Day: September 30, 2008

If you must know what’s up with me, it’s that I am currently having the longest and most terrible migraine I’ve ever had in years. I just don’t understand why some people won’t get why a lot of people support the passing of the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008 (the link points to the full text of the house bill; here is the Fact Sheet and Explanatory Notes) in the Congress.

Before you roll your eyes in mock boredom, let me tell you that unlike my post on my pro stand in the legalization of divorce in the Philippines, this’ll be awfully short and sweet. The longer and harder stuff, I leave up to the folks over at Filipino Voices and, hell, even The Jester-in-Exile. I will not play the blame game with anyone, but as a Filipino youth myself, I impose my right to get involved in the affairs of the country. (On a sidenote, linking those past entries make me feel disappointed in myself. I haven’t written anything as thought-provoking as they were in more than a year.)

Before anything else, the Republic of the Philippines is NOT a frigging Christian country! Get that?!

Good! Now, proceed.

In a nutshell, the Reproductive Health Bill “promotes information on and access to both natural and modern family planning methods, which are medically safe and legally permissible. It assures an enabling environment where women and couples have the freedom of informed choice on the mode of family planning they want to adopt based on their needs, personal convictions and religious beliefs,” and includes the following:

• Information and access to natural and modern family planning.
• Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition.
• Promotion of breast feeding.
• Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications.
• Adolescent and youth health.
• Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).
• Elimination of violence against women.
• Counseling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health.
• Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers.
• Male involvement and participation in reproductive health.
• Prevention and treatment of infertility.
• Reproductive health education for the youth.

(To avoid the continuous mantras for me to be damned in hell, this is the Church’s reply.)

Now that that’s out of the way, I’ll make it clear that my view is not a moral, legal, or scientific one; it is, in fact, exceedingly simplistic in a way that everyone would understand perfectly what I’m getting at. It’s a seven-letter word that, in my overly unpretentious mind, should explain a lot of things.

REALITY

What, were you expecting a more elaborate one? Of course there’s more to it than just that, but I won’t waste my time writing long explanations when some people don’t even want to understand them. The Filipino Voices crew has more patience than I have; go bother and attack them with your long speech about the Roman Catholic Church beliefs and the like.

Things about me that may directly or indirectly affect my pro stand:

• I’m one of those people who has the most irregular menstrual cycle ever. For the sake of emphasizing this point, I don’t even remember how long ago my last period was. Yes, that long. It’s been this way since I was 13. And geez, I’m no fool not to consult a doctor about it; of course I have.
• I believe in the separation of the State and the church. (That’s why it frustrates me that the politicians in office are afraid that passing the bill is tantamount to political suicide just because they’d lose their supporters in the religious sector. The State’s obligation is to its people, not religion.)
• It’s every man for himself — kung gusto mong magdusa sa hirap, mag-isa ka at ‘wag mo akong idamay, animal ka! (I’m half-kidding/half-serious)
• On a more serious note, I believe that everyone has the right to access family planning services and information. I believe that it is the State’s obligation to provide the said services and information.

Ahh, honestly. The problem with these institutions is that they decide for you without even consulting you. They pretend to know what’s best for you without even knowing you. They enforce something that, in one way or another, only help them in the end (ego trip, power trip, morale boost, etc). Meh. Such a shame. All hail to the country of double standards and hypocrisy!

I apologize for the half-baked post, but I just couldn’t draw enough inspiration to finish this or write anything more. It’s always the same old story anyway, and the arguments are the same from both parties no matter how you look at them. I don’t even know why I even bothered. Sighs.