Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas S. J. on RH Bill

Fr. Joaquin G. Bernas, S.J., J.S.D. is a Jesuit and is Dean Emeritus of Ateneo Law School in Makati City, Philippines. He was a member of the 1986 Constitutional Commission which drafted the present Philippine Constitution. Bernas is a renowned expert in the Philippine Constitution and a prolific author of law books and articles. (wikipedia)

Following article is taken from: Inquirer-Opinion: My stand on the RH Bill

I HAVE been following the debates on the RH Bill not just in the recent House sessions but practically since its start. In the process, because of what I have said and written (where I have not joined the attack dogs against the RH Bill), I have been called a Judas by a high-ranking cleric, I am considered a heretic in a wealthy barangay where some members have urged that I should leave the Church (which is insane), and one of those who regularly hears my Mass in the Ateneo Chapel in Rockwell came to me disturbed by my position. I feel therefore that I owe some explanation to those who listen to me or read my writings.

First, let me start by saying that I adhere to the teaching of the Church on artificial contraception even if I am aware that the teaching on the subject is not considered infallible doctrine by those who know more theology than I do. Moreover, I am still considered a Catholic and Jesuit in good standing by my superiors, critics notwithstanding!

Second (very important for me as a student of the Constitution and of church-state relations), I am very much aware of the fact that we live in a pluralist society where various religious groups have differing beliefs about the morality of artificial contraception. But freedom of religion means more than just the freedom to believe. It also means the freedom to act or not to act according to what one believes. Hence, the state should not prevent people from practicing responsible parenthood according to their religious belief nor may churchmen compel President Aquino, by whatever means, to prevent people from acting according to their religious belief. As the “Compendium on the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church” says, “Because of its historical and cultural ties to a nation, a religious community might be given special recognition on the part of the State. Such recognition must in no way create discrimination within the civil or social order for other religious groups” and “Those responsible for government are required to interpret the common good of their country not only according to the guidelines of the majority but also according to the effective good of all the members of the community, including the minority.”

Third, I am dismayed by preachers telling parishioners that support for the RH Bill ipso facto is a serious sin or merits excommunication! I find this to be irresponsible.

Fourth, I have never held that the RH Bill is perfect. But if we have to have an RH law, I intend to contribute to its improvement as much as I can. Because of this, I and a number of my colleagues have offered ways of improving it and specifying areas that can be the subject of intelligent discussion. (Yes, there are intelligent people in our country.) For that purpose we jointly prepared and I published in my column what we called “talking points” on the bill.

Fifth, specifically I advocate removal of the provision on mandatory sexual education in public schools without the consent of parents. (I assume that those who send their children to Catholic schools accept the program of Catholic schools on the subject.) My reason for requiring the consent of parents is, among others, the constitutional provision which recognizes the sanctity of the human family and “the natural and primary right of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character.” (Article II, Section 12) 

Sixth, I am pleased that the bill reiterates the prohibition of abortion as an assault against the right to life. Abortifacient pills and devices, if there are any in the market, should be banned by the Food and Drug Administration. But whether or not there are such is a question of scientific fact of which I am no judge.

Seventh, I hold that there already is abortion any time a fertilized ovum is expelled. The Constitution commands that the life of the unborn be protected “from conception.” For me this means that sacred life begins at fertilization and not at implantation.

Eighth, it has already been pointed out that the obligation of employers with regard to the sexual and reproductive health of employees is already dealt with in the Labor Code. If the provision needs improvement or nuancing, let it be done through an examination of the Labor Code provision.

Ninth, there are many valuable points in the bill’s Declaration of Policy and Guiding Principles which can serve the welfare of the nation and especially of poor women who cannot afford the cost of medical service. There are specific provisions which give substance to these good points. They should be saved.

Tenth, I hold that public money may be spent for the promotion of reproductive health in ways that do not violate the Constitution. Public money is neither Catholic, nor Protestant, nor Muslim or what have you and may be appropriated by Congress for the public good without violating the Constitution.

Eleventh, I leave the debate on population control to sociologists.

Finally, I am happy that the CBCP has disowned the self-destructive views of some clerics.

Life as a Medical Student

Anatomy Group 3 with Dra. Surio

Biochemistry Section C with Faculty Members

I couldn't believe that it's been a year since I started studying medicine. I can still remember reviewing for NMAT and preparing a lot of documents needed to apply to different medical schools. Practicing for the oral interview and writing an admission essay that I hoped would stand out. Fitting in the new crowd and made new friends. Studying (cramming would be a more appropriate term) for shifting exams. Reading a lot of stuff from different books, websites and journals for a conference. Staying up as late as 3AM, trying my best to absorb everything for the prelims. The experience is just emotional, unbelievable and truly a different way of learning things.

                                                                     

Practice for Heme Synthesis Role Play

First year of medical school is over. Second year is right around the corner. I'm sitting comfortably during summer vacation, playing video games, meet with friends, watch stuff I wasn't able to during the entire year, without feeling a sense of guilt that I should be studying instead. It's also now that I am able to reflect on a lot of things. Do I really want this? Can I do this? Perhaps the biggest challenge for any medical student is to be able to know which stuff to prioritize. There are just too much that can happen in a year, aside from school, there are family gatherings, birthdays, some errands, and a lot of holidays. There are certainly a number of them that you need to sacrifice.

Section C - Christmas Party

Medicine isn't about being intelligent. It's about being able to adjust to the demands of the training and be able to focus on stuff that matters. Classes are from Monday to Saturday and usually run from 8-5. Aside from lectures, we attend a lot of conferences and laboratory works. And sometimes (a lot of times), we are required to report about the experiment the next day. What's infuriating is that we have a shifting exam in Biochemistry that day. What to do? It doesn't mean that just because you have a report to submit, you'll totally forget to read even part of the topics covered for the exam. And yes, you'll be needing a lot of time. I never really valued time before I entered med. During college, I consistently get 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Now, I consider it a blessing to be able to get 3-4 hours of rest. Truly, time is gold. And there isn't just enough of it. I never realized what I was capable of doing in a day until I was pushed to this challenge.

Med Night '11

I know that the ordeal me and a lot of other students are going through will not be in vain. Our sacrifices, along with our family's, will surely bear fruits in the future. This is how I put it. We are pressured to get high scores, if not perfect scores, in exams because we cannot afford to make mistakes in real life. We cannot just erase or have our errors countersigned all the time. We will be dealing with lives, with real people someday.

With the help of God, the greatest healer, we will endure.

Pro-Better Life!

Show your support: Pro-RH Bill

Catholic, Pro-Life, Realist and Pro-RH!

The Reproductive Health Bill, popularly known as the RH Bill, is a Philippine bill aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. The bill has become the center of a contentious national debate. There are presently two bills with the same goals: House Bill No. 96 or the Reproductive Health Act and Population and Development Act of 2010 introduced by Albay 1st district representative Edcel Lagman, and Senate Bill No. 2378 or the Reproductive Health Act introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.

The bill is highly controversial, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures both supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process. The issue is so divisive that at one point, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines threatened to excommunicate the President, Benigno Aquino III if he supported the bill. (from: Wikipedia)

My title clearly sums up my stand on the issue. I was born and raised a catholic. I respect and value human life. But I've also seen a lot of people suffer and even die with causes that are preventable. I have friends who are scourged with infections acquired through sexual intercourse. I've encountered families with children ranging from 5-10 while their parents have no stable source of income, ergo, basic physiologic needs are unmet. I've handled female patients with pregnancy problems. I've delivered babies, some of whom, are born to sick mothers, some, died during (or a little after) delivery. On a larger scale, our country's population (an estimate) to date is 94 million and surely, not everyone has adequate living space, not everyone has sufficient food and water, not everyone has access to healthcare. I am Pro-RH Bill.

The following is taken from Jubert's Blog: Chillspot. It's his post regarding the issue entitled: Pro-RH bill is not anti-life! I decided to repost his entry since he mentioned a lot of things that I couldn't have said better myself. 

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Much has been said and written about the RH bill that this entry of mine might just be one of the hundreds circulating the web today. Honestly, I would prefer to keep silent on critical matters like this one but it is inevitable especially when these are just catching so much attention from the mainstream media.

IT IS ANTI-RELIGIOUS TYRANNY.

I am pro-RH bill but I am not an anti-Church, that I can guarantee. This entry is written to present a set of arguments which I personally believe to be valid and logical to a considerable degree, pointing to reasons why I eagerly support the RH bill. Of course, you don't need to agree with me. I do not have any motive other than to share a piece of my mind and urge you to share yours as well. Some of my comments may raise some eyebrows and hurt other feelings but my apology in advance.

We had this seminar weeks ago and one of our speakers was a priest in the local church - sorry, I forget his name. He talked about the Church's stand on the RH bill and why it should be kill. With all due respect to him, he sounded pretty arrogant to me. I hate it every time he says, "O, di niyo alam yan!" as if he's talking to a bunch of illiterates. I disgust people who talks and acts like they know everything. I cannot even count on my fingers how many times he said that annoying phrase. Boooooo! Sige na po, ikaw na talaga!

IT IS ANTI-IGNORANCE.

The Church is screaming bloody murder, saying that the bill is a "pro-abortion bill". WHAAAT?! Now, I wonder if we have read the same bill because the bill I read stated no such thing. In fact, it actually does the complete opposite. The argument that the RH bill would legalize abortion is just a distraction. Forget that. Obviously, this is an invalid argument being spread by people who are against the bill. And what is alarming is that we are falling for it.

They also insist that we are not overpopulated. I get that. I do not claim otherwise. At 90 million, we are not overpopulated, nevermind if almost half are living below the poverty line. The Philippines is NOT and NEVER overpopulated. With 7,107 islands, we can even support billions of people - and I am not exaggerating. The thing is, we have a population more than we should have considering our finite resources and it is still growing at a pace that we cannot support anymore. It doesn't take a genius to know that the bigger the population, the bigger the food demand thus aggravating the price increase. It also means more energy will be required to sustain a reasonable standard of living which could make a toll in our nature. This is not pleasing to the ears but the Philippines cannot afford uncontrollable population growth. We need to curb our population a bit to allow resources to be more beneficial thus resulting to better quality of life.

And lemme clear this - the population control is not versus birthing per se. It is against irresponsible birthing.

IT IS ANTI-DAY DREAMING.

I also find it funny when the Church are scared off their wits just hearing the term *drum rolls* SEX EDUCATION. Anti-RH folks insist that the bill will spawn a generation of sex maniacs. (Refresher course: The bill states of the mandatory sexuality education from Grade 5 to 4th year high school) I don't know if they are drunk or they are just plain stupid that they failed to read the word "age-appropriate" written with it. And they keep on insisting that it degrades morality. How is it immoral, exactly, to teach students how to properly manage their sexual well-being? Tell me.

I understand the Church's concern that it is the responsibility of the parents to educate their children about sex. But this I tell you folks: there is a large number of Filipino parents who didn't had the opportunity to be informed, much less discuss, anything about sex education.

IT IS ANTI-HYPOCRISY.

Natural family planning as claimed by religious folks as the moral way of limiting the population has been practiced since, well, the time began but that method has failed over and over and over again. The RH bill is not just about contraceptions for Pete's sake. It is about the freedom to choose what's best for your family. It is called RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD. It prevents couples from having too many children, too soon, too fast.

Cong. Manny Pacquiao said that "Kung nag-condom po ang aking ama, si Mommy D, wala pong Manny Pacquiao." I bet he thought, oh I'm so witty! (Just a few weeks ago, he was caught saying: Magsumbong ka sa lolo mong panot - which, IMO, is the dumbest thing I heard from a politician) But had he ever thought that not all people are as lucky as him?

IT IS ANTI-IRRESPONSIBILITY!

Also, this good vs. evil thing that those religious folks is spewing is frustrating and getting on ym nerves. They are insisting something like this: anti-RH bill are good, pro-RH bill are bad and anti-life. Sorry CBCP, I cannot see myself as anti-life. I value life as much as you do. I cannot understand what is so un-Catholic in encouraging couples to refrain from having too many children that they can't afford to feed and nourished? I think there is none. Oh well, these priests won't understand a thing about family planning until each of them are raising children of their own.

"Humayo kayo at magpakarami" is their epic excuse for valid issues being thrown against their stand. God may told us to procreate but believe me, he didn't mean it this way. The Church just wanna play around using the Bible.

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How does being anti-RH make you Pro-Life? How does having 10 children without the means to provide even their basic needs make you Pro-Life?