The RH Bill 2

 Just bringing up this article from the CBCP. Below is an excerpt:

Pangasinan Rep. Kimi Cojuangco, co-sponsor of the bill (House Bill No. 4244, otherwise known as the RH bill), was interpellated by Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros Magsaysay, at times responding with arrogance over points in which she apparently was not well-versed but swiftly making an admission that surprised even her co-RH proponents.

“Is [the RH bill] a population measure?”

“Of course.”

“Of course? It’s a population measure? To curb poverty, do you need to curb population? In your eyes?”

“Definitely.”

“In other words, you are contradicting the position of all your other co-sponsors there who said that this is not a population measure, that this is not a poverty alleviation measure.”

The Pangasinan congresswoman paused for a few seconds before saying, “Well, it’s not a population… ay, it is a population measure but it’s not population control.”

After a few more moments of silence in the hall, Cojuangco insisted, “It’s a population measure but it’s not population control.”

The article also mentions the MCW, or the Magna Carta of Women "which Magsaysay repeatedly pointed out was an existing law that already addresses the concerns Cojuangco mentioned as reasons why an RH law in her opinion was necessary, such as the need for more birthing facilities, maternal health services, to name a few."

Furthermore, the article narrates the debate that ensued between Magsaysay and Cojuangco. While Magsaysay notified the congress that there was an existing law that addressed the concerns of the RH bill, Cojuangco nevertheless insisted that the seemingly ineffective application of the law's provisions is cause enough for congress to pass the RH bill. Magsaysay had the final say though when she argued back that what was needed was a stricter implementation of the MCW by the government, not another law altogether.

In line with Magsaysay's argument, I also believe that the RH bill shouldn't be passed for the simple reason of redundancy. We have an existing law in the form of the MCW which, given enough resources and focus by the local government, is potent enough to promote and improve the reproductive health of our women brethren. By introducing the RH bill, we are setting ourselves up for double failure, with two laws, aimed at solving the same problem, scrounging for the same limited supply of resources. That's a recipe for disaster.

We're smarter than this. Or are we?