Press Release
November 2, 2011

On RH critics' 'disconnect' with reality

Senator Pia S. Cayetano today clarified the significance of the World Population Report 2011, recently issued by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to the ongoing national debates on Senate Bill No.2865 or the proposed National Reproductive Health (RH) Act.

"The real challenge for governments faced with a booming population and dwindling resources is not to control the population, but to ensure equal opportunities for the development of each citizen and family, especially among the poor. That's the main point of the UN World Population Report, which critics of the RH Bill refuse to acknowledge," said Cayetano, Principal Sponsor of SBN 2865 and Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography.

Cayetano issued the statement following attempts by RH critics to belittle the findings of the UN Report, which projected the world population to reach seven billion by October 31st.

"The RH Bill is not the be-all and end-all solution to our nation's problems. But it holds the key to empowering Filipino couples to access family planning education and services which, in turn, would allow them to plan the number and spacing of their children and ultimately chart their own well-being and future," she stressed.

The senator also reacted to news reports citing an item posted on the Pro-Life website, which contended that the world's six billion people could all fit within the state of Texas in the United States, with each family having a house with a little yard.

"There's no sense in computing how many billion people could physically fit into the state of Texas if only to downplay the findings of the UN Report. This simplistic argument only highlights the RH Bill critics' disconnect with reality."

"There's no time to peddle illusions when the government's urgent concern is to address social and economic realities and meet the basic needs of millions of poor families in our country," she concluded.

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