Social responsibility

OVER the past few days, there has been so much talk for or against the reproductive health (RH) bill. But the issue has actually been dragging on for the past many months now.

The conservative Church, ever watchful over the moral life of the faithful, has been giving notice about its stand on the RH bill for, I think, many years now. The Church, which refers to the Catholic Church in the Philippines, has been giving notice that it does not agree with some key provisions of the proposed law, and it will oppose its passage.

This rather firm stand of the Church has generated a clear division of the nation’s Catholics, all the way down to the rural areas, including even those living abroad.

The Catholic Church is said to have already given notice that it will campaign in the 2013 elections against congressmen who will vote in favor of the RH bill.

However, it has been reported that the House is not yet ready to vote on the bill.

Rather, it will only decide on whether to continue the debate on it or proceed to the period of amendments. I think that the Church, as a dominant party in interest of the bill, should give the bill’s oppositionist all the time and opportunities they need to express their mind against the measure.

For one thing, even I myself have not fully decided on what to consider about the bill. As an avid Catholic (you know, if my parents were alive today, I am sure they would be among the marchers for the Church’s stand on the bill), I should be open for the Church’s stand. But I am not, simply because there is a need to be objective about our nation’s social and economic condition.

I agree that there are provisions in the bill that need to be amended or changed, as there are provisions to be preserved or accepted. I also think that the Church, in its opposing stand, should present us with alternatives to bite on.

For instance, in the matter of abortion or contraceptives use, I would like to go with the Church on it if it can present us with a better way of avoiding such gory cases as fetuses dumped in trash cans or placed them in sardine cans, obviously because the mother could not find any other way of disposing the evidence of her indiscretion, or of the proof of her guilt or immorality.

One thing we should all openly accept is the fact of our social responsibility. Every one of us, and no less the collective church itself, should accept that we owe it to ourselves and to our society to make our life as a nation be as decent and agreeable and humane to live in.

In a way, I agree with the questions my friend, Bong, posed in his column yesterday which offered us many things to think about the RH bill. I hope all the questions could satisfactorily be answered before I am asked to vote on the proposal.