Philippine bishops reiterate opposition to reproductive health bill

(November 04, 2011) The Catholic bishops of the Philippines reiterated on Thursday their opposition to the country’s proposed reproductive health bill saying it is not the solution to the ills in the world that now has a seven billion population. The Reproductive Health Bill, popularly known as the RH Bill, aims at guaranteeing universal access to devices, methods and information on birth control and maternal care to Filipinos. Amid renewed calls for the bill’s passage, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) maintained that the problem is not the population but inequality in the Philippines. “The reproductive health bill is in no way a measure or solution to this unjust reality,” said CBCP president, Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag. The bishops of Asia’s most Catholic nation called for the rejection of the bill saying “the RH bill could just worsen the situation as billion will be allotted for contraceptive pills, gadgets and services.” According to the Church, the problem of inequality in the country still lies in the massive problem of graft and corruption, abuse of power and greed, and other acts of dishonesty in government, which the government must address in order to improve the lives of the Filipinos.