Immoral is used to describe a behavior not in conformity with accepted standards or principles; wicked; and lewd.

This is how the Catholic Church see the controversial "Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill" or RH Bill that is still being debated at the Lower House of Representatives. House Bill 5043 or the Reproductive Health Bill and Population Development Act of 2008 (RH Bill) seeks government funding for population management programs that would provide reproductive health education and give access to both natural and artificial family planning methods to all Filipinos. Albay 1st District Rep. Edcel Ladman, primary author of the bill, earlier said the main focus of the RH bill is "the exercise of freedom of informed choice by women and couples on what method of family planning they want to adopt". In short, its main goal to reduce the population by reducing pregnancies. Much has been argued about by the multi-faceted issue of reproductive health -- mostly religious and political in nature. Nonetheless, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has taken a firm stand on the reproductive health bill because its provisions are anti-family and anti-life. Monsignor Paul Cuizon, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Davao and parish priest of Sta. Ana Church, said the anti-RH Bill stand is not just of the CBCP's but of the universal Catholic Church. "It has been the constant teaching of the Church. It is contained in the Encyclical letter of the late Pope Paul VI called Humanae Vitae. It's not just about the union of the husband and wife. The union sould always be open to life," Monsignor Cuizon said referring to Humanae Vitae (meaning "of human life") which describes a morally licit sexual act as one that involves both procreative and uniting elements. "Artificial contraception eliminates the possibility of a pro-creative element," Mosignor Cuizon. "Kung hindi kasi open to life, the sexual intercourse would just be like for the human satisfaction and pleasure. When you engage in the sexual act, that means you are ready to take the responsibility. The natural law is pro creation." Most feminist groups argue that reproductive choice is essential to authentic women's liberation and that this choice includes safe, available, affordable contraception. Cuizon, however, said the use of contraception is already cutting off the union and the pro-creation.With the Reproductive Health bill awaiting congressional action, perhaps it will be worth our while to examine the Catholic Churchs view on the matter. The Church always looks at things from a long perspectivein fact, from the viewpoint of eternity. So with the RH bill. Undoubtedly, this bill will bring immediately and for the short term a measure of economic progress, as birth rates will go down and there will be less mouths to feedas the UP School of Economics so learnedly proposes. It will also lessen sexually transmitted diseases and make life easier for many, especially the poor. But these are short-term benefits from the Churchs viewpoint. The Church is not willing to sacrifice morality and its bedrock teachings for short-term economic progress or for ease of living. Its rich history adequately shows this. Pro-RH bill advocates may say that it is also immoral to allow so much suffering and disease because people do not have adequate access to artificial birth control. The Church would counter and say that this approach is barking up the wrong tree. It treats the symptoms rather than the real cause. And the real cause, it says, is the breakdown of morality, wherein people would persist on their so-called immoral practice of using certain forms of birth control, rather than obey the laws of God on the matter, as put forth by the Church which acts as a kind of a Supreme Court in interpreting Gods will for Catholics, at the very least. In the long term, it may not be so bad an idea to have a young and growing population. The vibrant countries of the world are those with young populations. World population growth, including that of the Philippines, is slowing down; and Europe, the United States and all developed countries are showing negative population growth. In fact, serious demographers have predicted (National Geographic January 2011) that the worlds population will top 9 billion, and decline after that. And they say the worlds resources, if harnessed properly, can easily support 9 billion human beings. Hence, they say that the issue at hand is not limiting population, but how to harness and utilize the worlds resources properly so that it can more than support the worlds population. And therein lies the real problem: social justice, preserving and enhancing the integrity of creation, developing and implementing technologies that will deliver food and basic services efficiently and effectively, and curbing graft and corruption, among others, rather than limiting population, because that is self-limiting in the first place. In the Philippines, anti-RH advocates are saying that the whopping P3-billion budget for the RH bill should be better spent in addressing these problems, rather than curbing population growth, which is a non-problem after all in this perspective. I can see the logic of the pro-RH advocates; but I can also admire the long-term view of the Church from the perspective of eternity, as it were. For indeed it was founded on Rock, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it..This bill allows Filipinos access to contraceptives and an opportunity to be enlightened on the topic of family planning. The bill was first introduced in 1998 but somewhat died in the years after. Not until the year 2011 that the Congress decided to once again open its door for discussion on the RH bill. Before talking more about the bill, let us first be introduced to the person who spearheaded it all, Representative Edcel C. Lagman. Having served the people and the government for a really long time, Lagman has a lot of recognitions in his name. But perhaps in the past year, he is more popular as the main author of The Reproductive Health Bill. There are currently two goals with this same purpose, but the one Lagman penned is House Bill No. 4244, also known as An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and For Other Purposes. The Reproductive Health bill, popularly known as the RH bill, is a Philippine bill aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. The bill has become the center of a contentious national debate. There are presently two bills with the same goals: House Bill No. 4244 or An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health, and Population and Development, and For Other Purposes introduced by Albay 1st district Representative Edcel Lagman, and Senate Bill No. 2378 or theReproductive Health Act introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the Filipino taxpayer and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as birth control pills (BCPs) and IUDs, as the government continues to disseminate information on their use through all health care centers. Private companies and the public and private elementary and secondary school system will be required to participate in this information and product dissemination as a way of controlling the population of the Philippines. The bill is highly controversial, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures both supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process. The issue is so divisive that at one point, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines threatened to excommunicate the President, Benigno Aquino III if he supported the bill. The first time the Reproductive Health Bill was proposed was in 1998. During the present 15th Congress, the RH Bills filed are those authored by (1) House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman of Albay, HB 96; (2) Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, HB 101, (3) Akbayan Representatives Kaka Bagao & Walden Bello; HB 513, (4) Muntinlupa Representative Rodolfo Biazon, HB 1160, (5) Iloilo Representative Augusto Syjuco, HB 1520, (6) Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan. In the Senate, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago has filed her own version of the RH bill which, she says, will be part of the countrys commitment to international covenants. On January 31, 2011, the House of Representatives Committee on Population and Family Relations voted to consolidate all House versions of the bill, which is entitled An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Policy on Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population Development and for Other Purposes. Stated purpose: One of the main concerns of the bill, according to the Explanatory Note, is that population of the Philippines makes it the 12th most populous nation in the world today, that the Filipino womens fertility rate is at the upper bracket of 206 countries. It states that studies and surveys show that the Filipinos are responsive to having smaller-sized families through free choice of family planning methods. It also refers to studies which show that rapid population growth exacerbates poverty while poverty spawns rapid population growth. And so it aims for improved quality of life through a consistent and coherent national population policy. History. According to the Senate Policy Brief titled Promoting Reproductive Health, the history of reproductive health in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when leaders of 12 countries including the Philippines' Ferdinand Marcos signed the Declaration on Population. The Philippines agreed that the population problem be considered as the principal element for long-term economic development. Thus, the Population Commission (Popcom) was created to push for a lower family size norm and provide information and services to lower fertility rates. Starting 1967, the USAID started

shouldering 80% of the total family planning commodities (contraceptives) of the country, which amounted to US$ 3 Million annually. US National Security Memorandum: paramount importance of world population control through programs of UN and USAID. In 1975, the United States adopted as its policy the National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (NSSM200). The policy gives "paramount importance" to population control measures and the promotion of contraception among 13 populous countries, including the Philippines to control rapid population growth which they deem to be inimical to the socio-political and economic growth of these countries and to the national interests of the United States, since the "U.S. economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad", and these countries can produce destabilizing opposition forces against the United States. It recommends the US leadership to "influence national leaders" and that "improved world-wide support for population-related efforts should be sought through increased emphasis on mass media and other population education and motivation programs by the U.N., USIA, and USAID."Different presidents had different points of emphasis. President Marcos pushed for a systematic distribution of contraceptives all over the country, a policy that was called "coercive," by its leading administrator. The Cory Aquino administration focused on giving couples the right to have the number of children they prefer, while the Ramos presidency shifted from population control to population management. Estrada used mixed methods of reducing fertility rates, while Arroyo focused on mainstreaming natural family planning, while stating that contraceptives are openly sold in the country. In 1989, the Philippine Legislators Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) was established, "dedicated to the formulation of viable public policies requiring legislation on population management and socio-economic development. "In 2000, the Philippines signed the Millennium Declaration and committed to attain the MDG goals by 2015, including promoting gender equality and health. In 2003, USAID started its phase out of a 33 year old program by which free contraceptives where given to the country. Aid recipients such as the Philippines faced the challenge to fund its own contraception program. In 2004, the Department of Health introduced the Philippines Contraceptive Self-Reliance Strategy, arranging for the replacement of these donations with domestically provided contraceptives. In August 2010, the government announced a collaborative work with the USAID in implementing a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy in favor of family planning called "May Plano Ako" (I Have a Plan). Key definitions. House Bills 101 and 513, and Senate Bill 2378 define the term "reproductive health care" as follows: Reproductive Health Care - refers to the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. This implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so, provided that these are not against the law. This further implies that women and men attain equal relationships in matters related to sexual relations and reproduction. House Bill 96 replaces "have a satisfying and safe sex life" with "enjoy responsible and safe sex" but is otherwise identical in its definition. House Bill 1160 omits "a satisfying and" but is otherwise identical. House Bill 3387 omits the word "complete" before physical, and replaces "attain" with "are afforded," but is otherwise identical. Reproductive Rights are defined by House Bills 101, 513, 1160, 3387, and Senate Bill 2378 as follows: the rights of individuals and couples, to decide freely and responsibly whether or not to have children; the number, spacing and timing of their children; to make other decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence; to have the information and means to do so; and to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. House Bill 96 replaces "other decisions" with "allied decisions," but is otherwise identical. The opposition says that by supporting such definitions, the country will guarantee this same right of having "a satisfying and safe sex life" and the freedom of decision to unmarried children and teenagers, since they are "people" and "individuals." They argue that this will lead to promiscuity among the young. They say that the terminology is part of deceptive "verbal engineering" since RH is not in favor of reproduction, and contraceptives are not healthy, but RH is presented as something good. Intro Pover..&over.. are two of the biggest national concern the Philippines have right now. Allows Filipinos access to contra.. and an opportunity to be enlightened on the Topic fam.. plan. First introduced in 1998 but somewhat died in the years after Not until year 2011 that the Congress decided to once again open its door for discussion on the RH bill. Humans are naturally born governed with laws and thats what we call the natural law. But sometimes, there are laws or proponents that have gained different viewpoints among us as to its necessity, value, and morality. One of these is the Reproductive Health Bill. state of physical, mental, and social well being, in all matters relating to the reproductive system at all stages of life Popularly known as the RH..,are Phil. aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. Become the center.. Presently The bill is supporting and opposing it, often criticizing the government and each other in the process for and the bill those.. by the . have been After reading and re-reading the RH Bill, I started searching through Scriptures on what God has to say about the RH Bill. First and foremost, there are no words like contraceptives, family planning or birth control mentioned in the Bible but there are biblical principles we can glean on to help us reach a decision/ conviction regarding the issue: So before I dive in to the RH Bill here are some biblical worldview that every Christian must understand: 1. GOD IS THE CREATOR AND AUTHOR OF HUMAN LIFE. Psa. 139:13-16; For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mothers womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 2. GOD MADE HUMANITY IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS WHICH MEANS LIFE IS UNIQUE AND SACRED. Gen. 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 3. GOD INTENDS FOR HUMANS TO FILL THE EARTH. Gen. 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. 4. GOD AUTHORED THAT LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION AND DECLARES THAT AN UNBORN BABY IS A SACRED LIFE. Ex. 1:16-17 and he said, When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. 5. GOD DECLARES THAT WHEN HUMAN LIFE IS TAKEN WITHOUT JUST CAUSE THE SIN OF MURDER HAS BEEN COMMITTED. Gen. 9:5 Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every mans brother I will require the life of man. 6. GOD MADE HUMANITY TO STEWARD CREATION BY EXERCISING WISE DISCERNMENT BASED UPON NATURAL REVELATION, CONSCIENCE, THE HOLY SPIRIT, COUNSEL AND MOST AUTHORITAVELY THE SCRIPTURE. 1Pet. 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 7. GOD MADE HUMANITY MALE AND FEMALE; Gen. 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the

image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 8. GOD CREATED MARRIAGE AS A COVENANT FOR ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN. Gen. 2:24-25 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. 9. GOD CREATED SEX AS A GIFT ONLY FOR A MARRIED COUPLE - creation and recreation. 10. CHILDREN ARE A BLESSING FROM GOD TO BE PROVIDED FOR AND CARED FOR BY PARENTS, EXTENDED FAMILY AND THE CHURCH. Matt. 18:5-6 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Here are some of the highlights that the Catholic church is against when it comes to the RH bill. SEC. 4. Reproductive Health Care Agenda Framework. The Integrated Reproductive Health Care Agenda shall create an enabling environment wherein an integrated reproductive health care policy and program become positive instruments for the realization of; a. The sexual and reproductive health and rights of all individuals and couples including: 1) the reproductive health and rights of all individuals and couples to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children; 2) the right to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence; 3) the universal access to a full range of safe, high quality, accessible, and affordable sexual and reproductive health services and products to all individuals and couples; 4) the universal access to sexual and reproductive health information and education; b. The attainment of gender equality, equity and womens empowerment in society; and c. The promotion of the welfare and rights of the child. 4) Contraception; a. The elimination of restrictions on contraception including excessive regulation, requirements for third-party authorizations, and prohibitions on the dissemination of information regarding contraceptives; b. Access to the full range of contraceptive methods, as well as accurate information on the relative benefits and risks of each method; c. The regulation of quality of contraceptive methods and implement appropriate safeguards for efficacy, safety, and full, informed consent by the users; 5) Adolescents; a. The removal of all legal and regulatory barriers to reproductive health care for adolescents and create comprehensive, age-specific health programs for them as part of the countrys overall health policy. The services should include information and services addressing reproductive health, STIs, gender roles, sexuality and responsible use of contraceptives; b. Also, there must be: i) the universal access to contraception and maternal health care, status; ii) services geared specifically towards the special reproductive health needs of adolescents; iii) sex education and life-skills programs for all levels of education primary, secondary and tertiary. The policies must reflect the special needs of marginalized adolescents, such as street children and out-of-school youth; iv) education campaigns for STI and HIV/AIDS-prevention specifically aimed at adolescents; v) programs to sensitize the community, including health care providers and law enforcement officials, regarding the need to protect the girl child and adolescents against all forms of sexual violence, including rape, incest, prostitution and trafficking; and; c. The provision of special attention to reducing the incidence of teen-age pregnancy and other adolescent reproductive health problems; SEC. 5. Education and Information; a. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Education in Schools. The Department of Education (DEPED), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA), using information provided by the Department of Health, hall require the integration instruction on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the curriculum in public and private schools at intermediate grades, secondary and tertiary levels, including non-formal and indigenous learning systems. So in light of this biblical worldview and the RH Bill, here are some of my comments regarding the RH bill. 1. Majority of the RH bill is beneficial for everyone. The RH Bill is not 100% wrong. 2. Some of the things written in the RH bill is too vague thus the ordinary citizen needs to know and the author of the bill needs to make it clearer. Making the definition of terms clearer eliminates the fear the church and also the continuous need for the government to explain their stand. example: gender roles ( what roles are we talking about can this be an excuse to legalize same sex marriage), the curriculum of the sex education being taught, sexuality to name a few; 3. Use of government money to distribute condoms. Because the bill is not clear how they will educate the citizens the church is taking a safe and aggressive stand. The last thing I want is for the government to use the peoples money to give away free contraceptives. We can use the funds to alleviate property instead of giving away condoms to students. 4. Educating without a biblical world view is dangerous. We dont need to go the route of countries giving away contraceptives to single men and women. Philippines is a Christian nation built on Christian principles. When we move away from a biblical worldview we might see a deterioration of the moral values we once embraced as a nation. Passing the RH Bill also means businesses are required to do sex education to their employees or it is punishable by law. What is the curriculum for this? Can a governing body from the religious sect review this first before it is approved. 5. Opening the pandora box. With RH bill approved, pharmaceutical companies can do an all out campaign for people to use contraceptives. It will be in noontime shows, billboard ads and primetime TV where kids are exposed every day.You kind of wonder what is the motivation behind the lobbying of the RH Bill. 6. The role of the church and family. Sex education is best taught at home and church. God has a lot to say when it comes to this subject. The church should preach on what it stands for not what it is against. I still believe that the church has not lost its voice but we definitely need to rethink how we communicate the message to the world. Am I into Reproductive Health Bill or Pro Life? With the help of prior reading to researches and internet posts I ended up conceding the Reproductive Health Bill. Many people are really against this bill being passed in the senate, as how I see the current situation, the society rebuke this law due to lack of information as how this proposal will affect their living and their way of life. As stated on posts written by people who are literate to this matter, most of them agree as to the progress of this proposal, this will not only help the nation control the vigorous inflation of the population but also provide them knowledge that will evidently be useful for their way of living.As how I deliberate this issue, I was really drawn into supporting it, certain factors that really acclaim are the following: Link between population growth and economic development-- subject of intense research 1960s - 1980s. Common view - rapid population growth 2% or higher per year then prevailing in many developing countries more likely to hinder than foster economic development. Negative effect operates via reduced child care and human capital investment, lower household savings for private and public investments, and constraints on allocative efficiency, entrepreneurship and innovation. Rapid population growth results -available capital, thinly spread among many workers, as well as in fiscal and environmental externalities. The House Bill No. 5043, more commonly known: Reproductive Health Bill of 2008, substitution to House Bill Nos. 17 (Adolescent Reproductive Health), 812 (Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development), 2753 (Women's Right to Know Act) and 3970 (Bill Enhancing the Philippines Labor Dispute Settlement System), introduced during the 1st regular session of the 14th Congress: Honorable(s) Edcel C. Lagman, Janette L. Garin, Narciso D. Santiago III, Mark Llandro Mendoza, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel and Elandro Jesus F. Madrona. Country: 88.7 million people from 60.7 million people - 1991. Rate makes the Philippines the 12th most populous nation in the globe. Fertility rate of Filipino women: estimated to be at 3.05% at the upper bracket of 206 countries. Estimated 4 babies born every minute. If this rate continues, the population of the Philippines will balloon to 130.2 million in the next 20 years. Seek to limit the population, it also provides for population development that aims to help couples or parents achieve their fertility rate, improve reproductive health, reduce incidence of teenage pregnancy. Introduction: Humans are naturally born governed with laws and thats what we call the natural law. And as we, humans grow to become more intellectual, we generated our own laws and rules to govern our lives for better quality and discipline. But sometimes, there are laws or proponents that have gained different viewpoints among us as to its necessity, value, and morality. One of these is the Reproductive Health Bill. Almost over a decade has passed since the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines was for the first time proposed, now that the pursuance of the bill has gained its rebirth, still it has become a part of the national debate bringing about a wider division. The Reproductive Health Bill, popularly known as the RH Bill, is a Philippine bill aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its key proposal that the Filipino taxpayer and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices furthermore, 81% Filipinos are Catholics, the Catholic Church exerts a strong influence in public life. Its staunch of opposition to the bill has drawn

the ire of non-Catholics and Catholics alike who support the bill, and they invoke the principle of separation of church and state to stop the church. Passage or non-passage of the bill has negative implications depending on the views. The bill mandates the government to promote, without bias, all effective natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal. Although abortion is recognized as illegal and punishable by law, the bill states that the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner. Ojectives The bill calls for a multi-dimensional approach integrates a component of family planning and responsible parenthood into all government anti-poverty programs. Under the bill, age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education is required from grade five to fourth year high school using life-skills and other approaches. The bill also mandates the Department of Labor and Employment to guarantee the reproductive health rights of its female employees. Companies with less than 200 workers are required to enter into partnership with health care providers in their area for the delivery of reproductive health services.Employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities. Those with less than 200 workers shall enter into partnerships with health professionals for the delivery of reproductive health services. Employers shall inform employees of the availability of family planning services. They are also obliged to monitor pregnant working employees among their workforce and ensure they are provided paid half-day prenatal medical leaves for each month of the pregnancy period that they are employed. The national government and local governments will ensure the availability of reproductive health care services, including family planning and prenatal care. Any person or public official who prohibits or restricts the delivery of legal and medically safe reproductive health care services will be meted penalty by imprisonment or a fine. The Reproductive Health Bill, popularly known as the RH Bill, is a Philippine bill promoting information on and access to both natural and modern family planning methods. The first time the Reproductive Health Bill was proposed was in 1998. During the present 15th Congress, the RH Bills filed are those authored by six members of the House of Representatives, and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago of the Senate. On January 31, 2011, these bills were consolidated into a single RH Bill which was then unanimously approved for plenary debate by the House Committee on Population and Family Relations. One of the main concerns of the bill is that the population of the Philippines makes it the 12th most populous nation in the world today, that the Filipino womens fertility rate is at the upper bracket of 206 countries. It states that studies and surveys show that the Filipinos are responsive to having smaller-sized families through free choice of family planning methods. It also refers to studies which show that rapid population growth exacerbates poverty while poverty spawns rapid population growth. And so it aims for improved quality of life through a consistent and coherent national population policy. RH bill constitutes the information and access to natural and modern family planning, maternal, infant and child health and nutrition, promotion of breast feeding, prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications , adolescent and youth health, prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, such as HIV/AIDS and STDs, elimination of violence against women, counselling on sexuality and sexual and reproductive health, treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers , male involvement and participation in RH, prevention and treatment of infertility and , RH education for the youth. And basically, it introduces the use of contraceptives. The term "contraceptive" denotes anything that is intended to... Related Literature -Rh Bill; The link between population growth and economic development was the subject of intense research from the 1960s to the 1980s. A common view was that rapid population growth of two percent or higher per year then prevailing in many developing countries was more likely to hinder than foster economic development. This negative effect operates via reduced child care and human capital investment, lower household savings for private and public investments, and constraints on allocative efficiency, entrepreneurship and innovation. Rapid population growth results in available capital being thinly spread among many workers, as well as in fiscal and environmental externalities (Pernia, et al. 2004). The House Bill No. 5043, more commonly known as the Reproductive Health Bill of 2008, which is in substitution to House Bill Nos. 17 (Adolescent Reproductive Health), 812 (Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development), 2753 (Women's Right to Know Act) and 3970 (Bill Enhancing the Philippines Labor Dispute Settlement System) was introduced during the first regular session of the 14th Congress by Honorable(s) Edcel C. Lagman, Janette L. Garin, Narciso D. Santiago III, Mark Llandro Mendoza, Ana Theresia Hontiveros-Baraquel and Elandro Jesus F. Madrona. Currently the country has 88.7 million people from 60.7 million people in year 1991. This rate makes the Philippines the 12th most populous nation in the globe. The fertility rate of Filipino women is estimated to be at 3.05% which is at the upper bracket of 206 countries. It is estimated that four babies are born every minute. If this rate continues, the population of the Philippines will balloon to 130.2 million in the next 20 years. The bill does not only seek to limit the population, it also provides for population development that aims to help couples or parents achieve their fertility rate, improve reproductive health, reduce incidence of teenage pregnancy, contribute to... Many solutions have been made to alleviate these problems but none of them seem to work. The bill, like any other thing in the world, is surrounded by controversies. It is actually a really good bill but a lot of people are opposing it. The number one group who opposes it is the Catholic Church. Though not entirely stated in the bill, the Church implies that the bill entails abortion, something that is greatly against the teaching and morals of the Church. I am a devout Catholic but I think the Church herself needs to be enlightened on what the RH Bill is really about. I am pro RH Bill and I want it to become a law. This is just an introduction to what RH Bill is about and my stand on the issue. Stay tuned for more. Although abortion is recognized as illegal and punishable by law, Employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities. Those with less than 200 workers shall enter into partnerships with health professionals for the delivery of reproductive health services. Employers shall inform employees of the availability of family planning services. They are also obliged to monitor pregnant working employees among their workforce and ensure they are provided paid half-day prenatal medical leaves for each month of the pregnancy period that they are employed. The national government and local governments will ensure the availability of reproductive health care services, including family planning and prenatal care. Any person or public official who prohibits or restricts the delivery of legal and medically safe reproductive health care services will be meted penalty by imprisonment or a fine. to circulate information on how to properly use them. Companies and schools are also encouraged to do the same with their employees and students.