Friday, October 03, 2008 Talk back: Del Mar’s stance on Reproductive Health Bill By Filemon S. Alberca
AT last, interpellation and debate on House Bill No. 5043 has started.
Cebu City First District Rep. Raul del Mar first took the floor, and his interpellation was featured in Sun.Star Cebu’s Dossier (Opinion Section, Sept. 26 and 27, 2008).
As a family planning practitioner, allow me to present my observations:
1. Del Mar presented himself as a “cross breed” of so-called pro-life and pro-choice groups.
To respect life and to choose the quality of life is not incompatible.
2. He said the bill was hatched by over 90 of his co-lawmakers, who deceptively packaged it to fool people and probably the other congressmen.
It’s hard to imagine that there is such a big number of “Honorables” in the House who are mass deceivers.
3. He saw the bill as a cause of conflagration and source of destabilization.
Again, it’s hard for me to imagine that there is a big number of “Honorables” in the House who are mass destabilizers (I won’t say bunch of mass arsonists).
4. He said that access to contraceptives is free and unrestricted.
Has he forgotten that a Manila mayor (now a Cabinet member) once banned contraceptive use in his turf?
In saying that this bill is deceptive and could destabilize the nation, is the good congressman not narrowing or even closing the access corridor?
When Roman Catholic leaders openly threatened to bar their “disobedient” followers from communion, are they not closing the access?
If the access is really free and unrestricted, why the threat from some leaders to go on civil disobedience protest if the bill is passed?
5. He said that the bill is a costly exercise in futility because President Arroyo, during the Sona last July, had said that she only favors Natural Family Planning (NFP) method.
It’s hard for me to believe that the President and del Mar have no complete grasp of what the NFP is about.
Firstly, NFP is not even a contraceptive method at all.
It is but a guide to determine ovulation, an aid on what contraceptive method to use if a woman is fertile.
One of five possible contraceptive methods maybe resorted to when the wife is fertile.
It is either abstinence, withdrawal, condom, spermicidals or diaphragm--all artificial contraceptive methods.
Secondly, there’s the matter of naturality or artificiality.
Sea and mountain breezes are natural phenomena.
Aircon units and electric fans are definitely products of the human mind.
When couple has sex, unknowingly doing it during the woman’s infertile period, that is natural contraception.
When a couple has sex, knowingly doing it with condom during the woman’s fertile period, that is artificial contraception.
Many couples are childless because one of the partners are suffering from conditions preventing gamete production or passage.
This is natural sterilization.
But when a doctor surgically prevents gamete production or passage, that is artificial sterilization.
There are three major ways to manage fertility or population and each has natural and the artificial types.
These are: contraception, sterilization and abortion. There is no natural or artificial NFP method.
There’s no sense interpellating or debatingon issues that are off tangent in the first place.
The issue at hand is very personal; it is too private. To others, it’s no entry.
It’s only the couple who has the right to finally decide about it.
It is something that outsiders are verboten, be he a priest, politician, lay leader or a medical practitioner.
Their role is only to inform, not to disinform or to confuse.
