Interceding versus the RH bill

From the Facebook page of Pro-Life Philippines comes this document, the second declaration of the Intercessors for the Philippines versus the RH bill. The first was in August (see Three Evangelical / Protestant groups versus the RH bill ): 

A MANIFESTO:

INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES’ (IFP) STAND ON THE RH BILL

WHEREAS, pending in the Senate and House of Representatives are two measures that aim to formulate a national policy on responsible parenthood, reproductive rights and health and population and development, popularly known as the “RH Bill”;

WHEREAS, INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES INC. (IFP) understands and respects the policy objective of the RH Bill that the State must recognize, guarantee and promote the human rights of all persons, the right to sustainable human development, the right to health, which include reproductive health, the right to education and information with respect to these matters, and the right to choose and make decisions for themselves in accordance with their religious convictions, ethical and cultural beliefs in carrying out the demands of responsible parenthood;

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines has clearly established fundamental principles regarding the recognition, protection of the sanctity and inviolability of family life as a basic social institution, the sacredness of human life including the life of the unborn from conception, the natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of children for civic efficiency and the development of moral character and the equality of a woman and man before the law; 

WHEREAS, enshrined in these basic constitutional principles are tenets, values and teachings in the Holy Bible that serve as vital parameters and compelling guideposts towards promoting and pursuing the aforestated policy objectives, which Bangon Pilipinas Party asserts should be faithfully and reverently read through in all the provisions of and constitute the framework upon which the RH Bill should be anchored;

WHEREAS, INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES INC. (IFP) unequivocally upholds the aforestated constitutional principles and its biblical basis and condemns the killing of the life of the unborn, the promotion of immorality, the weakening of the institution of marriage, and the derogation of the natural and primary parental rights and duties in the rearing of children for civic efficiency and moral development;

WHEREAS, it is imperative that the RH Bill must conform to the spirit and letter of these fundamental principles, which embody the religious heritage of the Filipino in order to protect and promote the welfare of the people under the rule of law, and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality and peace;

WHEREFORE, after diligent study and prayerful deliberation while imploring the aid of Almighty God for guidance and wisdom, INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES INC. (IFP) hereby respectfully submits to the Government and the Filipino people this Manifesto. 

INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES INC. (IFP) declares its position regarding the RH Bill, and affirms its commitment to the principles and policies of the Constitution adopting and preserving sacred Biblical tenets, values and teachings, as follows: 

a. Life begins at conception, that is upon fertilization of the sperm and the egg;

b. Life of the unborn at conception must be protected by the State as guaranteed by the Constitution;

c. Any attempt to intercept or prevent the viability of the fertilized egg by any drug or device as by preventing its implantation in the uterus of the mother violates the Constitution;

d. We reject and condemn all forms of killing, abortion and the use of abortifacients and other similar drugs or devices;

e. Teaching children sex is naturally and primarily vested on the parents and it is not in keeping with these constitutional principles for the State to teach the subject to young children within the Grade 5 Level age group. Sexuality education to be supported by the State should be in the context of marriage, and should begin at the natural age of puberty which is by High School;

f. Gender equality as guaranteed by the Constitution refers to equality of woman and man as ordained in our laws consistently with biblical tenets, values and teachings and marriage should remain between a husband and a wife;

g. The exercise of faith and freedom of conscience must not be proscribed. Freedom of religion and expression is protected by the Constitution, including the right to criticize any law in a manner that would not undermine, deprive, impair or otherwise unduly interfere with the rights and duties of others;

h. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in rearing children according to their religious beliefs, ethical and cultural orientations is guaranteed by the Constitution and that all forms of threat or endangerment in carrying out this right and duty must be assiduously safeguarded.

i. The right to life of those already born is not different from the right to life of the unborn, which require equal protection under the law. Furthermore, it is not a right to merely survive or exist but involves guarantees by the State as to the quality of life itself.

j. Church or religious teachings set the high standards for our society’s moral and ethical values. These include, among other things, love and respect for God and fellowman, the sacredness and value of human life, the sanctity of marriage and family and the natural and primary right and duty of parents in rearing the child, which should be safeguarded from any threat or danger with the full support of government. 

THEREFORE, INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES INC. (IFP) respectfully implores Government, particularly the President and the members of the Legislature, to uphold and defend the foregoing fundamental principles, values and tenets in and during the deliberation of the RH Bill, with prayer for Almighty God’s most merciful and abundant blessings upon our land and its people. 

INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES INC.

BY:

BISHOP DANIEL A. BALAIS

NATIONAL CHAIRMAN

INTERCESSORS FOR THE PHILIPPINES INC. (IFP)

Three Evangelical / Protestant groups versus the RH bill

From Intercessors of the Philippines (originally posted on their FB page on August 4, 2012):

WHY WE STRONGLY STAND AGAINST THE RH BILL

We strongly stand against the RH Bill for the following reasons:

1. It will wittingly or unwittingly promote if not legalize the killing of the unborn at conception, in violation of the Bible and the Constitution.

HB 4244, the consolidated version of all Reproductive Health (RH) Bills proposes in Section 3 (e) that the State shall “promote without bias all natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal.”

In the market right now, at least five (5) drugs and devices have abortive functions (they prevent the zygote, that is, the already unionized sperm and egg, also known as the fertilized ovum, from reaching and being implanted in the uterus, so that it will just die and be expelled.) These are depoprovera, RU 486, IUD, Norplant, and the morning after pill.

This is clearly killing a human life. The Bible teaches that a fertilized egg (the union of the sperm and the egg) is already human life. (Job 10:8-12, Psalm 139:13-16, Psalm 51:5).

The flushing out of a fertilized egg by drug or device is abortion. See Jeremiah 2:34, KJV. The blood of the poor innocents on the skirts of a nation is one of the surest ways of cursing a land.

It also violates Section 12, Art. II, of the 1987 Constitution which guarantees the protection of the life of the unborn at conception, equally with the life of the mother.

2. It will escalate and promote immorality, because it calls for the distribution of free condoms, IUDs, etc in public schools and barangays without need of parental knowledge, consent or advice.

3. It will teach “sexuality education” beginning at grade 5, with emphases on sex as a universal human right, and outside of the framework of marriage.

4. It will weaken if not destroy marriage because it gives any partner a right to avail of any artificial method of birth control (prevention of pregnancy) without need of spousal knowledge or consent.

5. It will weaken parental authority because under the Bill, youth can avail of free artificial methods of birth control which government will distribute or make available either as free, or as over-the counter drugs (meaning, without need of doctor’s prescription), without the youth being required to inform their parents.

6. It will trample on freedom of conscience because it will require all health care providers to inform and administer any of these methods, drugs and devices of birth control, and if there is refusal on religious grounds or conscience, they are still required to refer the patient or person to a doctor, clinic, institution or person that administers these services, and refusing to do so is punishable by imprisonment of six months or a fine of Php50,000.

7. It will pave the way for gay, lesbian, and homosexual unions and “marriages” in the future, because it already guarantees the right of every person for respect and against discrimination on the ground of sex, gender, or gender-preference.

8. It will threaten the most precious resource of a nation, and that is, its people or future generation. (In the Bible, the population of a nation is the glory of the king or the prince. Prov. 14:28)

On a note, rigorous population control legislations like the RH Bill imposed in so-called Christian nations or democracies will effectively reduce Christian populations, while leaving other religious populations like Islam to grow unabated because they do not approve of RH bill or similar measures.

9. It is harmful to women. Overwhelming studies have shown that drugs and devices of artificial methods of pregnancy or birth control have resulted in much higher incidences of cancer among women.

10. Government should pay attention to the top ten killer diseases of the country. Reproductive-related diseases and/or deaths are not in the top ten. (See 2006 report of the World Health Organization in the Philippines).

11. The surest way of addressing poverty is education and job-generation or employment promotion, not the killing of the unborn at conception. (See ADB report entitled “Key Indicators for Asia and Pacific 2010).

12. RH Bill has not prevented sexually-transmissible diseases from escalating in Thailand, which has more stringent similar RH measures in place.

If we want this country from being spared divine judgment, if we are to stop a curse from attaching to this land, if this nation is to be blessed, we must do everything in our power by God’s grace to see to it that the RH Bill is not passed into laW.

 -- PREPARED BY ATTY. LYNDON CANA, IFP VISAYAS COORDINATOR

From the website of Christ the Living Stone Fellowship - Rosales-Pangasinan Mission comes the text of the August 3, 2012 denunciation of the RH Bill by BibleMode International of Pastor and former Congressman Bienvenido Abante:

BibleMode International Says “NO!” TO THE RH BILL!

By: Congressman Abante

The Evil Consequence of RH Bill 4244

1. It will promote greater sexual promiscuity and immorality because all kinds of contraceptives, condoms and the like will be readily available to all for free;

2. It will not give us 100% reliable and dependable cure or answer to the growing population of this country as in the case of Mexico, India, Africa and China and other countries of the world operating under this kind of law. Rather, it will increase more pregnancy with the increase of sexual promiscuity among young people;

3. It cannot and will not help alleviate poverty nor spur economic growth. The US of America for example, has been implementing Reproductive and Right Law for over half a century but still their economy has been very poor in the law two decades. Greed, poor economy, graft and corruption, and moral degradation will always lead nay country to grave poverty, increased crimes and uncertain future;

4. It will open a Pandora’s box of every evil bill like Gray Rights Bill, Same-Sex-Marriage Bill, abortion and Divorce Bills. Are will still a nation under God who implores the aid of Almighty God with future godless laws such as these?

5. Crimes will grown unabated and uncontrolled because we have to licentiousness and lust. Juvenile delinquency will increase because the Bible says we have become “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God” (2 Tim. 3:4);

6. If ever this bill becomes a law and enforced effectively, after 20 years or so, there will be a great reduction in the population of our younger generation. There will be more older people than younger ones. Let us learn from Singapore which has take in young immigrants just to replace the older population. Human resource is a gift of God and if used and utilized properly, it will prosper our nation. Take the OFW for example, about 7M of them all around the world yearly contributing a lot to our country’s coffers to help pump up our nation economy; and

7. Whether we believe in God’s sovereignty or not, this nation will invite the wrath of God because of the promotion of anti-God, anti-Life and anti-family bills such as this one. We want His blessings and not His judgment. Every nation that departed from the moral principles of God’s Word has experienced the judgment of God. Call us zealots or religious bigots if you may, but this is an awesome truth of which every Filipino especially those in power should take into account.

OUR HUMBLE PLEA TO OUR HONORABLE LEGISLATORS

The consolidated RH Bill is the greatest deception upon the Filipino. The Bill is a:

1. State’s intervention into people’s private marital lives and affairs, as is strongly promotes the use of contraceptives;

2. Blatant disregard to the basic parental rights and influence of parents over their children, as it guarantees minor children the right to sex;

3. Suppression of the freedom of expression, as it makes mandatory sexuality education which includes sex and access to and use of contraceptives staring Grade 5;

4. Disguised State’s sanction to abortion, as it promotes the use of contraceptives which cause abortion;

5. Violation of encroachment on the Church’s primary and supreme domain over moral and spiritual principles, standards and discipline by imposing criminal sanctions or violation thereof; and

6. Violation of Freedom of Religion and the principle of the Separation of the Church and the State, as it makes mandatory sexuality education; promotes the use of contraceptives; and imposes criminal sanction for violation thereof.

The real problem is not population explosion BUT graft and corruption, defective resources allocation and unequal distribution of wealth. The use of Contraceptives; Mandatory Sexuality Education starting Grade 5; and 2-children policy CANNOT solve the country’s the country’s Graft and Corruption; Unemployment; Education; and Poverty problems. Instead of spending Billions of Pesos for the full implementation of this Bill when it becomes a law, we submit that such amount should instead be spend for Food Production; Education, Employment, Poverty Alleviation, Housing Projects for informal settlers, and fighting Graft and Corruption.

The real solution to the problem is not in man’s hands but in God; s who assuringly said: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land” ( 2 Chronicles 7:14, KJV).

We therefore APPEAL for your HNORS to CAST A “NO” VOTE to HB 4244.

Issued in the city of Manila this 7th of August 2012.

DR. BENNY MIRANDO ABANTE, JR.

National President and Bishop

13th and 14th Congress, 6th District of Manila

BIBLEMODE Secretariat Office: P.O. Box 1957, Makati City, Philippines. Tel (02) 561-1076. Follow us on twitter.com/Benny MAbante, and like us on facebook.com/biblemodeyouth

It should be noted here that these two texts are posted on the website of Christ the Living Stone Fellowship - Rosales-Pangasinan Chapter, which also makes these texts their own. Hence we may speak here of THREE Evangelical Protestant groups being against the RH bill.