Face the Facts, Pass the RH Bill

Ceredeña also  cited the NYC’s National Youth Assessment Study that revealed that unplanned pregnancy was one of the main reasons  young people do not complete their education.

The UNFPA study indicated the rate of teenage pregnancy in the country at 53 out of 1,000 Filipino women aged 15 – 19.

…The youth official is recommending “Age-appropriate reproductive health education” to address is problem.

Parents, have you talked with your kids? Talked WITH, not AT, not TO. Do they know and understand what sex is, how it’s done, and what could happen?

Without the RH Bill, without proper sex education, the worst can and will continue to happen. 

Face the facts today. 

Worth noting: “Experts couldn’t say whether more liberal laws led to fewer procedures, but said good access to birth control in those countries resulted in fewer unwanted pregnancies.”

Amnesty International-Philippines appealed to lawmakers not to let 2011 end without the much-needed measure being passed, saying not one more mother should suffer from preventable maternal death.

Aurora Parong, director of AI-Philippines, said Congress should pass the bill that would help millions of women prevent mistimed and unwanted pregnancies, and have safe pregnancies and child birth.

It could also help improve everyone’s enjoyment of sexual and reproductive rights and enhance personal and family relationships.

The bill, which has received staunch opposition from the Catholic Church, is being debated in the Congress, and there is no indication of when it could be put to a vote. Advocates for the bill have embarked on a series of activities to convince lawmakers to pass it soon.

“Ten years of waiting for the enactment of a reproductive health law is too long. Our lawmakers must get their acts together to enact the law before the year ends,” Parong said in a statement.

She also said preventable maternal deaths have been among the biggest problems affecting women in the country and in most developing countries.

A Global AIDS Report released recently by the UNAIDS observed there has been a 25 percent decline in HIV infections and AIDS-related illness and deaths, and that countries who have given enough funding and attention to the problem have stabilized the rise, spread and deaths caused by the virus.

Merceditas Apilado, a UNAIDS social mobilization adviser, said the Philippines is “one of the exceptions …and the number of HIV infections and AIDS cases in the country continues to rise, and not lessen.”

House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said deliberations on House Bill (HB) 4244, or the “Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2011,” will have to drag on to next year due to the number of congressmen who want to debate on the measure.

“Don’t expect that this [the RH bill] will be passed this year. I’m just being honest,” he said at a press briefing, adding that more than 20 House members are still on the list of interpellators despite the fact that plenary debates on the bill started last March.

“We have to consider the legislative mill… Itong RH, in my experience as a floor leader, it’s not really time na pagbotohan ito,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales, however, said HB 4244 will be put to a vote by next year.

Stalled again.

But when is it a good time to vote for this bill?

Who are you among the 7 billion? Plug in your birthdate, get your number.

From the site:

“The world’s population is expected to hit seven billion in the next few weeks. After growing very slowly for most of human history, the number of people on Earth has more than doubled in the last 50 years. Where do you fit into this story of human life? Fill in your date of birth below to find out.”

We can hope that one day makes all the difference.

The Vatican has granted priests the right to forgive the sin of abortion when hearing the confessions of hundreds of thousands of young people attending a Roman Catholic youth festival in Spain this week.

The termination of pregnancy is a sin punishable by excommunication under Church law. The World Youth Day (WYD) pilgrims will attend a mass confession in the presence of Pope Benedict on Saturday in a central Madrid park.

“This (concession) is to make it easier for the faithful who attend the World Youth Day celebrations to obtain the fruits of divine grace,” the Madrid archdiocese said in a statement on its website.