Sotto: RH bill a masked population control measure

MANILA, Philippines – The Reproductive Health bill is in reality a population control measure.

This is what Senate Majority Floor Leader Sen Vicente “Tito” Sotto asserted in the 3rd part of his “turno en contra” speech before the Senate on Wednesday, September 5. “Ang terminong RH ay obra maestra sa panlilinlang, mautak at masisteng pagkukubli sa pangunahing layunin ng batas,” Sotto said.

(The Reproductive Health bill is a masterpiece of deception, a shrewd and systematic way of masking its genuine objective: to drastically reduce the family size and eventually the country’s population.) 

Advocates of the bill say it is about the reproductive health of women and that it is the bill’s objective to save the lives of women and the unborn.

But birth control, he said, is the instrument being used by advocates of the RH bill to decrease the population.

He refuted claims that the Philippines is overpopulated. Assuming it were, is the RH bill the best solution, he asked.

Poverty and population control

Poverty is being attributed to overpopulation but the solution to poverty is not population control. Rather, he said, the solution to poverty is “trabaho, edukasyon, pabahay, kalusugan (jobs, education, housing and health),” and not contraceptives.

Economists are unanimous in saying that poverty is caused by the unequal distribution of wealth and prosperity.

Citing a study by Rosa Linda Valenzona entitled, “A Paradigm for Demography,” Sotto said the country’s fertility rate has actually dropped from 7% in 1960 to about 3.19% in 2011. Population growth has also dropped from 2.07% in 1948 to 1.9% in 2010. In 2006, the Philippines also recorded a 51% prevalence rate in the use of contraceptives.

The figures have dropped without any intervention by the state, he pointed out.

The National Capital Region has become overpopulated and squatter areas with large families in Metro Manila are a product of “3 decades of erroneous policies of rural development,” Sotto said, quoting economist Dr Bernie Villegas.

It is development, especially of the rural area, that is the “best contraceptive,” he added.

Developed countries

Germany, Japan and Singapore are developed countries with smaller populations because of population control. Yet they are experiencing the negative effects of the wrong policies of controlling population. 

These countries have ageing populations and are unable to sustain their labor force to maintain economic growth and security interests.

In Japan, population is expected to drop to 35 million by 2050. In the United States, the birth rate will drop to 2.1% because of the legalization of abortion in 1973.

It is wrong to discriminate against the poor, Sotto said, and it is also wrong to think that poverty and hunger are caused by overpopulation.

What is needed, Sotto asserted, is to provide jobs, livelihood, information and education to allow the poor to get a taste of prosperity. – Rappler.com

 

 

For more updates on the issue of the RH Bill, view our #RHBill Debate Microsite. 

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