I find it painfully hypocritical that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) would suggest not giving communion to members of the church simply because of their stance on family planning. What about other members guilty of other “sins?” What about the politicos who steal from the people and still have the gall to show their faces at church every Sunday? That’s been going on for decades, and yet they pick this as a reason to kick somebody out? Why not also refuse to give communion to Gloria’s entourage who flew overseas just to watch Pacquiao’s bout, even as we were still reeling from Typhoon Frank’s aftermath?
Talk about double standards. While I don’t agree with Gabriela on many matters, I will side with their point that abortion happens simply because many women here have neither the financial nor the emotional means to care for their child. There are probably more reasons, but given our level of poverty, this is the most likely cause. If the church is so against abortion, then why don’t they care for the unwanted child? Or would they rather he or she grow in “a situation of sin,” where starvation and neglect will push them to resort to drastic actions just to stay alive?
I am angered especially because I am also a practicing Catholic. Since when did we end up with leaders with this backward thinking. Family planning does not equal anti-life. If anything, it ensures that the couple will have the means to properly care for their offspring.
As for the argument that sex education would lead to immoral acts, this flow of logic implies that reading about lock picking will also encourage us to commit thefts, or that reading about serial killers will turn us into murderers. Except that this doesn’t happen normally, unless the one reading is already mentally disturbed. This only reveals that the CBCP is selling their pulpit’s common sense and integrity short. We are smarter than that, and we certainly deserve better leaders than that.
-Antonio Yang III, Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila (via e-mail)
Loading ...
September 9th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
We don’t have to reinvent the wheel…surf Malthus>the guy was born more than a century ago!
August 5th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Fine do it. Punish them. As long as you don’t claim artificial birth control as equivalent to abortion because they are totally different.
As long as there is no conception, you cannot claim that you are killing the unborn. To claim otherwise is being a narrow-minded.
The Catholic church is only in favor of natural birth control BECAUSE it is INEFFECTIVE, and in the same way makes them look like pro birth control where in fact they are not! Talking about politics!
They say birth control is not the solution, the solution is on the effectiveness of Government, I say that is not true! Why? No matter how efficient your government if the population is way out of proportion you’ll go nowhere but buried in poverty 6 feet underground. Why? Because humans are human resources, and they too are subject to the law of supply and demand. If the supply is high the value of it diminishes that is why the purchasing power of Filipinos is way below poverty lines. The reason why salaries here are so low is because we’re so plenty, no contest no argument!
Come on Catholic priests I am challenging you to a positive debate. Give me your arguments, I want it right now. Why? Because I can’t see why you are so persistent to an issue that is in fact a no-brainer issue with an obvious solution, to control the birth rate WITH an effective means.
@Carlos
quote
Promiscuity defines unwanted pregnancies (contraceptives are not 100% effective!) and leads to abortions.
unquote
It is not 100% effective but IT IS more effective than the ineffective natural birth control (natural birth control isn’t even a birth control because its success rate is way too low!)
I say, to born a baby you can’t upbring is far more worse than using contraceptives! I believe they’re the ones should go to prison for being irresponsible for giving birth to a child they can’t provide for. Way too worse! I REALLY HOPE PRIESTS KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT THEY ARE DOING! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING??!! Let’s end this poverty right here right now! If not I’m leaving this country and change my citizenship and nationality and forget about being Filipino because escaping under the influence of the principles of Catholic church is worth dying for!
July 27th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Man never learns from the lessons of the past. If man continues his unrestrained desires it will eventually resolve the problem of world population. When food becomes scarce and people start dying of starvation; and when political crises worsen and lead to global wars. Only then will the problem resolve itself.
July 27th, 2008 at 3:06 am
Is it wrong when a woman (married or not) does’nt want to get pregnant? This is a choice that does not violate any law or creed. In this condition, she can do all precautionary measures available thru science and medicine to avoid getting pregnant. Not to allow pregnancy is entirely different from abortion. Preventing pregnancy does not necessarily mean a life is terminated. While in abortion, there is already a loss of life.
In addition, what is wrong is to allow pregnancies by irresponsible parents and let the children to be born in this world only to be neglected along the way. In so doing, we only have children that grow-up as citizens only to become being burden in a society.
And we all know that the rate of growth of the poor is higher than that of the middle class and above. Increasing the density of the poor by unmanaged growth hampered any kind of development that the government want to implement.
July 26th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
@De los Reyes
Agreed. In the end, it will be up to the couple’s decided course of action. Although to be quite frank, I think their choice will depend heavily on the sort of situation they’re in.
Even I find that abortion is horrible choice, but given the sort of situation some couples live in, to them, that may be the only available choice.
To the Catholics: Just because the choice is there doesn’t mean you have to take it. Fine, it’s a sin within our own laws, but don’t go shoving our own sense of morality down the throat of those who won’t have any of it, or those living under a different faith.
That’s where tyranny begins.
“Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” - Matthew 22:21