FRONT
ROYAL, Virginia – The following is a statement from Father Shenan J. Boquet,
president of Human Life International, on the passage of the Reproductive
Health (RH) Bill (113-Yes, 104-No, 3-Abstentions) upon the second reading of
the bill in the House of Representatives of the Philippines.
"This
is a very dark day for the Philippines
and for the fight for life and family around the world. The corruption of the
legislative process that has been on full display leading up to this vote
should trouble anyone who values open and accountable governments. President
Aquino and other proponents of the bill have not only shown disdain for the
faith that most of them profess, but also for women's health and for the
nation's economic future.
"The
irony to all of this is that much of the reasoning from the bill's supporters
is that birth rates must come down if the Philippines is to join the ranks of
the prosperous developed nations. They make this case even though these
supposedly developed nations are all suffering a terrible financial downturn
due in large part to curtailed population growth, and many are even trying to
pay their citizens to have more children. Countries with stable governments,
dynamic free markets and educated citizenry are thriving even though they are
more densely populated. The RH Bill does nothing to address the nation's
corruption, infrastructure and education deficiencies, and thus offers nothing
in the way of prosperity other than large cash payments from Western
governments and NGOs who see Filipino children as a threat to their own
prosperity."
The
House is scheduled to have a third reading of the bill on Monday, December 17,
and another version of the RH Bill has also been scheduled for a vote in the
Senate next week. Philippine President Benigno Aquino, an ardent supporter of
the legislation, hopes to sign a final version of the bill into law by the end
of the year.
"If
this was about lowering maternal mortality rates they would be building
hospitals, developing education programs for women and training birth
attendants. That is not what they're doing, and this is not about women's
health. Nor is it about lowering the rate of HIV/AIDS. This is about stopping
Filipino children from being born, and as has been the case in every other
nation that has widely accepted the contraceptive mentality, abortion is right
around the corner.
"The
chances of stopping the bill at this point may seem slim, but nothing is
impossible with God. We pray with greater urgency that the Lord of Life will
spare the people of the Philippines
from joining in the slow demographic suicide of the supposedly developed
nations, and will intervene in miraculous fashion."
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