Suck it in

The Reproductive Health Bill was not passed by the last congress and proponents of it who won during the last successful first nation-wide automated poll on May 10, 2010 are bent on re-filing it again in the new congress. As expected, the Catholic Church, where I belong, is vehemently and using its influence to stop it for they consider it immoral.

 The newly appointed secretary of health, Secretary Ona, is also supporting the idea being espoused by the bill that Filipinos should have better access to different methods of family planning. He had opined that the government should make available contraceptives for Filipino families. What method of family planning the family will use depends on their choices. The government will not impose a particular family planning method; that is how I read the message of the health secretary. The church is again lambasting it for being contraceptive-minded. The church is promoting natural method of family planning.

I remember a street philosophy or street joke about the Church’s stand. Bakit parang expert yata ang Church sa family planning? Wala naman silang pamilya - asawa at anak. Ika nga nila, expert ka kung nararanasan o napagdadaanan mo ito.  Sabagay, magaling talaga yong father kasi walamng nabubuo sila ni sister. 

I am not against natural family planning but for me family planning is not a function of the church and the government. It is the obligation of the husband and wife. As such, the church and the government are present not to impose what the family must do. They exist to provide these families with good information so they can make better and informed choices and support these choices. For me, a mix of family methods is useful than applying only one. You can incorporate modern methods with traditional practices.

Contraceptive pills should be available to the poor. The poor families should have access to these modern technologies or methods. Ask many poor families if they wanted to have a bigger family and they will shout back that they don’t want it. But they can’t suppress their biological needs. Sipyat lang! Wala gihapon madala sa withdrawal method!

What’s immoral about married couple having responsible and lively sex life? I believe, none. It is, however, immoral for me to see families who can’t afford raising their many children because they don’t have access to contraceptives and can’t suppress their libido for five days or a week. Go to the slam areas in the cities and even in the provinces, you will be faced with this pitiful scenario. Many large families can’t afford to place enough food on their table.

 You see middle-class and upper-class families with few children. Why, because they make informed choices and they can afford and have access to other means besides the natural way.

The Health Department should conduct reproductive health seminars in the barrios. Provide free condoms, pills, etc to the poor families. This way you have given them the first stepping stone in their rise above poverty line. Simply because another unwanted child (unwanted in a sense because it was not planned but a product of a rising libido) would not eat into the existing budget of the family.

The father and the mother would double their income to provide for the new child. Up to how much can the parents find another supplemental income for a growing number of members in their family? You can’t stretch it forever. The chances are limited. We are not superheroes.

Families can’t have a fuck-and-bear-a-child routine forever. Certainly, you can have an exciting sex life without having to bear a child, of course, with proper choice of family planning method.