It is disturbing when political and spiritual "leaders" say one thing and do another. In an article that was published yesterday, "When does life begin? RH debate rages", Rep. Roilo Golez, who is anti-RH bill, asked and attempted to answer (in vain) this age-old question. When you scroll down the article, you'll see Bishop Bacani stating that despite of the debate, the Catholic Church is "for responsible parenthood and family planning." If they really are, why is this debate still going on? How can "responsible parenthood and family planning" practices become standard if they keep getting in the way of education and the mobilization of adequate resources that can make these a reality?
In the Bible, Jeremiah 1:5 states that God knew us even before we were formed in the womb. That seems to translate to life and an individuality that is already pre-formed and pre-existing even before fertilization. But, there are medical situations in which pregnancies are unwillingly aborted because the fetus' heart did not start beating at all. In short, it didn't even become "alive".
So, when does life begin, really? Seems no one knows the answer to that except God Himself.
However, if we're going to stay on a morally-inclined discussion here, then maybe our leaders should start focusing on what is truly clear all through the Bible when it comes to "responsible parenthood and family planning": God will hold every parent accountable for how their children turn out. In fact, all throughout the Bible are responsibilities that God expects parents to fulfill, including adequately providing for the needs of the children. It's safe to assume then that bringing another human being into this world -- whether planned or not -- and then not being able to sustain that child is a great injustice that God regards very seriously.
Does a fetus care whether or not it gets formed in the womb? Would an egg cell and a sperm cell care if they miss their date or not? We'll never know! It's ridiculous to be making moral presumptions on an event that we cannot see or control, and wasting time and taxpayer money on questions that may never be answered, when the reality is that there are thousands of children already existing in this country who are not getting their basic human rights met. Those we can definitely see every day. You don't need to look at the moral or spiritual implications of such irresponsibilities to know how grave they are. Common human decency and logic will tell you that it's awful and it's wrong.
Who's going to be held accountable? The parents, of course! And who are these parents? Most of them are uneducated, unemployed, and underfed themselves. Their own basic human rights are not being met as well. Is that the government's fault? Yes and no; "yes" because it's the government's responsibility to ensure that these basic necessities are being provided, "no" because there are indigents who just won't get off their butts and work! How I wish there are harsh punishments for wayward and irresponsible parents.
The RH Bill is essentially about education and awareness. It does not in any way tell people to not have children. What it does say is, if you're going to have kids, you must be sure that you can sustain them.
So enough of the self-righteous moral debate already. It's not helping! Focus on parental responsibility. For the sake of all the street children in Metro Manila alone, it's time you politicians and religious leaders get your act together.
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