University of the Philippines Student Rejects the RH Bill

Choose self-control, shun birth control – youth

MANILA,
July 16, 2011–A student from the University of the Philippines, a
school long regarded as among those going with the flow when it comes to
support for the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, gave a hopeful picture
of  how much young people are capable of understanding.

John Juat, a member of the group UP Against the RH Bill, saw through
the supposedly good intentions of the RH bill, citing the dangers that
the P3 billion-a-year measure posed on the youth.

What’s wrong with birth control?

Focusing on taxpayer-funded distribution and procurement of birth
control supplies, he said that “the youth are in danger of accepting the
idea that it is responsible to use contraceptives, when it is clear
that by using these, we go against the real design of sex which is for
intimacy of the couple and openness to life.”

The bill also misleads young people into “believing that
contraceptives are safe, when there are more than 60 documented
side-effects of contraceptives. The youth are  in danger of thinking
that contraceptives will protect us from different STDs, when the only
real solution is chastity and self-control,” pointed out the
21-year-old, who was among the students who took part in the July 1
silent protest against the RH bill in UP Diliman.

Confusing love with lust

Juat added that a birth control measure will make it even more
difficult for the youth to recognize love and to differentiate it from
lust.

“Contraceptives degrade the dignity of a person, making that person a
mere object of pleasure and making sex selfish rather than self-giving.
Contraceptives will make men predators rather than protectors of women,
and women objects rather than persons,” he lamented.

The solutions to the country’s problem lie in proper allocation of funds and in strengthening our values, he said.

“We
are a nation that is pro-life, pro-family, and pro-God. We must be
strong in these values…and every law made should be for the common good.
As a youth and as a concerned citizen who loves our country dearly, I
know that the RH bill will only make our country’s problems worse.

“Let us not sacrifice morality for money. Let us instead work on
reviving our Filipino values, protecting the family and valuing life,”
Juat concluded.

Juat was one of the panelists at the press conference held by the
Interfaith Pro-Life Coalition, which has issued a call for moral
recovery and threw its support behind the government’s fight against all
forms of corruption.

The group—composed of Catholics, Baptists, evangelical Christians and
Muslims–is leading a “Congress of the Faithful” on July 25 to manifest
the people’s perspective on the real state of the nation. (CBCP for
Life)

UP silent protest against RH draws courage from youth

Pro-Life University of the Philippines students put anti-RH Bill protest signs along the university campus.

MANILA, July 2, 2011 [CBCP News]--It was a silent protest,
but it looks like the demonstration carried out by some University of
the Philippines (UP) students showed conviction to go against the grain
in a campus that had been dismissed as simply going with the flow as
far as support for a proposed birth control measure is concerned.

The students, part of a growing group dubbed UP Against RH, had been
handing out around campus information materials revealing the truth
about the Reproductive Health (RH) bill for a few days up to a July 1
march conducted by RH supporters. 

They also tied red ribbons around trees and lamp posts and stuck the
ubiquitous "No to RH bill" stickers in some parts of the campus to
demonstrate the presence of the pro-life voice in what had been
previously perceived as an RH-supporting university.

The silent protest culminated in red-garbed students walking with red
balloons toward a crowd gathered at the steps fronting Palma Hall, one
of the university's main buildings, for the RH activity, then releasing
the balloons one by one.

"The whole RH bill [leads to] a culture of death," asserted John
Juat, a senior student who took part in the protest, adding that the
things he questions most about the measure are the mandated sex
education component and the promotion of contraceptives. 

The 21-year-old student noted that freedom and the availability of
choices--with which many young people mistakenly associate the RH
bill--are good, "but if you're giving too much freedom, it can be
dangerous."

"Like for instance, in a multiple choice exam--the more choices you
have, the more chances of getting a mistake. There's only one correct
answer," he said.

"Now, there's only one correct answer [regarding the issue] and that
correct answer is already within all of us--our values which have been
taught to us by our parents since we were young."

Though freedom is good, "more choices" doesn't necessarily mean "better," according to Juat.

"If you're in UP (University of the Philippines) you're trained to be
critical thinkers..." said Jove Tercero, also a senior student, who,
though unable to take part in the red balloon walk, had spent the past
days and nights preparing the materials for the protest activity. 

Initially pro-RH--which is "somewhat the default stand" on the
issue--he assumed contraception was a positive thing due to belief in
the overpopulation myth. But "by reading and being more oriented with
serious facts," Tercero said he has learned the truth about the issues.

Juat admitted being a little intimidated by the idea of the balloon
walk at first, but related that an incident prior to the activity made
him see things in a different light.

"It just started with one person approaching me, saying she has the
same stand but is scared to speak up," shared Juat, who had been
casually discussing the RH issue with friends, sometimes as part of
class activities. 

"Some who are pro-RH even approached me and said, 'I never looked at
things the way you did. I thought what society was offering was the only
way, but i think the option you stated is much better.'"

UP Against RH is a group composed of students and faculty. (Diana Uichanco)