Palace, Church set further meetings on reproductive health
PRESIDENT BENIGNO C. Aquino III has met with leaders of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to discuss reproductive health, with both parties looking at holding another meeting, a Palace official said Friday.
AFPReproductive Health advocates step up their campaign. -- AFP
Edwin Lacierda, presidential spokesman, yesterday said Catholic Church leaders did not assert their position on family planning during the meeting, describing the dialogue as "pleasant" and having opened the lines of communication between the two sides.
The Church has opposed the Reproductive Health Bill (RHB), a measure that has been revived from the previous Congress, and the distribution of contraceptives.
Mr. Aquino, on the other hand, has said the choice of family planning method is better left to parents, with the state ready to assist those who prefer artificial ways but has no means to avail of these.
"There was a clarification from the Church leaders that there was really no plan to excommunicate the President, [while] the President explained, at least personally, to the bishops his stand on responsible parenthood," Mr. Lacierda said in a briefing.
Present with Mr. Aquino at Monday’s meeting in Bahay Pangarap, the presidential residence, were Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona, Presidential Management Staff chief Julia R. Abad and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon J. Soliman, while Cebu Archbishop Ricardo J. Cardinal Vidal, CBCP President and Tandag Bishop Nereo P. Odchimar, Imus Bishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle and Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio J. Ledesma represented the Catholic Church.
Mr. Odchimar and Ms. Abad were designated point persons for the CBCP and the government, respectively, to coordinate another dialogue which will involve additional participants, Mr. Lacierda said.
"Both sides realized that it would be better for them to communicate directly with each other," Mr. Lacierda said.
While the Church has isolated discussions to the use of contraceptives, the RHB has other salient features such as strengthening the Population Commission, provision of skilled midwives in every city and municipality to achieve a minimum ratio of one midwife for every 150 deliveries per year, emergency obstetric care for each province and city, maternal death review based on guidelines to be issued by the Department of Health in consultation with the Population Commission, hospital-based family planning, mobile health care service per congressional district, and age-appropriate RH education.
Also provided for are certificate of compliance from the family planning office that couple has received adequate instruction and information on family planning, responsible parenthood, breast-feeding and infant nutrition before the local civil registrar issues a marriage license; capability building of community-based volunteer workers on delivery of RH services; attaining a non-mandatory, non-compulsory ideal family size; nondiscrimination on hiring, regularization and employment of women or selection for retrenchment; support of private and nongovernmental health care service provider; and sustained public awareness campaign on RH. -- Ana Mae G. Roa
