Church swings into action on birth control

A CATHOLIC bishop warned on Sept. 29 of a civil disobedience campaign if the reproductive health (RH) bill is passed into law.

“We will advise Catholics not to follow the RH bill if it is passed into law,” Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. of Kalookan diocese said in a radio interview.

He said the Church will continue to teach against using artificial contraception, especially after President Benigno Aquino told Filipinos in the United States that his administration will support couples who choose to use artificial family planning methods.

“The government and Church must work together on population control. But the Church considers opposition to artificial contraception as non-negotiable,” Bishop Iñiguez said.

Lay organizations met on Wednesday to plan actions to protest against the president’s statement.

“We were taken by surprise. This is the first time the president made a statement supportive of this method of population control,” said Eric Manalang, president of Pro-Life Philippines.

He said 15 lay organizations will hold a series of meetings and consultations to address the issue. The coalition will send a letter to Aquino asking him to disclose details of the $434 million grant he received from the US-run Millennium Challenge Corp. and to issue a statement clarifying his stand on the matter.

Report from ucanews.com