The Controversial RH Bill

The Reproductive Health Bill or RH bill is a divisive issue in our country today. Several feminists and pro-abortion women groups rallied in favor of it. The Catholic and other conservative churches has expressed opposition over it together with Pro-life supporters. Things are really going badly for the proponents of the Reproductive Health (now RP or Responsible Parenthood) Bill  in the Congress. First, President Noynoy did not include it among his list of priority bills. Then, for two days, the congress was not able to convene because the air-conditioning malfunction. Now they were able to have it read on the second reading and Rep. Edcel Lagman was able to make his sponsorship speech but Congresswoman Garing attempted to get Congressman Raul Daza off the floor on the ground that he did not wear the proper attire!It was really a sign of how frantic the proponents of the bill are getting.
For me, the reproductive health bill has indeed many good points. But included in the bill is poison—the provision to include contraceptives, and other modern artificial birth control devices (like the IUD, Ligation, Vasectomy, implants and injectables) to be among essentials to be distributed in government hospitals and health clinics. No question regarding promoting reproductive health of women(& men?), but the bill has many flaws that may lead to the legalization of abortion.
And I quote Rina-Jimenez David of Philippine Daily Inquirer, a supporter of RH bill in her Jan. 4 column, “Saving mothers and babies,” when she said: “...the provision of safe abortion services and the timely and correct response to abortion complications are a legitimate part of reproductive health.”

Let's Take a look at some of the groups who are pushing this RH Bill:
UNFPA-United Nations Fund for Population: "We, UNFPA, are mandated to consider abortion within the context of public health, but never as a right, as some NGOs do...Where it is legal, it should be done under good medical conditions. Some women’s groups approach the issue differently, viewing abortion in the context of a woman’s right to choose. So, though we have many common interests, we deal with them differently"
EnGendeRights was founded to advocate for women's free exercise of their sexuality and their right to reproductive self-determination free of discrimination, coercion and violence including women's access to the full range of contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, and to safe and legal abortion, and equality of lesbians and women bisexuals and transgenders and their freedom from discrimination.  It was founded in December 2003 by its Executive Director Ms. Clara Rita A. Padilla. We received our first funding in August 2004
Center for Reproductive Rights-Melissa Upreti, legal adviser to the New York-based Centre for Reproductive Rights, said the Philippines should amend the penal code to legalize abortion when pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.