A stronger no-no to artificial contraception

It was ironic that August 1st, which is National Family Planning Day, was celebrated not with pomp, but with sad circumstance, by women‚s groups who were feeling low over President Macapagal-Arroyo’s position on family planning. Four days earlier, in her State-of-the-Nation address, she said she was promoting only the Catholic Church’s natural family planning method. She was for this method because, 67 per cent of mothers are "Katoliko-sarado," and do not use birth control (sic) methods.

It’s ironic that she herself had used contraceptive pills when she was at her reproductive age, and now, would not encourage millions of women of child-bearing age to do what she did. She’s no different from women who had taken the pill or used other artificial methods of contraception and who now, have the conviction that other women should not use them.

The President had earlier told media (July last year) that there were budget cuts on DOH purchases of artificial contraception. She reiterated this stand when she delivered her speech March 7 this year in celebration of Women’s Day. She did acknowledge the need and importance of planning one’s family, but said that natural family planning is acceptable to the church – which is why her government favored this type of contraception. During the President’s Night sponsored by the Manila Overseas Press Club, she said she was for planned parenthood, but supported the Church’s natural family planning method.

But statistics show that majority of Catholic women are using artificial methods. A press release issued by WomenLead (Women’s Legal Education, Advocacy and Defense Foundation Inc.) said the 2002 Family Planning Survey of the Philippine National Statistics Office showed that half of all married women who are into family planning us artificial contraceptive methods such as pills, IUD, injectibles and condoms while 11.1 per cent of them have resorted to permanent family planning methods such as female and male sterilization.

Atty. Carol Ruiz-Austria, WomenLead executive director, said, "The Constitution protects the right to religious freedom and the exercise of religious beliefs; but tailoring the health policy and family planning program to suit the beliefs solely of the "Saradong Katoliko" would most certainly be a violation of the Constitution."

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GMA’s position on family planning must have come as a disappointment to six Australian parliamentarians from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Population and Development (APPGPD) and one parliamentarian from Tonga, Kiribati and Papua New Guinea who had completed a study tour of the country and made a statement saying, "Reproductive Health on the Right Track in the Philippines."

The group expressed concern that with a national fertility rate in the Philippines of around 5 and up to 9 in some areas, the country’s population will double by 2009.

In their tour organized by the Philippine NGO Council, they visited organizations and communities in Leyte, Cebu and Iloilo which are working to combat the effects of rapid population growth and environmental degradation by providing reproductive health services, microcredit projects, reforestation, replanting of mangroves to curb declining fish stocks, HIV/AIDS education and information and youth support.

They wr impressed by the partnerships between NGOs, LGUs and communities to meet the country‚s population and development commitments set out in the Program of Action during the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo, egypt, in 1994. They held up the mayors of Concepcion and Ajuy and the governor of Iloilo for their leadership in creating sustainable communities.

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The group, sponsored by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, met Sen. Frank Drilon in Australia sometime ago, and during their trip here, the legislator took them to visit projects in Iloilo. They also met Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a staunch advocate of family planning. And they also met and talked with people from the grassroots, said the leader of the group, Kelly Hoare, MP for Charlton and had such experiences as wading through mud in Malabon as, Harry Quick, federal member for Franklin did. A different experience was that of John Hyde, a member of the Western Australia Legislative assembly, who enjoyed the sun and beach of Boracay before his tour group mates arrived.

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The Australian government, they said, should do some shifting of priorities in its yearly A$61-million aid to the Philippines through USAID. Most of the amount goes to defense and security projects especially in Mindanao; when they go back Down Under, they will press for more of the aid money going directly to NGOs and communities where it could help improve peoples lives.

They expressed disappointment and frustration with the US decision to withdraw funding for the distribution of contraceptives in the Philippines, and said they will call on the Australian government "to bridge the gap."

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The tour group were treated to events that no other group would ever experience. During the 10 days that they were here, there was a typhoon, a landslide, and the soldiers‚ mutiny in Makati. Australian ambassador Ruth Pearce was trapped inside Oakwood during the Sunday mutiny. They recalled that during their Prime Minister‚s visit here earlier, the international terrorist Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi, who was implicated in the tragic Bali bombing that killed more than 100 Australians, escaped from prison.

Despite those extraordinary events that would have been hair-raising experiences for the weak-hearted, the parliamentarians said they find the Philippines a "safe" place and will encourage their colleagues to come see the islands for themselves.

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