use the calendar-method here in the west bec it makes you look like a fool.
Agree, I looked at the content of the RH bill on Sen. Pia Cayetano’s blog. It did seem to be too politically correct. Seemed to me like a dog without teeth, or a gun without bullets. I wanted to see a part of the bill that limits the number of children a person can have, or at least encourages a person to have 1-2 kids instead of 10.
However, I still think it’s a good step to solving the population issue in the PI. Not a noy2 supporter, I did not vote for him and I’m proud of it. In this issue, I somewhat agree with his position.
Cheers!
@T_Ray,
It seems you are an advocate of the Chinese model of a 1-child-policy. I am all for it for the Philippines.
But maybe its better to make the Phili population aware that sometimes its also okay to not have kids at all. Kids certainly ruin your bank book and eventually it may also ruin the relationship.
I’ve learned that a portion of the Philippine population wants kids so that the kids can look after (take care of) their parents when those parents are old and retired. For me that sounds like the most selfish reason to make kids. But then again here in the west most people have a good pension plan/system. Secondly, nobody in my country is eager to have their parents to live with them. We dont want our privacy to be invaded by our parents or anyone else for that matter.
@Robert H,
I was actually hoping to have that provision in the RH bill. Personally, I think the RH bill is not perfect, but it’s still an improvement to what we presently have, which is nothing.
BTW, check out the movie “Idiocracy”, should give us an insight to what might happen in the future. This is exactly the plot of that movie. Natural Selection is supposed to ensure that the strong, the smart survive, or those who have what it takes survive and pass on their genes to the next generation. What’s happening is that those people are not having children because of some of the reasons you mentioned.
@T_Ray,
I know the terms “Natural Selection” and “Survival of the Fittest”. But I dont think many people choose/pick their partners based on that. It would mean I need to do a complete medical check up about my partner. Does she have any inheritable diseases in her family (both mother line and father line) to rule out any possible future abnormalities for future kids and to find out she may have a coronary (or other) abnormality that will make her die earlier than the statistics predict in “normal” circumstances.
Maybe I can look for some symmetric lines in her body, and other features like weight.
If not one of the reasons I mentioned then why do Philippine couples want kids?
– the love for kids?
– to complete being a family (mom, dad, kid, Volvo, dog, house with back and front yard garden)? (Without a kid a family is not complete?)
– to save one´s marriage/relationship?
– Religion (go and multiply)?
– Culture?
– peer and (direct & extended) family pressure?
I am 49 years old (May 1963), to be very honest I dont want a kid and maybe I am infertile. My Phili partner (35; Dec 1976) wants to have 1 (one) kid (at least) but she cant convince me why. She also wants to marry bec it was/is her ultimate unilateral “wet” dream come true (at least when she was young(er)).
@T_Ray,
I am very sorry but I mis-read this line written by you:
“What’s happening is that those people are not having children because of some of the reasons you mentioned.”
So pls ignore that part in my response. Thanks.
No worries, mate.
I’m 25 years old, living in Australia. Having kids/settling down is the farthest thing on my mind right now. I need to enjoy me life first, before I go down that road.
I guess its human instinct to want or need to have something/someone to love and care for. I think that same need is why people get a dog.
Well, I still hope the RH bill does gets passed. I think it’s something the country needs. Throw out discussions about morality and religion, we need to be practical.
BTW, anyone here seen the movie “Idiocracy”? Not the best movie in the world but I think it might be relevant to the issues the PI is facing today.
But then again, what’s the role of DOH/ DSWD and other welfares the government has already been established? Why push another bill? You guys familiar with the CCT program before? It failed,and the money spent on it was not worth it because it did gave money to poor families for the education of their children but the school could not cater all the children because classrooms and teachers are lacking. If they claim that overpopulation is the problem I don’t think that the bill can help at all.Why? because these people already exist. like for example a mother who already has 10 children got access to free contraceptives, family planning seminars etc. that was provided by the government. She stopped procreating because the methods did work. But she is still left with 10 children, no regular work and still poor. So, Overpopulation does not cause poverty rather, overpopulation is the cause of poverty.
@Kestah,
I am not that smart but the way I read your contribution makes me think you take away the person´s individual responsibilty.
I agree to disagree with you. Overpopulation leads to poverty. Let me try to convince you with just a few simple figures:
A single woman has an income of 100 units. She can spend that completely on herself.
Then she gets pregnant and gives birth to one child. That one child needs a bed, food, clothing, own bedroom, school tuition. All those expenses have to come out of those 100 units that the woman earns or gets. So if we split it equally both the child and the woman each will get 50 units. For each child added to that and ending up with 10 kids, the 100 units have to be divided by 10 + 1 = 100/11 = 9.09 units. And for all those 10 kids we need 10 beds, clothing, food and school tuition. Once there are kids, one needs a nanny while the mom is going to work and that also costs money.
So financially, economically its best to stay single as proven above. Or at least find a partner who earns exactly as much as you.
Kids cost money and hence ruin your personal bank book and may ruin your relationship ultimately.
People must start to think first before they start to procreate whether they can afford it or not. If they cant afford it then dont procreate. Its as simple as that. You dont need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out. And beside the finacial side of it, there are a lot of people that are not fit to become parents (psychological reasons, emotional reasons, heriderity reasons, people who really dont know how to raise and bring up kids in a good way).
But like I read many times here: Filipinos are not brought up by learning to think for themselves. They are too much indoctrinated and brain washed by their religion and by their own sick culture. And probably the educational system maintains that status quo. How – on this god´s green planet – can one escape that indoctrination and brain washing?
I’m a person who’s fond of rehash…
I’ve commented this already in this blog about this RH Bill…
http://getrealphilippines.com/2011/05/rh-bill-debate-pacman-not-kod-by-lagman-but-beaten-on-points/comment-page-1/#comment-4333
benign0: “(3) As far as contraception is concerned, Filipinos already practice what they feel is right, so there is no need for legislation to support these practices.â€
For me, this is the best argument against this RH bill.
Global warming was rebranded to climate change then to climate crisis so as to make it sound not too political.
Seems to me it is the same with Reproductive Health Bill, which sounds as if antiseptic is involved, being rebranded to Responsible Parenthood Bill which sounds as if everybody is in a playground just playing around.
When this legislation was introduced, hilariously, I was thinking that those who are practicing family planning are committing something that might be illegal. Some sort of a legislation has to be passed in order to make family planning legal.
He he he, of course, I was flat-out wrong.
Heh, I might be wrong on the illegal thing but there is this “freedom of choice†issue that will be resolved if the RH Bill is passed according to Lagman. (Alas, there is something that is not right and that is not necessarily illegal as I have suspected all along.)
Does it mean that when that bill is passed, there will be a referendum as to what will be the majority’s choice of birth control pill?
But then, the way those proponents of the bill are explaining, in order for the RH Bill to be easily (and at no cost) to everybody including those grade five pupils, provided with the bills are some mandates like compelling employers “to provide free reproductive health care services, supplies, devices and surgical procedures (including vasectomy and ligation) to its employees†and the bill subjects employees “to both imprisonment and/or fine, for every time that†the employee fails to comply with the requirement. (I might not be updated, nevertheless, this is what in Lagman’s mind when he crafted the bill.)
BTW, just read the Section 12 of the bill.
Me? I thought it is an advertisement of a new course being offered by a university.
Don’t forget that the bill will also “penalize any person who maliciously engaged in disinformation about the intent or provisions of this Act.â€
So, you anti RH Bill, you fanatics, your days are numbered!
Hmm, condom country people feel free from std it seem. Why 19 million a year is recorded to be infected of std in the US of A? is this data a product of make-believe?
I cant speak intelligently about those numbers you mention. But 19m seems to me very high on a population of what, 600m?
All I know is how to prevent acquiring any STD and that is to have safe sex.
My just conquered new partner can tell me anything including that she is still a virgin. But must I beleive her words? Wow, dont call me naieve and ignorant. And if I and she insist on having careless unsafe sex then I will send her to an hospital and do a STD-check. That is not romantic but I rather stay a few more years alive in good health then have to cure an STD or worse AIDS/HIV.
I label myself as D&D-free (D = Drugs; D = disease) and I am very happy, glad & willingly to do any STD-test if in case any current or future partner doesnt beleive my words.
I am responsible for my own body and also responsible for my partner´s body. I see it as a “crime” to knowingly and deliberately give my partner any disease like STD or worse AIDS/HIV by having unsafe sex.
Killing is to extinguish a life. May I ask if there is a provision in the Bill that says “ABORTION”?
@tito
What made you think that there is a word “abortion” in that bill? That will be a kiss of death for the bill they’re promoting.
Those abortion advocates wouldnot like to be labeled as “pro-abortion”. They’re “pro-choice”.
But then, if you want RH Bill to have a correlation with abortion, according to Guttmacher reports, 54% of women having abortions used birth control at the time of their abortion.
More of them at http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
TROLL. 😛
You need to look at the bigger picture. Just an advice.
In 2012 we made a documentary about the RH Bill and talked to the CBCP, Senator Sotto, Representative Lagman, Pro-lifer Eric Manalang and many more. Visit http://www.film-and-television.com for details on the film.
In July 2014 we went back to the Dr. Jose Fabella maternity hospital to find out if the passing of the RH bill has resulted in any noticable improvements. Watch our update here:
http://youtu.be/EvreYw52jVE