I read a few days ago thaT our population has now reached the 90 million mark and will double in 30 years at the current birth rate. Population control issue is, without a doubt, one of the most controversial and often least understood issues in this predominantly Catholic country. The much talked about “two child policy” will certainly grab the headlines in the days to come. The population issue will surely be used and be blamed as one of the key factors that contributed to the deteriorated economic condition in the country today, in order to finally advance the enactment of a birth control law, which has eluded previous legislative maneuvers.
Church Not Opposed to Birth Control
When discussing and reflecting on the difficult and controversial issue of birth control, it must be clear to all of us that the Catholic Church is not opposed to birth control. In fact, the church encourages couples to learn and practice what is known as “responsible parenthood.”
To pass a law that would restrict the number of children to just two or penalize couples that give birth to more than two children is, I believe, an invasion of personal rights and a direct violation of constitutional freedom. In deciding how many children to have and when to have them, a couple will surely take into account both their own welfare and that of their children. They should only have as many children as they can afford and properly take care of. This means therefore different criteria to different people. Large families are a blessing for some. A couple may find joy, in the midst of many obvious difficulties and sacrifices,in raising several children. On the other hand, a fewer number of children is the wiser move for reasons of health, temperament, energy or financial capability, for other couples. Either way, the Church does not preach that a couple should have as many children as possible. That decision is better left to the couple, and that right must be protected by law and guaranteed by the constitution.
Coercion in China’s One-Child-Per-Couple Policy
The much talked about success in China’s population control was accomplished at the expense of freedom, employing means which were not humane and were clear violations of human rights. In 1979 China announced a one-child-per-couple policy. In the early 1980’s evidence was mounting that China was employing coercive abortion and compulsory sterilization to carry out this policy.
It involved subjecting pregnant women, many very close to term, to exhaustive morning-to-night ‘study sessions.’ Heavy penalties were levied on them and their families. Actual incarceration was even resorted to for those who do not comply. Villagers say that if they cannot pay the fines, the family planning officials confiscate a cow, a pig, an important farm tool or household belongings like furniture or a television. Some people have been beaten badly, including women and family members.
Serious and Irreversible Consequences
There are “grave consequences” that would follow if the use of artificial birth control measures became widespread. Their use would place “a dangerous tool in the hands of public authorities who take no heed of moral exigencies.” The forced birth control and abortion program in China demonstrate the extreme towards which govern¬ment will take population control programs. This would lead some world leaders to think that they had “unlim¬ited power over their own bodies and their functions.”
The widespread use of artificial birth control devices and radical practices would “lead to conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality.” Hardly anyone will deny that there has been a widespread decline in sexual morality in past years. The increase in abortions, divorce, out-of-wedlock pregnancies and sexually-related diseases should convince everyone that sexual morality is on the decline. Men lose their respect for women seeing them as mere sex objects rather than as respected and beloved companions.” This compels the man to look upon the woman not as a special person with her own needs and desires, not as a female with a marvelous procreative faculty, but as a mere object of desire.
Some countries which have adopted restrictive birth control laws, aside from experiencing reversed population growth, are faced with a large number of aging population which are taxing heavily on social security and State funded medical care. The stream of new and young workers and professionals who enter the work force is continually shrinking in relation to the size of the senior population that they have to support. This has become a serious problem for some nations, as this meant a reduction in over-all productivity aggravated by an increasingly onerous social welfare burden, to the point that some governments are actually reversing their population control policies.
Have you realized that our generally young population has brought immeasurable benefits to the country in view of the dollar remittances of OFW’s. What if we had the same age profile as in Europe? Would we have been able to send young men and women abroad, as we do now?
Imagine the Philippines without those remittances, which comprise more than one fourth of the total spending capacity of this country! We would have been as poor as a rat. Our predominantly young population has saved the Philippines!
What we are today was of our own making
Let us not be distracted from the real reasons and blame the country’s population growth for the economic debacle that we are now facing. This country does not only need better governance, but more importantly a strong and sustained support from the populace in the form of payment of correct taxes, honest & dedicated public service and compliance with laws. There are other recourse to attain progress and prosperity like public accountability and consequential punishment, to improve governance, law enforcement and the administration of justice. This country continues to be poor, amidst the economic boom of other nations around us. The Philippines had the most vibrant economy after World War II, but had deteriorated to become the “sick man of Asia”. Why? What have we done or not done? Let us blame ourselves, our kind of politics, corruption, abuse & exploitation of natural resources and the environment and our own character and attitude as a people, for what we are today. What we see in the country now is what we planted years back as a people.
Coercion through Legislation
Finally, we should be more creative as far as the population issue is concerned. Let us look for a more compassionate, humane, democratic and liberal ways of curbing population growth, other than by “coercion” through legislation. I certainly hope that our brilliant congressmen, who predominantly are lawyers, will not resurrect this issue once session starts in the coming weeks. They should not hide behind the increasing level of poverty in this country, which came about due to other reasons other than population growth.
Let me end with a short anecdote about lawyers, marriage and divorce, which in reality has become a natural landscape in most advanced countries in other parts of the world.
There was a young couple very much in love. On the night before they were to be married, both were killed in an automobile accident.
They found themselves at the pearly gates of heaven being escorted in by St. Peter. After a couple of weeks in heaven, the prospective groom took St. Peter aside and said, “St. Peter, my fiance and I are very happy to be in heaven, but we miss very much the opportunity to have our wedding vows celebrated. Is it possible for people in heaven to get married?”
St. Peter looked at him and said, “I’m sorry, I’ve never heard of anyone in heaven wanting to get married. I’m afraid you’ll have to talk to the Lord God Almighty about that. I can get you an appointment in two weeks from Wednesday.”
Come the appointed day, the couple was escorted by the guardian angels into the presence of the Lord God Almighty, where they repeated the request. The Lord looked at them solemnly and said, “I tell you what; wait a year and if you still want to get married, come back and we will talk about it again.”
A year went by and the couple, still very much wanting to get married, came back. Again, the Lord God Almighty said, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you must wait another year, and then I will consider your request.”
This happened year after year, for ten years. Each time they reasserted their yearning to be married; each time God put them off for another year.
In the tenth year, they came before the Lord God Almighty to ask again. This time the Lord answered, “Yes, you may marry! This Saturday at 2:00 p.m. We will have a beautiful ceremony in the main chapel. The reception will be on me!”
The wedding went off without a hitch. The bride looked beautiful. Tragically, but perhaps inevitably, within a few weeks, the newlyweds realized that they had made a horrible mistake. They simply couldn’t stay married to one another. So they made another appointment to see the Lord God Almighty.
Groveling and frightened, they asked if they could get a divorce.
The Lord heard their request, looked at them, and said, “Look, it took us TEN YEARS to find a priest up here in heaven. Do you have any idea how long it’ll take us to find a lawyer?”
May the Good Lord bless all of us, shower graces and bestow wisdom to all our leaders, legislators and lawyers and enlighten them to see the lights and lead us through the right path in this difficult and highly controversial issue.
opsenar@gmail.com
