EDITORIAL - Responsible parenthood

Contrary to what a senator who is anti-abortion and pro-death penalty believes, Pope Francis did use rabbits as an analogy for rapid breeding. And the senator risks public opprobrium if he makes good on his threat to put out his own version of the transcript of Pope Francis’ press conference held on the flight that took the pontiff back to Rome from Manila.

The rabbit analogy was used to emphasize the need for responsible parenthood – the pope’s words. Even as the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics stood firm on the Church’s stand against artificial contraception, he admonished the faithful that behaving like rabbits, known for their prolific reproduction, was irresponsible. There are ways approved by the Church, the pope said, for the faithful to space childbirths without going against Catholic teachings.

Pope Francis’ call for responsible parenthood is in line with his focus on poverty alleviation. Having worked extensively with impoverished communities in his native Argentina, former Buenos Aires Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio understands the problems arising from large families needing to share acutely limited resources.

During the press conference, the pope acknowledged that life is precious and every child is a treasure. Throughout his visit in the Philippines, his fondness for children was unmistakable. Most of the families that had the honor of joining him for meals were poor – and with many children. His reference to rabbits may have made some quarters cringe, but giving Catholics guidelines on responsible parenthood should help promote a better quality of life for many impoverished families.

The admonition should encourage the Aquino administration to intensify its efforts to promote responsible parenthood for all and provide universal access to reproductive health services. Passage of the RH law was a hard-won victory for the administration, and it should not let that victory go to waste through poor implementation.