A Meaningful Pro-life Birth Control Progamme By E. Encina

A MEANINGFUL PRO-LIFE BIRTH CONTROL PROGRAMME

By Eric V. Encina


The Reproductive Health Bill or House Bill 5043, has long been debated among its proponents, advocates and critics endlessly. As we know the Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes the bill because it seeks to control the population artificially that leads to abortion and it also seeks to limit the size of Filipino families, which is contrary to Creator's comman: "Go and multiply"!

The Catholic Church is traditionally against the promotion of the use of different contraceptives (now abortifacients) as a primary tool for population control. On the other hand, the Reproductive Health Bill proponents, led by its principal author, Albay Province Representative Edcel C. Lagman, seek to control the population growth. THE BILL INTENDS TO PROMOTE TWO-CHILDREN POLICY AS BELIEVED TO BE THE IDEAL FILIPINO FAMILY SIZE. This remains to be debate with regards to ideal family size. The Church is perfect in its defination about family size.

The burgeoning population is primarilly thought or believed to be a primary deterrent to Philippine country's economic growth. The number of Filipino people according to statistics now stands at 88.57 million (but this could be exaggerated since death rate is ignored) and it is expected to be doubled in 7 years time. This compounds the problem of rapid urbanizations as more and more Filipinos from the rural areas mostly impoverished by poverty are eventually drawn to the cities to look for better opportunities. As cities become densely populated, resources become more scarce --usually in terms of money, but not necessarilly in terms of goods or foods as we are in the age of plenty despite of apparent financial crisis They also become unsustainable cities where environmental threats and social and economic distress become concentrated.

MY PRO-LIFE WIN-WIN SOLUTION-PROPOSAL:

I propose that the allocation of government funds would be better put for population education with moral and natural basis and sustainable living rather than controlling the POPULATION GROWTH which is not a good goal. If there is no money, then, let it be possible to create money debt free and be made available for the poor families to be sustainable. We rather advocate money for life than for using contraceptives.

We have to scrutinize the report from UNPFA Population Commission showing a comprehensive mapping of oversized Filipino families whether they are correct or not.

Is Povery caused by population growth or by the present economic system? We pro-lifers also know generally that poorer families tend to have more children. But abortion cannot be justified to solve poverty.

This is where population management, rather than "control" programmes can be implemented. I still believe that the matter of having children is still one's choice but we can do something to help poor families make educated choices HOWEVER ACCORDING TO NATURAL AND MORAL METHODS, especially the poor and the disadvantaged families particularly the poor women. If ever, Philippine government must allocate funds for the relevant educational programmes INSTEAD OF PROMOTING CONTRACEPTIVES or abortifacients and its WANTON WASTAGE OF MONEY OR FUNDS THAT ARE EVIDENTLY HARMFUL TO THE BODY AND DISASTROUS TO SEX EDUCATION FOR THE YOUTH FROM GRADE 5 UP TO FOURTH YEAR HIGH SCHOOL, WHICH COULD, IN ALL PROBABILITY, SEND THE WRONG THE SIGNALS FOR LIBERAL SEX or to make straight, to immoral sex.

We can learn a lot from other countries that strictly controlled the population growth. the Chinese Government, for example, found out it difficult to make its people comply with the one-child policy. This only encouraged most people to falsify documents to avoid punishment. People in the rural areas or communities also need large families to help work in the farms and so they found ways to go around the birth-quota system. Some families killed babies in order to comply.

Other countries that adopted similar policies in the early '70s found too late that an ageing population is not good for the economy; government spends more to support them rather then benefit from taxes remitted by a younger working population.

Our Filipino lawmakers must not be too worried about population growth with the increase in migration of Filipinos seeking greener pastures in other countries, the decrease in fertility rate among women from six children in 1975 to three or less and the increasing awareness of the average family that poverty gets more difficult to handle with more mouths to feed.

Local government must empower village heads and leaders and equip them with the knowledge and tools necessary for them to be able to educate members of their communities meaningfully in this aspect of managing their families without recourse to artificial methods that lead to abortion. Any government government programme woud be useless if the grassroots level would not be reached. This is one concrete tool by which the efficiency and effectiveness of our existing government systems can be tested.

Let us promote a meaningful pro-life birth control programme without violating the natural and moral laws. Natural Birth Control and The Theology of the Body as a whole is the solution to the problem with the implementation of pro-life-based economic system for the poor families and children.




Eric V. Encina
Filipino Pro-life/Family/Justice Activist
Activism Center For Life, Family & Justice
c/o Lito Alhambra Old House, Homesite,
Km2. Brgy. Lawa-n, PO Box 8, 5800 Roxas City, Capiz Province,
Philippines
eric_encina@yahoo.com
rc_encina@yahoo.com
reynalda_life@yahoo.com my wife’s email
New Email: eric.encina8@gmail.com