“I can’t believe that is true,”
This was how President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reacted to reports that health workers in Bohol were barred from taking the Holy Communion for promoting the government’s “Ligtas Buntis” campaign.
Arroyo said during a media interaction here yesterday that although she is a devout Roman Catholic and an advocate of the use of natural family planning, “there are still other methods of controlling the population”.
“I don’t think promoting responsible parenthood is excommunicable,” said Arroyo. [Source]
Since no one was excommunicated, only denied Communion for supporting contraception this is a mistaken statement. Sure there are other methods of controlling the population, for example firing squads. Of course the whole view of "controlling the population" is mistaken. Throw out the culture of life and of being open to life. Again the problem to be solved is the amount of people. This of course is what the contraceptive attitude always leads to; that is a utilitarian look at children . Where they are placed on a scale to be weighed and viewed via cost/benefit analysis and they are then found wanting. Ligtas Buntis as my wife tells me means save from abortion, so of course we have another government campaign that uses this them to give women abortafacients like the pill.
3 comments
I had the same thought when I came to the “controlling the population” comment. Sounds a tad fascist to me….
I don’t doubt the Filipino government is under quite a bit of pressure from the Malthusians at the UN and in the West in general to curb their population growth.
Until recently, money to the Philippines from USAID required condom distribution as a prerequisite.
Yes, the Philippine government is under pressure not just from Western and UN Malthusians, but from Malthusians from within the populace itself. Basically, the rich, tax-evading guys who refuse to take responsibility for their role in the rich/poor divide.