The Reproductive Health Bill is No UAAP Series

I have heard so much about the Reproductive Health Bill, debates, rallies, arguments and all sorts of noise, but only when the issue surfaced involving The Varsitarian, official publication of University of Santo Tomas, did I have the inclination to download the whole PDF File and read the content. This is a very high strung issue I have veraciously avoided to sail on because in our society today, when you start to strongly point out your opinion and take sides, whether you’re a PRO or ANTI, your whole life could actually be launched in a catapult and be lodged in some place you would never imagine to be in.

THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY

Blessed with a splendid honor, I am a Thomasian. I take pride of being a product of an alma mater well-known for its firm upholds on Catholicism that it never has to enunciate its barefaced stand on the topic of Reproductive Health. The Catholic Bishops of the Philippines (CBCP) has long before denounce its support and even went hands-on to thwart the passing of the bill. It is clear that UST is doing its moral obligation to support the Catholic Church in its endeavor to preserve and perpetuate the teachings of this religion. But, it isn’t for the fact that I am a rebel by nature that I am resolutely proclaiming how sturdy of a Pro-RH Bill advocate I am. And with any rationale that people like me could practically sum-up, it wouldn’t make me less of a person molded inside the portals of UST if I state my personal reasons one by one:

--> The bill is supposedly intended to lessen the incidence of maternal death rate especially on the impoverished sector of our society.

--> It is designed to finally win over a health care controversy of diminishing the sexual transmission of HIV and other infections.

-->  It aims to control the unstoppable birth rate that has plagued our nation for the past decades by educating the people on birth control methods through distribution of contraceptives and things alike.

For someone who has been exposed to the kind of commonality this country has, I am aware that death rate among mothers is not even included on the first 10 common causes of mortality, and that the gradual decrease in our population could never be the optimal solution in fighting economic crisis. Our government has got to do a lot of reform to conclusively eradicate these matters. I oppose sexual promiscuity and I STIFFLY protest the legality of ABORTION, which honestly were not even covered on the bill I read.

Link of Anti-RH Bill in full context : http://jlp-law.com/blog/full-text-of-house-bill-no-5043-reproductive-health-and-population-development-act-of-2008/

DISDAINFUL AND DEIGNING

The editorial on The Varsitarian published last month has somewhat deranged the ideals imparted on me by my school when I was a student. I would like to assume that this article is a false representation of the entire Thomasian Community I belong to. What is saddening is the effect of what these few intellectuals have done that has bluntly disgraced the Pontifical University, the second home that has taught me to respect other people. I won’t take a noisy dispute as to who was behind the editorial, because nothing matters now apart from the content that has been inculcated on the minds of the campus goers, and now including the whole Philippines. We are entitled to our own opinions, and I like to express my consideration on the end of these writers, what I disdain the most is the name-calling they have made, dragging the pristine of other equally Catholic universities, Ateneo de Manila & De La Salle. The arguments on the Reproductive Health Bill are NO UAAP Basketball games wherein you can harshly display your support to your school against rivals. The sensitivity of this issue alone has taken us 2 Presidents and we are no way near to resolving it because it is a national issue that has divided the people. UST never raised us to mock other people’s belief just because they differ colossally from ours.  

Link of Editorial in The Varsitarian: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bwx92haCeWTZX3FHdE5GWW1KMkE/edit?pli=1

RH BILL – My WAY

Soon we have to stand by our cards on whether or not to make this bill be into a legitimate piece of well-tackled issue, and sooner we would be much constrained into finding effective solutions as to the woes of poverty, over-population and a steadily escalating incident of sexually transmitted diseases. There is no denying that our Church and the Government are both beamed into carefully considering the welfare of the Filipinos now and the generations ahead. WELFARE – isn’t this purpose substantially enough to unite us all? Why can’t the government, guided by the clergy and doctrine of our Mother church stand on the same ground when both are seriously grappling the perennial difficulties of our homeland?