BALER, Aurora—Gov. Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, one of the original supporters of the reproductive health (RH) bill when she served as Aurora representative, said advocates, instead of arguing with Church leaders, should lobby for ordinances in local governments to promote RH rights and family planning.
“I never took a confrontational stance against the Church. But we want to tell the Church that the bill is not about abortion because abortion is a crime,” she said.
The Church and prolife groups have opposed the passage of House Bill No. 96 (the proposed Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2010) filed by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, saying it promotes the use of contraceptives that are considered to induce abortion.
Castillo, who co-authored HB 8110 (The Integrated Population and Development Act of 1999) and authored HB 4110 (proposed Reproductive Health Care Act of 2002), said “localizing” the RH bill was a good strategy to ensure that the measure’s objectives would reach the grassroots.
Not about religion
“We should not deepen the conflict with the Catholic Church because its leaders would not change their position on the bill.
“But the RH bill is not about religion; the bills pending in Congress are not going against the [teachings] of the Church. The bills are actually prolife legislation,” Castillo said.
She said HB 4110 sought to promote the giving of accurate information on reproductive health to couples and individuals and to provide access to safe, affordable and quality reproductive health care services.
She said the bill also sought to provide services for the prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications and the elimination of violence against women, among others.
Castillo said if local governments passed their own versions of these RH measures, foreign funding agencies, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), could come in and help implement the projects.
In July 2005, a year after she ended her three terms in Congress as representative of Aurora, Castillo led provincial officials in crafting and passing a provincial ordinance on reproductive health, family planning and responsible parenthood.
Political will
Among the ordinance’s features are the holding of information drives on reproductive health, training of barangay health workers and distribution of contraceptives in the province.
The information campaign included lectures on responsible parenthood, birth spacing and nutrition programs in relation to sustaining a healthy family.
Castillo said lawmakers who supported the RH bill should not waver and must have a strong political will to fight for its passage.
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