Campaign against Aquino could grow, says Catholic activist

Several Catholic groups have formed a coalition to start a campaign against President Benigno Aquino, for his “secret” signing of a controversial health bill that called for government subsidy for a family planning programme, including free distribution of contraceptives and health education for nine to 19-year-olds in public schools, sources said. “Something big is being [...]

The ‘Santa Claus’ of RH

It’s still the season for giving thanks, for acknowledging people who, in the year about to pass and way before now, have been “giving” us gifts—not just material items, but gifts of time and understanding, gifts of courage and steadfastness, gifts of sympathy and common cause, gifts of sharing and championing our advocacies. In the [...]

No election bashing of pro-RH lawmakers at the pulpit—CBCP head

Legislators who voted for the reproductive health bill in Congress can now heave a sigh of relief, especially if they are living within the Archdiocese of Cebu. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma, the head of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, has announced he will not allow the priests and other Church officials under the [...]

Aquino offers olive branch to RH bill foes

Showing magnanimity in victory, President Aquino on Tuesday extended an olive branch to critics of the reproductive health (RH) bill, including Catholic bishops, and called for unity in the implementation of the proposed law. The Senate and the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the measure on Monday night after 13 years of fierce opposition from [...]

RH war far from over, bishops say

Lawmakers may have passed the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) Bill on its third and final reading, but the country’s Catholic bishops were today warning “the war is not yet over.” Both chambers of Congress yesterday voted to pass the bill, which when it becomes law will provide access to a range of reproductive health services, [...]

Aquino on RH bill: From half-baked to urgent

A presidential campaign and two years as chief executive later, there is no more doubt. Benigno Aquino III supports the Reproductive Health (RH) bill. While then presidential candidate Aquino refused to give a simple yes or no answer to questions on his stand on the bill, now the President is certifying it as urgent. What [...]

Church official calls for magnanimity, prayers after RH Bill passage

While saddened over the passage of the Reproductive Health bill in Congress, Catholic Church officials on Monday night called for prayers for the country and “magnanimity in accepting defeat.” In an article posted Monday night on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news site, Quiapo Church rector Msgr. Clemente Ignacio also urged the public [...]

Palace calls RH passage ‘a new chapter in inclusive growth’

Following the historic passage of the Reproductive Health Bill by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the palace on Monday released a statement thanking the legislature for ushering in “a new chapter in our agenda of inclusive growth.” “Our legislature took an historic vote today for women and families– as it successfully passed [...]

RH Bill gets last, crucial ‘yes’ vote

The Reproductive Health (RH) Bill has passed its final vote in the House of Representatives, by a majority of 133 over 79 with seven abstentions. The bill is expected go to the Senate on Wednesday, where a further yes vote will make its enshrinement into law all but inevitable. The expected passage of the controversial Reproductive [...]

Will RH approval legalize abortion?

Propaganda against the reproductive health bill has led to the argument that its passage would also mean approval of abortion. I find this absurd. It seems anti-RH advocates, having accepted the church dogma that reproductive health promotes abortion, now cry about the coming deaths of the unborn. But the bill declares abortion as illegal. Once [...]

Simbang Gabi off to festive start, anti-RH bill statement read in some churches

The traditional “Simbang Gabi” got off to a festive start Sunday as Filipinos went to churches to attend the first of nine predawn Masses leading to Christmas Day. But in some churches, the homily turned serious as priests read a pastoral letter against the Reproductive Health bill, radio dzBB’s Paulo Santos reported. In Manila, a [...]

Cardinal Tagle to lawmakers: Be open to God’s wisdom on RH bill

On the eve of the House of Representatives’ final vote on the reproductive health (RH) bill, Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Sunday appealed to lawmakers to be “open” to “God’s Word and Wisdom” before deciding on the controversial measure. “I appeal to our legislators in the House of Representatives and the Senate to welcome Jesus [...]

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