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Is there a need to explain natural family planning and contraception in developing countries like Philippines?

Of course there is true and correct information on natural family planning and contraception, but should this information be explained most especially among developing countries such as Philippines?

Philippines for instance has a current population of 90,457,200 and ranked 12th among world's population with a land area of only 300,000 sq km. Philippine climate is tropical marine. Recently, the Congress passed a Reproductive Health Bill, the first of its kind in the Philippines. This elicited a lot of debates. These debates are mostly focused on legal and ethical questions. Regardless of those debates, are Filipinos entitled to know the true and correct information on natural family planning and contraception?

I believe the answer should be YES. Whether or not Philippines is over populated, whether or not Philippines is a Catholic nation, whether or not Philippines is a developing country, etc.

I wonder why the Catholic Church warned the population that those who would support the Reproductive Health Bill will be refused of Holy Communion. The truth is I studied in Catholic school from high school to college. In high school we studied the vow of matrimony where natural planning and contraception were discussed, and we even had case studies. In college, we studied them many times again. And I do not find any difference if I studied them at age twelve because puberty begins even earlier for some girls. And again, I wonder why not all Filipinos can have the same information as everyone had? If Holy Communion is limited to some people, the same principle does not hold true in obtaining general knowledge. If the Church community wants to do the task, they should volunteer themselves to do it. Whatever mystery the Church believes into, it should not be made applicable to human body.

For me I still do not understand a lot of things about natural family planning and contraception. If reproductive health education will not be allowed in Philippines, and I plan to have a family with two children, I do not know how to do that, where should I go for correct information? Should I go to a confession box and wait for a priest? Where will the other people who are not Catholic should go?

I do believe that everyone is entitled to understand, at very least, their physiological body. Whatever secret lies behind our own bodies, the owner of such body should know it. Why? There is a provision of the law which says: "Ignorance of the law excuses no one."

If I die because of ignorance, I do not think God will excuse me. He will surely ask me: "I gave you one big brain with complete healthy brain cells, one body with two hands and two feet. What did you do with those organs?"

I strongly believe that knowledge is power. Ignorance will tempt young people to experiment on their bodies and this can bring a lot of young people to their doom. It can be hell, and that hell can start to happen on earth.

Learn more about this author, Emily Comedis.
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