An alien bill?

Note: the audio recording of the radio interview on which this article is based can be accessed here: Kape, Balita at Iba pa – May 04, 2012 (Friday)

From CBCP for Life: 

RH bill a foreign concept to Filipinos – US pro-lifer

MANILA, June 14, 2012—Some sectors may praise what they regard as the merits of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, but another pro-lifer from a nation that is grappling with the consequences of institutionalized contraception, comprehensive sex education and abortion has pointed out that the measure is alien to a culture that is immensely fond of children, such as that of Filipinos.

“The RH bill is not in favor of the Filipino people. It’s a concept that is foreign to the Filipino culture that is very welcoming of children, and loving of children, “said Brian Caulfield, communications specialist at the Knights of Columbus (KC) and vice postulator for the cause for canonization of KC founder Father Michael McGivney.

In an interview over online radio program Kape, Balita at Iba Pa, Caulfield explained that  the bill will have adverse effects especially on a promising developing nation such as the Philippines, pinpointing provisions that are contrary to Filipino values.

“The RH bill may not, like China, limit you but the force of law can be very persuasive in saying that you should limit your family to a number of children, and that there are sanctions if you speak out against this kind of bill. And there’s sex education that will indoctrinate children at a young age to this anti-life mindset,” he stressed.

“I think what the Knights would like to do is have an educational initiative. This is what we really do. We don’t get involved directly in politics—that’s not in our bylaws.  As Knights we are involved in education efforts and we are involved in getting the word out. We are involved in mobilizing the vote.”

Filipinos must be educated about the dangers of the RH bill, he said. Citing the example of the Knights of Columbus as an organization, Caulfield said, “We involve ourselves in things of education about issues and about citizen and civic issues where we support the democratic process. I think it is important that all Knights become educated about this [RH Bill] issue, that they talk about it within their families, that they spread the word in their parishes, that politely and with charity they may engage those who may disagree.”

“This is how democracy is pushed forward,” he continued, “and Filipinos really live in a very vibrant culture that discusses these things and hopefully comes to an understanding of the issue really that the RH bill is not in favor of the Filipino people.”

Caulfield in a Catholic News Agency article titled ‘A bill to nowhere’ in May wrote an extensive view of the bill in parallel of the controversial US Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate, which also coerces religious institutions to provide birth  control services even if contrary to their moral convictions. (CBCP for Life)

"It is amazing how the playbook of pro-abortion progressives remains the same wherever they go."

From Catholic News Agency:

A bill to nowhere 

By Brian Caulfield 

May 14, 2012

Recently I spent two weeks in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, and I am happy to report that the faith of the people is still strong in that majority Catholic country. Yet there are rumblings against the faith on the horizon. In the United States, we have the HHS mandate threatening religious liberty. In the Philippines, they are fighting the RH (Reproductive Health) Bill. 

The same strategies that have played out over the years in our country are being implemented in the Philippines, with the backing of international agencies that seek to limit population, ostensibly to enhance economic growth and social progress. The late Cardinal O’Connor of New York, the great pro-life leader, used to say that before human life and morals can be attacked there must first be an attack on language. You must get people to think in different terms before leading them to act in different ways. In the United States, the old Birth Control League became Planned Parenthood, pro-abortion became “pro-choice,” unborn babies became “fetuses” or “products of conception,” and so on. 

In the Philippines, a bill designed to limit family size, push contraceptives and abortifacients, and expose fourth graders to sexual education is cast in terms of women’s “health.” Who can be against health for women, especially young mothers? As is true with every assault against decency and morals, the Catholic Church is cast as the main enemy of “science” and “progress.” It is amazing how the playbook of pro-abortion progressives remains the same wherever they go. Attack the Church as backward and oppressive, hold up anti-life technology as the source of Western prosperity, and infiltrate the media and the schools. The strategy which has brought Europe to the brink of demographic disaster, and threatens the future of a somewhat healthier United States, has had some success in the Philippines. It is “cool” there to be Western and secular, to be single and childless, and almost every national celebrity is for the RH Bill, even though their public statements indicate that they have not read much of the actual text. Lea Salonga, the Filipina who has starred on Broadway in “Miss Saigon” and “Les Miserables,” and voiced some popular Disney cartoons, used to be my favorite female performer until I read that she volunteered to be an ambassador for the RH Bill. The only prominent name that has spoken against the bill is world champion boxer Manny Pacquiao, who is also an elected representative. The media loves to cover his victorious matches and extol him as a national hero, but when it comes to the RH Bill, they treat him as a know-nothing boxer.

The good news is that the RH Bill has been blocked in both the Philippine House and Senate year after year, due to the efforts of some brave legislators who are not afraid to buck the celebrity tide and withstand media ridicule. The Philippine bishops are also very vocal and clear in their opposition, and a large number of faithful Catholics take heed, including young people who are using modern means of communication and social media to spread the word that the mainstream media will not let get out. 

I was in the Philippines (where my wife was born and grew up) for the Knights of Columbus National Convention, which was attended by Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. He said that defeat of the RH Bill must be a high priority for Filipino Knights because the Philippines is a great country, with a great people and a great culture of life that is worth preserving. Let’s pray that the culture of death embodied in the RH Bill will continue to fail when faced with the faith, hope and charity – and values – of the Filipino people. 

Brian Caulfield is editor of the website Fathers for Good, an initiative by the Knights of Columbus that features regular articles, videos and other multimedia on the subject of Christian fatherhood. A father of two young boys, Brian writes on the spiritual truths found in daily life and the issues men face while striving to live out their vocation.