Rep. Edcel C. Lagman

Independent-Albay

18 February 2012

0916-6406737 / 0918-9120137

 

        Whether the Bishops want a sit down dialogue or a grand debate on the controversial RH bill does not matter as long as they are willing and ready to engage face to face and collectively the principal authors of the bill.

 

        It has to be clarified, however, that our initial proposal was to have non-confrontational dialogues with the “religious representatives of the Catholic hierarchy” on the core provisions and concepts of the RH bill.

 

        The agenda should center on freedom of informed choice; the whole menu of family planning methods from the natural to the modern which are legal, medically safe and truly effective; recognition that the Philippines has a population problem; direct linkage among population, human development and poverty; and  adequate funding for reproductive health and family planning services, among others.

 

        The grand public debates could be held on the unresolved principal issues after the dialogues.

 

        Since the Bishops are the leading oppositors of the RH bill, we also propose that they should be the principals in either or both the dialogues and debates.

 

        However, it would be fine with us if the Bishops want to be represented by lay proxies, although the fact that Bishops are unmarried is a non-issue.

 

        One does not have to be married in order to appreciate the import of reproductive health and its salient features, in the same manner that one does have to be a woman to espouse maternal concerns or has to die first to accept that death is inevitable.