Posted on 19 December 2012 by Truthsayer
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By Dennis Yu1
1. Dissecting the RH Bill
a. The problem being addressed by the Bill
The latest version of the RH Bill2 does not refer to any specific problem related to demography. It does not mention at all the typical justification of population-control-to-eradicate-poverty. This version3 refers to reproductive health per se. The Philippines, according to this Bill, needs a law on reproductive health. By implication, it says that the Philippines does not have any law that addresses the reproductive health needs, an implication that is incorrect since there are already laws that address many of the provisions of the Bill.4
The Bill seeks to address the reproductive rights of everyone. In Section 2, it affirms that there is such a thing as reproductive right and that such right is part of the human rights. It cites the international agreements where the Philippines is a signatory implying that the Philippines has to comply with its promises. What is not written in the Bill, though, is that the Philippines signed these agreements as the condition for receiving loans from international financial institutions.5
Paradoxically, however, the current head of International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, says that the “Philippines is in the enviable position of having a young population and a fast-growing work force, whereas most advanced countries and even some emerging markets in Asia have populations that are aging rapidly.”6
b. The objective of the Bill
The main objective of the Bill is to give everyone of his/her reproductive rights. In its words, it gives the Filipinos a “safe and satisfying sex life”7 and the “possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences.”8
c. The means to be employed
There are basically two means to achieve this objective: distribution of contraceptives and sex education. Put another way: educating the people how to use