Fetalvero: Tossing the coin

AS THE saying goes “There are always two sides of a coin.” It is difficult though not to be partial when it comes to the issues concerning the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill as many of us Filipinos have been oriented on the Catholic doctrine which is to respect for human life.

It is even harder when the bias stems from a personal experience. This is what happened with the controversial stand point made by Sen. Tito Sotto. The senator claimed he lost a son due to the effects of contraceptive pills.

Sotto received a lot of backlash but we have to hear him out so we can get a full picture of the proposed bill that encompasses a lot of issues—not to mention the life of the unborn child.

The senator cited Article II Section 12 of the 1986 Philippine Constitution that aims to give equal protection to the life of the mother and to the unborn child.

“Contraceptives are abortifacients,” Sotto said while being emotional in his speech made on the 37th death anniversary of his son.

“Ovulation and fertilization still occur despite pill intake,” Sotto stressed, backed up by the fact that wife, Helen, who was reportedly taking contraceptive pills, still became pregnant with their first-born child.

I believe we should scrutinize all issues concerning the proposed bill, particularly when it involves billions of pesos that are at be appropriated for the purchase of contraceptive pills and other mechanisms aimed at preventing pregnancy as part of government’s program on “planned parenthood.”

As we are all too familiar with government programs, funding is facilitated when “commissions” are guaranteed.

Like a horse with blinders (to keep them focused in one direction), for some politicians whose eyes are fixated on “what is in it for me?,” the issues on the RH Bill could easily be derailed according to the politician’s agenda.

Let us bear in mind that in the upcoming elections campaign funds become urgent in the life of a politician.

The sense of urgency is, however, on the pretext that the bill is beneficial to the Filipino people. Therefore, let us fill our two empty bottles with much information regarding the RH Bill.