Church stance on RH draws many questions

Can’t stand it any longer! Have to ask certain questions myself. Why is the Church now against President Benigno Aquino III whom we found with a spotless morality and the only President willing to fight corruption all the way? With the Reproductive Health bill, why has he suddenly become the enemy? (The Church even appropriates Gloria as their ally!)

To this end they have even subverted Aquino’s “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” to mean “Kung walang anak, walang mahirap” when it should be “Kung ’di masyadong maraming anak, walang mahirap”? Why do they mislead the people into believing that the RH bill bans childbearing, that it considers “babies a nuisance”?

They wish to be part of the political arena, calling for a show of force and telling people not to vote for those who support the RH bill. It is the State’s duty to legislate for the good of all its citizens, the various churches to teach what they want their flock to obey or not. The State just gives everyone the freedom to choose what family planning method to use, or not to use any at all. The rest is the job of the individual pastors.

But it is the hypocrisy that rankles most of all! The Church worries that the RH bill will lead to marital infidelity and rampant sexual activity among the youth. Hello, their priests have transgressed sexual mores time and again. But they ignore that and proudly say, “We always take care of the offspring of our clergy.” (Gee whiz!)

They would rather not deal with the abuses of gay priests and pedophiles within their own ranks. They deny that countless victims are still uncompensated. They slap down the rights of their own religious protesters—the articulate nuns with more progressive views trying to dialogue with the Church.

They profess to be on the side of the downtrodden, but they are against a bill that would provide education and access to health services to the poor.

So may I know, where is the Church now?

—GILDA CORDERO-FERNANDO