The Church, the Philippines, contraception

- photo credit: AFP

Philippines Goes Against Church and Upholds Family Planning Law

This is a good thing for women in particular and the Philippines in general. The Church has blocked women's access to birth control in the Philippines for over a decade, and organized protests against the Supreme Court's approval of the Reproductive Health Bill, deeming it "evil" and threatening to excommunicate the President for signing the bill.

A Jesuit, Joaquin Bernas SJ, wrote that the separation of church and state means only that the state cannot institute a state church, not that the church shouldn't be able to influence the laws of a state ... John Courtney Murray SJ would spin in his grave.

The Church's opposition to birth control in the Philippines has played out against the backdrop of terrible poverty, one of the fastest growing populations in Asia (100 million people), and an unintended pregnancy rate of 50%. And unfortunately, though the Court has approved the HR Bill, the Church was able to restrict some of its provisions ... the court declared unconstitutional the inclusion of abortifacients as contraceptives, a requirement that church-run health facilities provide contraception, and a ban on health-care providers who refuse to offer contraception. (The Tablet).

Mind-boggling that the Church chooses to make such a stand on such a questionable and contested teaching.

Read more about all this ... Women of Philippine slum welcome birth control victory