From wikipedia.org, Reproductive Health Bill coined as RH Bill is a proposed law in our country aiming to guarantee universal access to methods on contraception, abortion, fertility control, sexual education and maternal care. This bill is highly decisive with experts, religious institutions and major political figures supporting and opposing it. Debates and rallies proposing and opposing the bill , with ten thousands of oppositions particularly those endorsed by the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church and various other conservative groups, have been happening nationwide.
This bill also provides for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, from wikipedia.org, since the number of HIV cases among the young nearly tripled from 41 in 2007 to 110 in 2008. And the proponents emphasized that RH will help stemming the AIDS epidemic that is worsening in our country.
According to wikipedia.org, Jason Evert, an international expert on sexuality and family, cited the "wisdom of the Filipino approach to halting AIDS" and we Filipino are the living proof that self-control always triumph birth control. He cited the British Medical Journal which stated that "the greater the percentage of Catholics in any country, the lower level of HIV ". The British Medical Journal said that whereas in Swaziland, where 42.6 percent have HIV, only 5 percent are Catholic. In Uganda, with 43 percent of the population Catholic, the proportion of HIV infected adults is 4 percent. " Evert said that in the Philippines over 80 percent of the population is Catholic and only .03 percent of the population has HIV ".
Why we Filipinos try to copy other countries' lifestyle in terms of reproductive health? I do admit their country developed better than ours, but aren't we proud despite our poverty there is a good side because of our old-fashioned mindset regarding this matter? Most of us here are Catholic and our religion convinced us to opposed this bill. Catholic doctrines maintains that the Church is reliable when assertively teaches a doctrine of faith and morals which our ancestors taught us. I want to preserve our ancestors' thoughts which I want to teach that to my kids in the future.