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Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Sienes: HB 3773 and Ligtas Buntis
By Cris G. Sienes
Different Strokes
"...good governance, not population control, is the answer to the country's economic woes."
THOSE who oppose HB 3773 and Ligtas Buntis, Catholic bishops and priests included, have been branded "peddlers of lies and purveyors of misinformation."
But are they? What's the truth about HB 3773 and Ligtas Buntis?
Proponents of HB 3773 and Ligtas Buntis would have us believe that these are the answers to the country's economic problem.
But Pro-life President and Manila Mayor Lito Atienza disagrees. He says that good governance, not population control, is the answer to the country's economic woes.
Atienza is seconded by lawyer Jose C. Sison of TV's "Ipaglaban Mo" fame. In his Masrch 18 column in the Philippine Star, Sison wrote: "... The truth is that even if HB 3773 is passed and the Ligtas Buntis program is carried out to the hilt, there is no assurance that our economic will improve for the simple reason that corruption still abounds, governance remains below par, social injustice continues unabated, and political leaders have not mended their self-seeking ways.
Singapore, Thailand and neighboring countries that adopted population control experienced economic boom because they have less corruption, good governance, and political leaders (who) are more concerned about the common good rather than vested interests.
In fact these countries are now realizing that it was not after all the population control program which propelled their progress such that in an ironic twist of fate Singapore is now even encouraging instead of controlling births."
The proponents of HB 3773 and Ligtas Buntis would also have us believe that their main target is not only population control but also safeguarding the health of mothers and children, and that only medically safe contraceptives would be allowed. But how safe are these contraceptives?
A person in the know, Dr. Ligaya Acosta, former spokesperson and family planning officer of the DOH in Eastern Visayas left her well-paying job at the DOH just to campaign against HB 3773 and Ligtas Buntis.
Why?
Dr. Acosta said that DOH Secretary Manuel Dayrit gathered all family planning experts from all over the country prior to the launching of Ligtas Buntis, including herself. Their instructions were: house-to-house implementation of sterilization services, distribution of contraceptives, including IUD insertions.
Again to quote Sison in his March 18 column, "...The proponents and supporters of the population management program cannot deny the medical findings that those who have used... contraceptives suffered various ailments exposing them and their children to serious bodily and emotional risks.
The developer of the contraceptive pill himself had found its adverse effects on virtually every organ system of the human body as it interferes with the normal functioning of the woman's vitally important reproductive system.
Documented cases show that infants whose mothers had histories of contraceptive use had been afflicted with congenital heart disease.
The use of other pill formulations has been proven to cause the lowering of bodily resistance to infection, hepatic adenoma that would cause death through abdominal bleeding, nervousness, and excessive irritability.
IUD has been proven to cause leukemia, pelvic infection, uterine perforation, ectopic pregnancy and therapeutic abortion. Depoprovera injectibles have caused bone cancer and congenital malformation of babies if they fail, so they are already banned in the USA.
Tubal ligation causes severe bleeding, pelvic infection, and ectopic pregnancy. Vasectomy may result in hemorrhage and infections, greater risks of thyroid disorder, diabetes and heart and circulatory diseases.
The use of these harmful methods is "exposing the people to serious health risks that our public officials have a duty to prevent and is therefore the height of irresponsibility. It is a betrayal of public trust.
"Another betrayal of public trust is the peddling of the falsehood that the use of contraceptives prevents unwanted pregnancies and promotes reproductive health; that it promotes safe sex. There is an element of deceit here. Studies conducted in other countries have already confirmed that the percentage of contraceptive failure is quite high. Even the more popularly acclaimed condom effectiveness is turning out to be a myth, as available scientific evidence indicates that... condom reduces the risk of Aids/HIB by 85 percent only and that there is no evidence that condom use reduces the risk of HPV (Human Papillomavirus)...an STD associated with cervical cancer that kills many more women in the US than HIV (Workshop Summary, US National Institutes of Health). Thailand, which promotes condoms more actively, has 750,000 cases of HIV/Aids in spite of its smaller population than the Philippines that has only 1,935 cases. Besides, it is well documented that 15 out of 100 women still become pregnant in spite of condom use."
Given the above factors, who are the peddlers of lies and purveyors of misinformation"?
The United Nations reportedly has $1.3 million ready for release once HB 3773 is passed. Likewise, Ligtas Buntis reportedly has P150 million for its media campaign. Could these, perhaps, be the main reasons behind the very energetic campaign for HB 3773 and Ligtas Buntis? Just asking.
Point to ponder: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time; but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time." (Abraham Lincoln)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (April 12, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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