Saturday, September 13, 2008 Roperos: Family health By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
WHAT used to be a simple matter between man and woman living together as man and wife and begetting children has become a great social dilemma.
It is not because either man or woman, or both man woman, suddenly realized their inadequacy to have children as much as they wish. In the case of the Filipino man and woman, the matter is their tendency to overproduce children.
This issue is seriously quite divisive. The Church would find itself getting support from deeply conservative faithful, but it also found itself trying the loyalty of an equal number, perhaps, even more Christians supporting the reproductive health bill.
The Church will find itself getting the “nodding” support of the economically alienated and marginalized families, who are in reality opposing its stance while remaining deep in their hearts faithful Christian and Catholics.
Even the bill’s sponsors, most of whom are presumably true blue Catholics, may not openly oppose the stand of the Church on the bill but they will secretly support it.
The reason is both practical and a matter of common sense. At a time when the nation’s economy is unstable, and the rising cost of living threatens to diminish the quality of life of the average citizen, gnawing hunger grapples with the fear of God.
I know of a peasant family with both husband and wife coming from a stable Christian background. Although not seriously practicing Catholics, they observed their religious obligations.
In time, the family had nine children. Under pressure from the fast-changing values of our contemporary society, the wife succumbed to our deteriorated moral standards. She left for Mindanao with another man, taking along with her six of the younger kids.
In time, she had three more kids in Mindanao. Confronted with the problem of feeding and educating the kids, some of whom she had farmed out as working pupils to their teachers, she decided to send some of them back to their father, whose main source of livelihood was buying and selling junk.
Had a family planning program been implemented before, would this situation have happened? The question is relevant to the looming issue over the reproductive health bill since I foresee a divisive clash in the House over the measure.
It would likely cause a breach in some personal and political relationships among the players, not to mention the probable effect the resulting “debate” would have on the ties that bind the men of the Church and the men of politics.
