Filipinos defy Roman Catholic church and back birth control

Seven out of 10 Filipinos in this predominately Roman Catholic country of 92 million would defy the Church and elect a president who supports birth control, an opinion poll by the Manila-based Social Weather Stations found.

In the Philippines, where more than 80 per cent of the population is Catholic, the Church still wields considerable political influence – especially when it comes to such issues as birth control.

The poll found that 68 per cent of voters agreed that “all of the legal means of family planning that a couple might choose to use should be available from the government health service”.

Before campaigning began in February for the May 10 elections, the Church managed to have killed, through political pressure, a reproductive health bill that had been before the House of Representatives for two years. The bill would have required the government to provide comprehensive family planning, including the distribution of contraceptives.

The Philippines has one of the highest birth rates in South East Asia, at about two per cent annually.


Date: Thursday, April 29, 2010
Source: The National
Author: Karl Wilson