Filippino bishops: Human life is not a disease to be cured
(Vatican Radio) “Reproductive ‘health’, what are we curing? Is life a disease? Reproductive
health leads to death and abortion”, says Archbishop Ramon V Arguelles of Lipa in
the Philippines. He was among the tens of thousands who marched Sunday against the
government approval of the Reproductive Health Bill (RHB). On Monday President Benigno
Aquino III ordered an end to parliamentary debate on the controversial bill and for
legislators to put it before Congress for a vote. The bill has been under dicussion
for a record 14 years. The RH as it stands would require the distribution of free
or low-cost contraceptives, although lawmakers are expected to discuss whether to
work abortions and abortifacient drugs into the bill. Schools moreover would be mandated
to provide sex-education to children as young as 9 years old. On Monday the United
Nations Population Fund country representative urged the Philippine president to implement
the bill quickly. The Philippines is one of the few remaining nations where the protection
life is enshrined in the constitution and abortion is illegal. The Catholic Church
in the Philippines has actively opposed the passing of the RH bill. Archbishop Arguelles,
was among the tens of thousands gathered over the weekend outside the Marian Shrine
dedicated to our Lady of EDSA (Epifanio de los Santos) to protest the government’s
attempts to pass the legislation. Those supporting the legislation in the government
are going along the United Nations millennium development goals, Archbishop Arguelles
told Vatican Radio, which requires the universal distribution of contraceptives as
a “health” service. “That’s why,” the archbishop continued, “we are trying to tell
our people – what sickness [are contraceptives] going to cure? Conception is not a
sickness. The baby is not a virus.” There are also concerns that these sexual “health”
measures – such as mandatory sex-education in schools and government distribution
of contraceptives – could endanger the culture and morality of the Philippine people,
and lead to the legalization of abortion. “The Philippines,” Archbishop Arguelles
explained, “is one of the last countries that has opposed these ‘death’ policies”
– such as divorce, euthanasia, population control, and same-sex unions. And the government,
the archbishop pointed out, is already considering the possibility of implementing
such policies. “We believe that as a Catholic country, our people are called to
restore humanity, in maybe the rest of the countries... the reason why we oppose this
in our country is we hope that the other nations will follow suit.” Listen
to Ann Schneible’s interview with Lipa’s Archbishop Ramon V Arguelles about the RH
Bill: