Growing Herd of Uncommon Sense

Can someone tell me where is the quality of life in this scenario?

what the church doesn't understand is that the very act of publicly condemning the Reproductive Health (click on link for the full text of the proposed bill) and making it the subject of full page ads in national papers only add to the interest of the otherwise apathetic attitude of most filipinos. they should have taken their cue from "Da Vinci Code".

i've heard the rhetoric and selective interpretation from the catholic church regarding the (proposed) RH Bill. RH Bill is Anti-Life. RH Bill promotes Abortion, RH Bill promotes pre-marital sex. RH Bill should not be funded by taxes paid by Filipinos, majority of which are Catholics thus making the tax money, a Catholic fund. each pronouncement, adding more fuel to the curiosity of the filipino why the church is exerting an all out war against the RH Bill. the church claims they are fighting for the life of the yet unborn child but more filipinos see through the flimsy reason and the real intent to fight for the interest of THE church.

instead of fighting for the yet unborn child, why doesn't the church utilize its resources, funds and influence to affect the life of the filipino people, majority of which are below poverty line and yet the Philippnes is ranked as one of the top contributors that add to the coffers of the Vatican.

An ironic reality considering that we are listed alongside a number of southern american countries that are considered poor but rank as top contributors to Peter's Pence (the volunteer contributions from catholics all over the world to the Vatican).

not content with using the pulpit to read numerous ecclesiastical, ecumenical, prophetic, subversive (add your superlative here) announcements that portray the RH Bill as a document straight from hell with matching burn-in-hell consequences, we have to contend with self righteous proclamations from rabid anti RH Bill groups and personalities that seem to delight in attacking (often at very personal levels) anything and anyone that supports the RH Bill. Fr. Bernas must be ruing the day he made his speech to the Makati Medical Society that was perceived to be "somewhat" pro RH Bill.

Fr. Bernas, a Jesuit priest and a lawyer, was called names by people who made random comments about his personality and stand. ironically, i am not sure if it was because of his nature as a lawyer and as a priest, the written article seemed like a roundabout discussion that doesn't explicitly make a concrete point although one line silently hid in a corner:

"I believe, however, that there is something more eerily fundamental here. I see in this ordinance an attempt by a sector of the Catholic church to instrumentalize the power of the state to impose their personal belief on all others. This is something which gives the Catholic religion a bad name."

the phrase obliquely refers to the recent brouhaha over the Ayala Alabang ordinance where it requires a medical prescription to buy contraceptives (e.g. condoms) in any pharmacy operating within the locality.

what is interesting to note is that it seems like he was putting the blame on certain private sectors of the Catholic church that gives the Catholic religion a bad name. while this is true, we shouldn't forget the ones operating within the church itself that has been working on destroying the church's image from within.

contraception has been in existence for some time already and the sudden ruckus raised by the church against the sale and distribution of the items bears a second look. they could have blocked it decades back. why the sudden agitation? unfortunately, some sectors of the church refuse to acknowledge the problem until such time that it actually hits them straight in the face. it simply doesn't exist if it is not written on paper.

the church sees the passing of the RH Bill as establishing the legal framework to implement programs and legitimize funding that help and educate filipinos about reproductive health. now that the state wants to "legitimize" the use of contraception as part of an overall strategy to manage the population, the church wants to take arms against the state.

never mind that pharmaceutical companies have been selling these contraceptions for ages. we should probably challenge the church to include drug and pharmaceutical companies in their campaign against the RH Bill.

five mouths to feed, the church is quick to point out that it is the responsibility of the state to provide for its citizens. celdran should have included "Pontio Pilato" as part of his placard aside from "Damaso"

at the end of the day, i see a lady walking up to a foreigner and asking for money to feed her children. four kids, the oldest barely seven and the youngest less than a year old. i ask myself what is the church's stand regarding this? fighting for the yet unborn child when they could do more to help those that are currently in this world.