Why support The Bill

Just like any controversial issue that shocked the arena of Philippine legislation before it, the Reproductive Health Bill (which encompasses the HB 4244 and SB 2378) has been the topic of every debate ever since its arrival. However, the field for the two opposing parties becomes more heated up as August 7 draws near: the day when the debate stops and the decision to continue the period of  interpellation of the said bill continues or not. Since this announcement, proponents of each side has been rallying from the streets to social networking sites, giving their evidences to the decision that they have chosen. And here is mine, trying to correct what the Anti's have been declaring:

Clarification No. 1: It does NOT promote abortion.

The Bill aligns itself with the Constitution by proclaiming that the act of abortion is illegal and should be duly prohibited. It, however, states that due medical treatment be given to those who suffer from post-abortion complications. 
If, hypothetically, someone from the Antis would step forward and question the said provision on why would prompt treatment be given to post-abortion patient under the blunt thinking that if you help people of this kind, you believe in the mechanism that led to their situation", I would be happy to reply that "Doesn't your institution promote the well-being of the people and that all people are one in Jesus Christ ? Don't these individuals that suffer from post-abortion complication fall under this set of 'people'?"

Clarification No. 2: It promotes BOTH methods of family planning, namely natural and artificial methods of family planning.

The Antis have been very supportive of the use of natural family planning which is a method which excludes the use of contraceptive tools such as condoms, intrauterine devices among others, even pointing out that these methods are abortifacients, which frankly brings my blood to a boil. 
First, the Bill explicitly states its promotion of natural or artificial family planning, not the artificial method alone. Here comes the abortifacient part: Let us clarify what abortifacients are. Abortifacients are drugs that induces abortion, or the disruption of the early embryo's implantation in the uterine lining around 5-7 days after fertilization , and under this class falls the likes of morning-after pills. Claiming that condoms are abortifacients is a direct insult to people who spend a portion of their lives studying this concept. Condoms work by preventing the entrance of the sperm by 'catching' them within its rubber shaft. The same mechanism applies to both female and male condoms and diaphragms. This prevents the meeting of the male's sperm and the female's egg which leads to fertilization, hence no fertilization occurs; no life to end; no embryo to abort. Hence, how can they keep on contesting the abortifacient nature of condom if there is no life to abort to start with? It boggles the deepest recesses of my mind why they continue on doing this. Birth control pills as abortifacient is a more 'substantial' yet equally dismal debate topic. The use of birth control pills cause several physiological changes within the endometrium that prevents the implantation of the fertilized cell. The pharmacological effect of these medications act PRIOR the implantation, hence no life to disrupt. Think of these contraceptive devices as co-co-co-combo breakers in the fertilization thread:
COITAL EVENT ---CONDOM!-----> MEETING OF SPERM AND EGG ---B/C PILLS!--> FERTILIZATION ---> IMPLANTATION

Clarification No. 3: It will not teach grade-school children sexual topics that are inappropriate to their age group.

Many believe that the sexual education that the bill would like to enforce upon its enactment would include preposterous visual aids that graphically depict the sexual act. Section 16 of the Bill is explicitly entitled to provide comfort to the conservative people who enlighten themselves by reading the Bill. Sex education is age-appropriate and several government departments, as stated above. would provide parents with appropriate educational materials to further soothe their alarmed spirits. Moreover, a year of training upon the enactment of the bill will be provided for teachers to prepare them in holistically leading the course and imparting knowledge that they deem age-appropriate. So concerned parents, the Bill will not expose your children to the graphic aspect of sex, rather, it would illuminate these young minds on the subject. I consider them fortunate to have this opportunity because some parents (including mine) are not comfortable giving the 'birds and the bees' talk to their children.  Armed with these concepts, it is up to these minds how to appropriately utilize them for their own good. We can never control the liberal thinking of a human brain. The same institution that strongly opposes the Bill is the same institution that feared ages ago that knowledge would undermine their foundations. I believe that knowledge is power, more than the adage can simply tell you. Having the knowledge to control your future, to guide your path and to calculate possibilities gives you the thinking that you are the God of yourself. Perhaps this was what scared them before. If the individual humbly accepts that a Higher Being willed him/her to such a victorious destination, that person would consider that the knowledge that s/he learns from daily experiences are tools that would help him/her attain the victorious destination willed for him/her by that Higher Being. It's all a matter of perspective.

Clarification No. 4: The State will not force the family to the ideal size of 2 children.

Rather, the State will simply encourage them to have the ideal number of children. It is not against the law to have more than 2 children within the brood. The Bill provides the education of the people regarding their reproductive rights and the reproductive health (for the definition of the stated terms, please refer to a copy of the Bill for clarification). One of the projects that the Bill would like to promote is the Mobile Health Care Services, which is essentially like the 'Justice on Wheels' project but caters to the health aspect of educating the populace, particularly those residing in far-flung regions of the country.

Once again, proper utilization of knowledge comes into play. People are given their own thinking to make the decisions that affect their own lives. 

Clarification No. 5: It will not cause the blatant distribution of condoms.

It will, however, consider several factors (listed above) in the EFFICIENT DISTRIBUTION AND USAGE-MONITORING of family planning supplies which include educational materials and the most-contended contraceptives such as rubbers and birth control pills. The Bill does not state the rampant distribution of these condoms like they're some merchandise sold on the street but will, rather, consider the need of the area. Contraceptive devices will be more available than what the current circumstances allow which may raise another alarm for the conservatists, that this availability would promote sexual promiscuity among the youth. Given the age-appropriate education that will be provided to the young people as stated in the Bill, the importance of the proper use of this acquired knowledge can not be emphasized enough. If you want to contribute in the moral development of your child/ren, increase their awareness by giving them the Talk in your perspective but ensuring that the real message comes across.

The above-mentioned statements are rebuttals to some of the many contended beliefs of the opposing parties. Below are several statements that hopefully enlightens the readers of this post:

Focus on the Section 12 entitled 'Integration of FP and responsible parenthood component in anti-poverty programs'. Currently, anti-poverty programs include programs that aim to alleviate poverty because of the high percentage of this marginalized population in our country. Honestly, the likes of DSWD's 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) are doling-out to the people and are merely band-aid solutions to the problem of poverty. We have to look for the root cause/s of the problem and smash it there, preventing it to grow problems on its branches and only doing programs at this level. The Bill would integrate family planning and responsible parenthood in the core of the anti-poverty program. This would give these people the knowledge regarding parenthood and how they can battle poverty using their program. What is sad among this marginalized population is how they accept tangible forms of help (such as canned goods, donated articles of clothing and the like) and refusal of non-tangible ones such as this knowledge. Hopefully, the enactment of this Bill and its subsequent execution on the aspect of teaching this population the importance of responsible parenthood in smashing a core aspect of poverty would enlighten the people that knowledge can be more important than the things that they tangibly receive from donors and charitable institutions. 

I would like to add more to this looooooooooooooong post but I fear it would bore you to death and would discontinue reading this and label it as 'TL;DR' post. And my mom keeps on bugging me to eat breakfast and prepare for Mass. Thank you for giving ample time to read this post. 

PRBSison.