Terrible arguments against the Philippines' RH Bill

The Reproductive Health Bill (RH Bill) is a collection of proposed laws in the Republic of the Philippines, aiming to guarantee universal access to methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. The RH Bill is polarizing and controversial, with politicians, academics, and religious institutions on either side of the argument. Debates and rallies proposing and opposing the bills, with tens of thousands of opposition particularly those endorsed by the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church and various other conservative groups, have been happening nationwide.

According to the Senate Policy Brief titled “Promoting Reproductive Health”, the history of reproductive health in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when leaders of 12 countries including the Philippines' President Ferdinand Marcos signed the Declaration on Population. At the time, the Philippines agreed that the population problem be considered as the principal element for long-term economic development. The Population Commission was then created to push for a lower family size norm and provide education, information, and services to help lower fertility rates.

Economists in support of the bill say that rapid population growth and high fertility rates – especially among the poor – exacerbates poverty and makes it more difficult for government to address it. According to photius.com, the Philippines is the 39th most densely populated country, with a density over 335 per squared kilometer. The 2012 projected total fertility rate (TFR) – or the average of children a woman will have over her lifetime – is 3.15. And many of the babies are being born into the portion of the population which simply cannot afford it. The TFR for the richest quintile of the population is 2.0, which is about one third the TFR of the poorest quintile (5.9 children per woman). The TFR for women with college education is 2.3, about half that of women with only an elementary education (4.5 children per woman).

While some those who are against the bill for economic reasons point to the idea that a larger population can promote economic growth and stability, many of them oppose the bill for another reason. The head of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle, opposes the RH Bill, along with abortion and contraception. Because 81% of Filipinos are Catholics, the Catholic Church has a strong influence over the population. Its staunch opposition to the bill has drawn controversy among non-Catholics and Catholics alike who support the bill, many whom invoke the principle of separation of church and state.

As a Canadian-Filipino who has visited the Philippines a half-dozen times or so in the past 20 years, my point-of-view is skewed by living in a developed country that has relatively unrestricted access to contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care, and perhaps it is not place to comment on this issue. However, I know many Filipinos across different socio-economic levels, age groups, education levels, and religious beliefs on both side of the debate, and respect their right to having and voicing their opinions. But even I – someone who knows very little about global economics and health issues – would like to think those people I know who oppose the RH Bill would not give the terrible, unsubstantiated and uninformed reasons in the illustration below to justify their position.  Shocking!