Is it a crime to control birth rate in Philippines?

Despite being very far away from us, the Philippines exported workers all over the world because of an exceptional rate of population growth, which makes it the twelfth most populated country in the world, with its 94 million inhabitants. A controversial law, the “Reproductive Health Bill” aims now at stopping this over-production of human beings, through the free distribution of contraceptives.

According to Wikileaks, in 2009 the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, had already tried to support the implementation in the Philippines of a law controlling births. Despite the strong opposition of the Bishops’ Conference and a large part of the Catholics and after a long debate in Parliament, the RH bill wants also to stop the tens of thousands illegal abortions practiced every year in the country. How can this law be interpreted? Is it eugenetics disguised as citizen empowerment or rather a judicious initiative? This is what the Philippines deals with now in a country where, unfortunately, the influence of the Catholic Church seems to be extremely strong. This is the reason why, in order not to antagonize the Catholics, the lawgiver temporized, waiting for better times.

According to a survey carried out in March by the BBC, the Philippines, which is a former Spanish colony and the only Asian nation with dominant Catholic religion (80% of population), appreciates more than other countries in the world the United States.

Despite the lack of policies on birth control, the rate of population growth is constantly decreasing, from 3% in 1960 to 1.8% in 2009. The same can be said for the fertility rate, going from 7% in 1960 to 3.1% in 2008. The fall in births in one of the most “prolific” countries of the South East Asia is due to a number of factors such as the martial law introduced by the president-dictator Marcos, the endemic corruption and a series of disastrous governments.

The current president, Benigno Aquino, coming from one of the most influencing families of the country, is ready to stand out against the Catholic Church, but he prefers temporizing allowing the dust to settle, in order not to completely lose the support of the most powerful “foreign” institution, apart from the US. The debate on such a law may lead to two different results. On the one hand, indeed, it might seriously undermine the future of a president whose popularity is already low or, on the other, delegitimize the Church. After all, this is not the first time that the Roman Church becomes an obstacle for the Philippine presidency. For instance, during the EDSA Revolution of 2001 that peacefully overthrew Philippine President Joseph Estrada, a former actor, the then bishop of Manila actively supported the raise to power of the former president Gloria Arroyo.