Pity all the children: Why is PH a ‘baby factory’ in the first place?

The Inquirer’s Jan. 27 headline, which partly read “’Baby factory’s fate hangs,” reminded me of the nagging concern and question that has been running through my mind for a long time: “Why are we, as a nation, a baby factory?” Why the preoccupation to have all these children? And it’s not unusual that those who are most in need, the poor, have the most number of children. Why?

There is a slum area that I occasionally pass, where naked toddlers run and play on the street. They are unkempt, dirty and appear malnourished, and nobody seemed to be minding them. The street has become their playground and their toilet. Pretty unsafe and quite dangerous. Where are the parents? I asked. Making more babies?

A year or so ago, I watched a TV program that featured the family of a “cargador” in a fish market. He worked from 9 p.m. to about 3 or 4 in the morning. He made P200 nightly, or, when lucky, he would take home P300. Not so great for a family of eight children, the youngest being a year-old toddler.

At one point, the program showed the children having breakfast. And what a breakfast it was. Coffee! That was it. Three children sharing a big cup of coffee, and each child taking turns trying to scoop coffee with their oversized spoon into their mouths. The youngest child was sick and had to be taken to the hospital. He had pneumonia. Medicine was prescribed and filled. The doctor advised that the mother and child stay in the hospital overnight for further care. The mother refused. She had to go home, because there was no one else to take care of the other kids. Sad, pathetic situation. So I ask, why all these children?

Some establishments and organizations are against the use of contraceptives. And where are they now that there are so many mouths to feed and there is not enough to go around? Get down from your ivory towers and see how these unfortunate beings live. Perhaps, then, you will change your minds.

One guy who shares the same sentiment as I do, upon reading the headline, said, “Send the children to the churches.” I am not antichurch as much as I am profamily, prochildren. Teach and empower the parents to be responsible adults. Allow them to take control of the number of their brood. Remember: Less is more. Fewer children, more to go around for every child.

—ARTHUR BUAN,

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