Facts VS Myths, Revised

Get Real: The Facts vs. Myths on www.mulatpinoy.
ph
Population, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health (2nd Revision) popdev@mulatpinoy.ph
Myth #1: Contraceptives cause abortion. Life begins at fertilization, so contraceptives kill children. (pp. 2-3)
FACT: Contraceptives DO NOT cause abortion. Research has shown that the use of contraceptives prevents up
to 112 million abortions each year and reduces abortion by 85%.
Myth #2: Contraceptives are dangerous to health and cause cancer. (pp. 4-5)
FACT: Contraceptives DO NOT cause cancer, have been proven safe worldwide, and even lower cancer risk.
Myth #3: Mandatory sex education and contraceptives will destroy the family, compromise morality, increase
promiscuity and promote HIV infections. (p. 6)
FACT: MAJORITY of studies prove that age-appropriate sex education and contraceptive provision REDUCE
sexually transmitted infections, DO NOT cause promiscuity, and even DELAY sexual experiences among youth.
Myth #4: Family Planning using artificial methods is against Filipino culture. (p. 7)
FACT: National surveys show that majority of Filipinos believe that family planning using modern and artificial
methods is important. Many of them prefer smaller family sizes.
Myth #5: Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the most effective and safe family planning method, is free, and is
the only program that should be supported by the government. (pp. 8-9)
FACT: Both NFP and modern methods are needed to effectively and safely address maternal health, family
planning, and sustainable development.
Myth #6: There is no link between population and poverty. Corruption is the sole cause of poverty. (pp. 10-13)
FACT: There is a proven, strong link between poverty, rapid population growth, & large unplanned family sizes.
Myth#7: The Philippines has enough resources to meet a larger population. (pp. 14-17)
FACT: The Philippines will not develop sustainably unless it slows its rapidly growing population
Myth #8: Highly populated countries like India and China are successful because of their large populations,
while other countries are experiencing a “demographic winter.” (pp. 18-20)
FACT: India and China have been trying to reduce population growth and family sizes for decades, and their
growth is due to improving productivity of their citizens. The Philippines is 100 years away from a “demographic
winter,” and even with lowered population growth and fertility rates, will already reach 160 million in 2060.
Without this, the Philippines may have an unsustainable population of 240 million people.
Myth #9: Family planning through modern contraceptives is against the Constitution (p. 21-22)
FACT: The Philippine Constitution and Philippine commitments to international agreements allow family
planning and the use of modern methods.
Myth #10: Islam, Christianity and other major religions forbid contraception. (pp. 23-28)
FACT: Islam, most Christian denominations, and other major religions allow couples to use modern and natural
methods to plan their families. The governments of Catholic countries have accepted family planning policies
with State provision of modern and natural family planning methods.
Get Real: The Facts vs. Myths on www.mulatpinoy.ph
Myth #1: Contraceptives cause abortion. Life begins at fertilization, so contraceptives kill children.
FACT: The use of contraceptives prevents 112 million abortions each year and can reduce abortion by 85%.
 Modern contraception averts over 112 million abortions in the developing world each year1, and conforms to
majority of country experiences where increased contraceptive use lowers induced abortions (see Figure 1.1).
 The use of contraceptives can reduce abortion rates by 85%.2

o In Nigeria and the Philippines, abortion is banned, and strong conservative religious and cultural traditions
would seem to discriminate against women resorting to abortion. Yet, the abortion rate in both countries is
estimated to be 25 per 1,000 women of reproductive age—slightly higher than the U.S. rate.3
Figure 1.1: World and Country Case Studies - contraception and abortion inverse relationship
It Takes Time
Initially, rapid fertility decline in South Korea and Russia were accompanied by
increases in both contraceptive use and abortion; over time, abortion rates
turned downward while contraceptive use continued to climb.
Source: Westoff C.2003
1
Singh S, Juarez F, Cabigon J, Ball H, Hussain R and Nadeau J. (2006). Unintended Pregnancy and Induced Abortion in the Philippines: Causes
and Consequences. New York: Guttmacher Institute.
2
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/tgr/06/4/gr060407.html#c1
3
Ibid.
 Over 500,000 induced abortions occur annually in the Philippines (560,000 in 2008 vs. 473,000 in 2003).4
o One third of women who experience an unintended pregnancy end it in abortion.
o Women from all segments of society experience abortion. Women who have had an abortion resemble the
average Filipino woman: Majority are married, Catholic and poor. They have some high school education and
have already had several children.
 When asked why they sought abortions, 72% of women cite the economic cost of raising a child; 54% say they
5
have enough children; 57% report that the pregnancy occurred too soon after their last one.
 The Catholic institutional position is based on the notion that life begins when the egg and sperm unite. It is based
on the mistaken idea that this is a "moment" when in fact conception is a process. 6
 In the Roman Catholic tradition, there is no uniformity regarding when ensoulment occurs, or personhood begins.
o The Vatican’s declaration on abortion7 states that personhood has been equated theologically with the
moment the Creator endows the fetus with a human soul, but that moment is not and cannot be known.
o There is no consistent of position on the church on when the fetus is endowed with a soul.
 Thomas Aquinas held that it was most likely at 40 days for males and 80 days for females.
 Augustine held that ensoulment was not possible prior to the presence of fully formed human body.
 The idea of immediate ensoulment at conception was not considered.
o When the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was declared in 1854, care was taken to note that the idea
that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin on her should not lead to the assumption that others
received a soul at conception.
 Referring to the Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Catholic Encyclopedia
says, “The term conception does not mean the active or generative conception by her parents. Her body was
formed in the womb of the mother, and the father had the usual share in its formation. The question does not
concern the immaculateness of the generative activity of her parents. Neither does it concern the passive
conception absolutely and simply which, according to the order of nature, precedes the infusion of the rational
8
soul. The person is truly conceived when the soul is created and infused into the body.”
o Modern inquiry on ensoulment combines scientific knowledge about embryology with theology.
 Medicine, science, law definitions of personhood vary; there is no scientific consensus on when it occurs during
pregnancy, and there is no medical or scientific definition that holds that personhood exists at conception.
 A contemporary Catholic theologian, Fr. Norman Ford, argues that ensoulment requires “that only one embryo
proper and human individual has been formed and begins to exist. The formation of an ontological individual
9
with a truly human nature and rational ensoulment must coincide.” It is an embryological fact that in cases of
identical twins the division of embryonic tissue giving rise to twins does not occur until 13 to 14 days after
conception. Implantation occurs between 9 and 12 days post-conception, so any contraceptive that acts during
the implantation stage cannot be consider to cause and abortion, as no individual person yet exists.
4
Juarez F, Cabigon J and Singh S, Unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines: the route to induced abortion and health consequences, paper
presented at the 25th International Union for the Scientific Study of Population General Conference, Tours, France, July18–23, 2005. Latest
abortion figures c/o the Philippine Population Commission.
5
Source: Juarez F et al., The incidence of induced abortion in the Philippines: current level and recent trends, International
Family Planning Perspectives, 2005, 31(3):140–149.
6
Interview, Archbishop Rembert Weakland. February 2011.
7
Bovens, Luc. Journal of Medical Ethics, 2006;32:355-356
8
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm
9
Fr. Norman Ford. “When Did I Begin?” Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1988.
Myth #2: Contraceptives are dangerous to health and cause cancer.

FACT: Contraceptives DO NOT cause cancer, have been proven safe worldwide, and even lower cancer risk.
 Oral contraceptives were first approved for use in the United States in 1960, and since then numerous studies have
been conducted to examine their effects on the female body.
o The pill has been shown by many research institutes and universities to have few negative side effects and
many health benefits. Studies have followed women of various ages, professions, states of health, environment
and lifestyles.10
 When compared to the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases, “Women using oral contraceptives ‘had a
significantly lower rate of death from any cause.’ No association between overall mortality and duration of oral
contraceptive use was observed.
o Compared with never users, ever users of oral contraception had a significantly lower rate of death from any
cause (adjusted relative risk 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.82 to 0.93). They also had significantly lower rates
of death from all cancers: large bowel/rectum, uterine body, and ovarian cancer; main gynecological cancers
combined; all circulatory diseases; ischaemic heart diseases; and all other diseases.
o Oral contraception was not associated with an increased long term risk of death in this large UK cohort; indeed,
a net benefit was apparent.11
 A 2010 scientific report shows contraceptives to be safe, and REDUCES cancer risk (see Tables 2.1 & 2.2).
Table 2.1:
Table 2.2:
Source: British Medical Journal
 Studies have also shown little effect on the long-term fertility of women after stopping use of oral contraceptives.
“Reversibility data are clear. Despite a possible few months' lag in the return of normal menstrual cycles, most
women resume their previous level of fertility once they stop taking oral contraceptive pills.”12 In fact, some
women take oral contraceptive pills to treat various medical conditions, including “dysmenorrhea, metrorrhagia,
premenstrual syndrome, ovarian and endometrial cancer, functional ovarian cysts, benign breast cysts, ectopic
pregnancy, and endometriosis.”13
10
Ann Intern Med. 1994 May 15;120(10):821-6. Oral contraceptive use and mortality during 12 years of follow-up: the Nurses' Health Study.
Colditz G.A. Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
11
Mortality among contraceptive pill users: cohort evidence from Royal College of General Practitioners’ Oral Contraception Study. Philip C
Hannaford, Grampian Health Board chair of primary care, Lisa Iversen, research fellow, Tatiana V Macfarlane, senior research fellow, Alison
M Elliott, senior research fellow, Valerie Angus, data manager, Amanda J Lee, professor of medical statistics
12
SYLVIA L. CEREL-SUHL, M.D., and BRYAN F. YEAGER, PHARM.D. Update on Oral Contraceptive Pills. University of Kentucky College of
Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky
13
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Capri Workshop Group. Noncontraceptive health benefits of combined
oral contraception, Human Reproduction Update, Vol.11, No.5 pp. 513–525, 2005. Advance Access publication July 8, 2005
 Medical science and global health standards have affirmed the safety and acceptability of modern contraceptive
methods, while respecting individual countries’ policy independence (see Table 2.3) :
Table 2.3:
Myth #3: Mandatory sex education and contraceptives will destroy the family, compromise morality, increase
promiscuity and promote HIV infections.
FACT: MAJORITY of studies prove that age-appropriate sex education and contraceptive provision REDUCE
sexually transmitted infections, DO NOT cause promiscuity, and even DELAY sexual experiences among youth.
 The United Nations International Conference on Women reaffirmed giving young people better access to health
care information, especially reproductive health care. (Chapter IV, Section C).14
 World Health Organization: Over 1,000 reports on sex education programs worldwide show that sex education
courses did not lead to earlier sexual intercourse, and in some cases they delayed it.15
 United Nations: In 22 studies, sexual health education delayed the onset of sexual activity, reduced the number
of sexual partners, or reduced unplanned pregnancy and STD rates. In 27 studies, sexual health education
neither increased nor decreased sexual activity and attendant rates of pregnancy and STDs.
o Only 3 studies found increases in sexual behavior associated with sexual health education.16
Sex education
 Sex education is about warning everyone about the risks and dangers involved with reproductive health.
 According to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, only 12% of women and
18% of men aged 15-24 knew about how to avoid and control HIV.17
 Proper sex education also aims to strengthen family bonds by encouraging the youth to seek guidance from their
parents, rather than avoid the topic.
 Proper sex education encourages families to REJECT promiscuity in favor of appropriate behavior.
Contraception
 Contraceptives are tools that allow responsible people to make the right choices to protect themselves and their
loved ones.
 If all women who wanted to avoid pregnancy used modern methods, there would be 1.6 million fewer
pregnancies each year in the Philippines. Unintended births would drop by 800,000, abortions would decline by
500,000 and miscarriages would decline by 200,000.18
 The Philippines needs an educational system that properly balances health concerns, practical issues, and moral
principles that take the family values and cultural factors into account.
 Condoms have also been proven not only to be effective artificial contraceptives, but are also virtually 100%
effective in preventing the transmission of AIDS/HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases as shown by
research conducted in Europe.19
o USAID has said this in support of condom use, as proven by their vast experience in Africa: “Scientific studies of
sexually active discordant couples, where one partner is infected with HIV and the other partner is not, have
demonstrated that the correct and consistent use of latex condoms reduces the likelihood of HIV infection by
80 to 90%.”
o Scientific studies do provide evidence that latex condoms, when used consistently and correctly, can reduce
the risk of gonorrhea and chlamydia infections in both women and men.”20
 Along with Bangladesh, the Philippines is the only country in Asia with increases in HIV cases, while others are
stabilizing or declining due to increased prevention and contraceptive programs.21
14
http://www.unesco.org/education/information/nfsunesco/pdf/BEIJIN_E.PDF
15
UNAIDS: Impact of HIV and sexual health education on the sexual behavior of young people, United Nations. 1997. pp. 5, 41-63
16
Meeting the needs of young adults. Population Reports. October 1, 1995. http://info.k4health.org/pr/j41/j41print.shtml
17
UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Statistical Yearbook for Asia and the Pacific 2008 (United Nations, 2008) 50.
18
http://www.likhaan.org/sites/default/files/pdf/2010_facts_barriers_contraceptive_use_philippines.pdf
19
HIV/AIDS: European Research provides clear proof that HIV virus cannot pass through condoms, press release by European Commission,
Manuel Romarís, HIV/AIDS Research, DG Research.
20
Condom Use: How It Relates to HIV and STI Prevention, USAID,
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/aids/TechAreas/prevention/condomuse.html
Myth #4: Family Planning using artificial methods is against Filipino culture.
Fact: National surveys show that majority of Filipinos believe that family planning using modern and artificial
methods is important. Many of them prefer smaller family sizes.
 Statistics and national surveys increasingly show that the majority of Filipinos believe that family planning is
important, and prefer smaller family sizes:
o 54% of married women do not want additional children. An additional 19% of women want to wait at least 2
years before their next birth.22
o 9 in 10 Filipinos believe in government budgetary support for modern methods of family planning including the
pill, IUDs, condoms, ligation and vasectomy.23
o Support for both family planning education (76%) and bills providing modern family planning (71%) is very high
among both men and women, whether single or married, in all areas of the country.24
 72% in Metro Manila, 69% in Luzon, 68% in the Visayas
 77% representing classes ABC, 70% classes CDE
o 84% of Filipinos and 71% of Catholics support the Reproductive Health (RH) bill25
 68% support policy to distribute contraceptives
o Filipino women want smaller family sizes, but are not able to achieve them, more so if they are poorer. (See
response to Myth #6)
 The desire to keep family sizes manageable through family planning upholds traditional Filipino culture.
o Having fewer children will enable parents to allocate more resources – providing better nutrition and more
schooling – for their children.
o This increases a family’s chances of breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty, as adequate schooling
increases the next generation’s chances of securing better prospects for livelihood and well-being.
o Well-spaced births ensure better maternal health, giving mothers more time for childcare, increased
opportunities for livelihood, and better health and quality of life.
 It is precisely to strengthen the hallmarks of Filipino culture that a modern family planning policy should be
adopted and implemented.
o Freedom of choice. The Philippines is the only predominantly Catholic country that does not have a family
planning policy that provides both modern and natural family planning methods. The current bills with these
methods will enable access to internationally and medically safe and ethical family planning methods to enable
them to voluntarily plan their resources and family sizes.
o Protecting the family. By ensuring that families have the education and means to voluntarily meet and plan
their family sizes according to their means and resources, this policy will enable members to have a better
quality of life, as opposed to being burdened with unmanageable costs of unplanned children and having to
separate from their families by finding work in urban centers or overseas.
o Protecting life. Family planning policies around the world have been proven to reverse induced abortion rates
and improve maternal health.
21
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101125/hl_afp/healthphilippinesaids. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/24/10/hiv-cases-
soaring-philippines.
22
Department of Health, National Demographic and Health Survey, 2008
23
Pulse Asia Survey. 2004.
24
Social Weather Station Survey. 2008.
25
Ibid.
Myth #5: Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the most effective and safe family planning method, is free, and is
the only program that should be supported by the government.
FACT: Both NFP and modern methods are needed to effectively and safely address maternal health, family
planning, and sustainable development.
 Periodic abstinence, sometimes called natural family planning (NFP), should be available for those couples who
make a valid choice to use it, whether Catholic or not. However, the government also needs to recognize that NFP
has never played a major role in fertility decline in any country.26
o In the Philippines, traditional method users account for almost 25% of women at risk for unintended pregnancies, as
well as resulting in almost 25% of all unintended pregnancies (see Figure 5.1).
27
o According to the Guttmacher Institute, NFP or periodic abstinence has a 25.3% failure rate. NFP users comprise
35% of women who attempt abortion after this method of choice failed (see Figure 5.2).
Figure 5.1 Figure 5.2
 Professor Luc Bovens, Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics and
Political Science, says the success of the rhythm method may be attributed to the decrease in viability of embryos
that are conceived on either end of the most fertile days of a woman's menstrual cycle, and that 2 to 3 embryos die
for every pregnancy that occurs using the rhythm method.28
o One problem is when NFP fails there is a risk the egg and/or sperm involved will have been in the uterus
andfallopian tubes for an unnatural length of time, greatly increasing risk of embryonic abnormality.
o Using this reality, advocates for natural family planning methods and advocates against modern forms of
contraception are likewise guilty of the very claim they make.
o “The rhythm method may well be responsible for massive embryonic death; the same logic that turned pro-lifers
away from pills, IUD's and pill usage should also make them nervous as the rhythm method.”
 Biology Professor S. F. Gilbert offers the followingfacts, which indicate a heavy embryo loss from NFP methods:29
o 20 % of eggs come in contact with sperm;
o Numbers surviving the original 20%: 16.8% have successful fertilization and 13.8% have successful implantation; of
which the fetuses coming to term are only 6.2%.
o This loss of ‘lives’ is of such magnitude; it negates the myth of the creation of personhood upon fertilization.
 Contrary to popular belief, promoting the NFP method is not free. (continued on the next page)
26
Interview. Dr. Malcolm Potts. UC Berkeley School of Public Health. 18 November 2010
27
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contr_use.html
28
Bovens, Luc.Journal of Medical Ethics, 2006;32:355-356
29
www.arhp.org/uploadDocs/RH09_Gilbert.ppt
o While NFP does not explicitly require the purchase of paraphernalia, it entails sufficient knowledge and
understanding on the part of the users, and costs for trainers, support teams and educators.
o Limiting options to NFP fails to address the private and social costs of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies.
o Like artificial family planning, the correct practice of natural family planning methods must be promoted to the
public, at the considerable cost of Php 2.9 billion (see Figure 5.3).
Figure 5.3 Table 5.4
 At least PhP 5.5 billion is spent annually on services for managing unintended pregnancies and its complications
(see Table 5.4). Compared to these health costs, modern family planning methods are inexpensive and affordable.
o Despite these realities, the Philippine Catholic Church hierarchy has focused most of its efforts on political means of
preventing legislation on family planning policy at the expense of advocating an effective family planning program
aligned with its teachings (i.e., NFP).
o There are conflicts within the Catholic Church about the legitimacy and effectiveness of NFP methods.
 This ambiguity has led to NFP usage failure rates in marginalized communities such as Payatas, where a Catholic-
30
church program resulted in only 27 successful users (out of 390 documented women) after 4 years of effort.
31
 NFP programs are only used by 0.5% of married women in the Philippines , reflecting a need for the Catholic
Church to focus on improving training and monitoring components(critical to success of usage) as opposed to
marshalling resources to combat family planning programs that provide both NFP and modern methods.
 NFP as practiced has not been effective for family planning and for slowing the country’s population growth.
o For many poor and less educated couples, in particular, learning and adopting NFP is too complicated and
cumbersome and requires extraordinary discipline.
o According to a prominent Filipino theologian, modern family planning “is also pro-life, in the sense of pro-quality-
life. Each life brought into this world deserves to be raised in a dignified, human way that the parents are capable of,
32
according to God’s design, and not left to a ‘bahala-na’ attitude.”
 Investing in family planning services saves several billion pesos that can be used for critical social services.
o The latest US and Philippine research show that governmentsannually spend a minimum of Php 5.5 billion in
33
healthcare costs to address unintended pregnancies and their complications.
o By contrast, only Php 2.0-3.5 billion annually is needed to fund a comprehensive range of voluntary family planning
services for the entire country, which also results in a more sustainable population to provide for.
o UNICEF: “Family planning could bring more benefits to more people at less cost than any other single technology
now available to the human race. This is still true even if there was no such thing as a population problem, if one just
34
considers prevention of maternal and infant deaths from unwanted conceptions.”
30
Carroll, John. SJ and Mendoza-Rivera, Didith. “Lessons from a Failure: Natural Family Planning in an Urban Poor Community.” John Carroll
Institute on Church and Social Issues.Population Center for Population and Development. 2008.
31
National Statistics Office. Press Release No. 2007-30.
32
Tanseco, Ruben, S.J. 2004. “Population Crisis” The Philippine Star (August 8), p. 16.
33
http://www.likhaan.org/content/health-benefits-family-planning-and-reproductive-health
Myth #6: There is no link between population and poverty. Corruption is the sole cause of poverty.
FACT: There is a proven, strong link between poverty, rapid population growth, & large unplanned family sizes.
 It is internationally recognized that rapid population growth (of 2% or more annually) was more likely to impede
than promote economic development.35
o This negative effect operates via reduced child care and human capital investment at the family level, lower
household sector savings for business and government investments, and constraints on allocative efficiency,
innovation and entrepreneurship.
 According to the UN State of the World Population Report, “family planning & reproductive health are essential
to reducing poverty, and that “countries that invest in reproductive health and family planning and in women’s
development register slower population growth and faster economic growth.”36
 The Asian Development Bank cites a large population as one of the major causes of poverty in the country:
o “Population growth in and of itself is not a problem if resources are available to cope with the additional
people requiring public services, employment, housing, and so on. Butin a country where the budget is
already stretched and where poverty is high to begin with, population growth becomes a major issue.”37
 In Asia, a slower population growth and higher ratio of working-age group was responsible for about a third of
the region’s increase in income per person.38
 The UP School of Economics affirms that “Rapid population growth and high fertility rates, especially among the
poor, exacerbate poverty and make it harder for the government to address it.”39
o Further, the country’s foremost economics institution has stated that “experience from across Asia indicates
that a population policy cum government-funded family planning program has been a critical complement to
sound economic policy and poverty reduction. Moreover, the weaker the state’s ability to tax and mobilize
resources (including spending on the right priorities), the greater the negative impact on economic
development of a rapidly growing population, which in every developing country is largely accounted for by
the least urbanized, least educated, and poorest segments of the population.40
 Significant and sustainable fertility declines can happen in countries at low income levels.
o Indonesia, with a lower per capita income and lower literacy rate, was able to reduce fertility faster than the
Philippines, as were Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India’s Kerala state.
34
UNICEF Annual Report.1992.http://www.unicef.org/sowc/index_38236.html
35
World Bank. 1984. World Development Report. (New York: Oxford University Press). 1984.
36
UN World Report. and http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2010/web/en/index.shtml
37
http://www.adb.org/documents/books/poverty-in-the-philippines/chap6.pdf
38
Bloom, David, D. Canning, and P. Malaney. 2000. “Population Dynamics and Economic Growth in Asia” in C. Chu and R. Lee (eds.)
Population and Economic Changes in East Asia, a Supplement to Population and Development Review, Vol. 26.
39
Pernia, Ernesto PhD, et al. Population and Development: the Real Score.” University of the Philippines. 2004. p. 2
40
http://www.econ.upd.edu.ph/papers/Population_Poverty_Politics_RHBill.pdf
 The Philippine population is growing beyond its economic means.41

o From 2001-2007, employment grew 13%, while the working-age population grew 17.6%.
 Meanwhile, the average real wage declined by 5% between 2003 and 2006.
o 23.14 million (1 out of 4) Filipinos live on Php 46.14 (US$ 1.04) a day or less.42
 This number grew even though the economy expanded by an average of 4.7% in the past decade.43
 This is because the unmet need for family planning increased by one-third since 2003. During this period
the government abandoned family planning methods.44
 In this time, the population grew by 10 million, with 54% of pregnancies unplanned, mostly from poor
families.45
o The Philippines failed to reach its goal of reducing poverty to 20% in 2010.
 Even with modest targets, it is not realistic to rely on economic growth (already severely constrained by
fiscal deficits, and since 1990, averaging only 1.8%) while neglecting the population issue.46
 At least 34 international economic studies show varying results, but the majority shows a clear, negative effect of
high fertility rates and population growth on economic growth and quality of life.47
o This underscores the need to focus on the micro- and national level, where the link is stronger (see below).
o Anti-reproductive health advocates claim “Nobel laureate economists agree that there is no link between
population and poverty.” In fact, the most cited study is an old 1966 study by economist Simon Kuznets, who
only studied developed economies. In fact, Professor Kuznets has never written about the Philippines. The 23
studies cited have focused on developing countries/micro-levels, and vastly improved analyses since 1966.
 High fertility rates (large family sizes), especially for poorer families, increase poverty.
o Poverty incidence among the population rises proportionately with family size, especially in terms of
education and health expenditures (see Figure 6.1).
o Child labor prevalence rises, and school attendance decreases, with an increasing number of children.48
o Among the poorest 20%, over half do not use any family planning method.49
Figure 6.1: Poverty Incidence + Education and Health Expenditures per family size
41
The Philippines: Fostering More Inclusive Growth. Human Development Sector Unit East Asia & Pacific.World Bank 2010. p. ii
42
National Statistics Coordinating Board. 2009 Survey
43
Department of Health.National Demographic Health Survey. 2008
44
Osias, T., Tacardon, L., Pedroso, L. “People Beyond Numbers: The Role of Population Stabilization in the Philippines.” Philippine Population
Commission. May 2010
45
Darroch, JE et al., “Meeting women’s contraceptive needs in the Philippines,” In brief, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2009
46
Pernia, Ernesto PhD, et al. Population and Development: the Real Score.” University of the Philippines. 2004. p. 11
47
Ibid., p. 18
48
Raymundo, Corazon M. “Philippine Population and Reproductive Health Situation”. U.P. Population Institute. 2004
49
Philippine Family Planning Survey 2006.
 Poorer women and families are affected the most, since they are unable to afford and access family planning
methods (see Figure 6.2).
Figure 6.2: Desired vs. Actual Family Sizes per Socio-Economic Class
 The country’s ‘youth bulge’ is a socio-economic and national security risk.

o Regions with the highest ‘youth bulges’ are prone to poverty-related conflicts. Between 1970 and 1999, 80% of
civil conflicts occurred in countries where 60%of the population or more were under age 30.50
 If the proportion of youth in the population (‘youth bulge’) were under 36% (as opposed to current 65%),
the average net monetary benefit per province would be at Php 331 million, and 11-19% higher per capita
income.51
 A slower population growth rate through an effective family planning policy will enable the economy to develop
and accommodate the doubling of the population at higher standards of living.
 To look at what could have been, consider the case of Thailand, which had the same development status and
population in the 1960s, but chose to adopt a modern family planning policy to enable it to govern and sustainably
develop its resources, people, and growth, as shown in Figure 6.3 (continued on the following page).
o A regional study carried out a simulation exercise – What if the Philippines had Thailand’s population growth
trajectory? – with the following results:
 An increase of 0.77% per annum over 1975-2000 in average income per person or a cumulative increase of
22% in income per capita by 2000 – meaning a GDP per capita in 2000 of $1,210 instead of the actual $993
[or $4,839 instead of $3,971 in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms];
 Basic education savings of P128 billion (1991-2000), and basic health savings of P52 billion (1996 -2000).
These savings could be used to improve the quality of education and health services, or to finance
agricultural sector investments that – along with lower population growth – could have sharply reduced
rural poverty.
50
Beehner, Lionel. The Effects of ‘Youth Bulge on Civil Conflicts’.Council for Foreign Relations. 27 April 2007.
http://www.cfr.org/publication/13093/effects_of_youth_bulge_on_civil_conflicts.html
51
Mapa, Dennis, “Young Population Matters: More is not Necessarily Merrier!” Philippine Center for Population and Development.Policy Brief No. 1, 2009.
Figure 6.3: Thailand vs. the Philippines Development - the role of family planning
Gross National Income (GNI) per capita

7,000
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000 1969
2010
2,000
1,000
0
Philippines Thailand
Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Population in millions
7
180
6
160
5 140
4 120
100
3 1969 1969
80 2010
2010
2
60 2050
1 40
20
0
Philippines Thailand 0
Philippines Thailand
Percentage of students enrolled in

Progress toward achieving the Millennium
Tertiary education
Development Goals (MDG’s)
Myth#7: The Philippines has enough resources to meet a larger population.

FACT: The Philippines will not develop sustainably unless it slows its rapidly growing population.
 The Philippines is the 12th largest nation in terms of population but is only the 77th largest in terms of land mass,
and with its dwindling resources, cannot sustain a large population.
o Because of its growing population combined with inconsistent governance, the Philippines' demand on
ecological resources increased from less than its own biocapacity* in 1961 to more than double its
domestically available biocapacity in 2002, and is in excess of the global average52.
o * Resource demand (ecological footprint) for the country as a whole is the product of population times per
capita consumption. Resource supply (biocapacity) varies each year with ecosystem management, agricultural
practices (such as fertilizer use and irrigation), ecosystem degradation, and weather.
Figure 7.1: Philippine Footprint vs. Biocapacity vs. the World’s
 In the Philippines, the compound pressure of competing demands for cropland, pasture, and forest create a
production footprint in excess of available biocapacity.
o This suggests that the forest stock is being depleted. The Philippines’ forests shrank at an average annual
rate of 1.4% in the 1990s (see Figure 7.2). Per capita biocapacity has been declining rapidly from 1.22 to
0.52 gha/cap, mainly due to growth in population and environmental degradation.53
52
World and Country Trends.Global Footprint Network
53
Wackernagel, Mathis, et al. Ecological footprint time series of Austria, the Philippines, and South Korea for 1961–1999: comparing the
conventional approach to an ‘actual land area’ approach. Land Use Policy 21 (2004) 261–269
 A larger population exacerbates the effects of global warming identified by UN climate scientists54:
o Rising sea levels, floods and typhoons, dwindling drinking water supplies induced by drought, and shrinking
food crops from parched agricultural lands increase human and ecological vulnerability.
 A 1-meter rise in sea level resulting from melting polar ice caps could put 64 of 81 provinces—a full 80% —in
harm’s way.55
o This equals 700 million sq.m. of coastal lands, covering half of the country’s 1,610 municipalities. Half of
the population depends on seafood as the main source of protein.
Figure 7.2:
 The Philippines can learn from countries such as Pakistan, which has a large population, fertility rate, and
corresponding resource strains and conflicts.
o Underlying these is its failing ecosystem and finite biocapacity, where forest cover has been depleted in favor
of farmlands, which itself showing diminishing returns due to growing population and population density (see
Figure 7.3).
Figure 7.3:
 Because of the clear and present danger to current and future generations, citizens and policymakers can invoke
the ethical teaching widely endorsed by all faith groups, called the Precautionary Principle, to enact legislation to
proactively address and manage population growth and sustainable resource use.
o The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (Rio Declaration) embodies this statement of
precaution,taking the principle from Hippocrates’ oath and placing it into the environmental arena:
 “In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States
according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full
scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent
environmental degradation.”56
54
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20101130-306093/Studies-find-Philippines-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen
55
Ibid.
56
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, U.N.Doc.
A/CONF.151/6/Rev.1 (1992), 31 I.L.M. 874 (1992)
o In 2002, the International Law Association’s (ILA) New Delhi Declaration of Principles of International Law
Relating to Sustainable Development Law (New Delhi Principles)14 provided a different formulation,
broadening the scope of the principle, echoing recognition by the Vatican:
 “A precautionary approach is central to sustainable development in that it commits States, international
organizations and civil society, particularly the scientific and business communities, to avoid human activity
which may cause significant harm to human health, natural resources or ecosystems, including in the face
of scientific uncertainty.” 57
o These align fully with the universal concept of Sustainable Development:

 “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs, balanced integration of social, economic and environmental
aspects in development decision-making, socially and environmentally sound development...”58
 The Philippines is 4th in the group of 10 most threatened forests, with “the remaining forests … also being cleared
for farming and to accommodate the needs of the nation’s high population growth rate and severe rural
poverty.59
 On the Annual Ranking of Failed States60, the Philippines climbed higher, thanks to high population pressures.
o The Philippines is in the same league as Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Laos, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in terms of
population pressures, (7.7/10); overall, ranked worse than West Bank, Papua New Guinea, and Angola
 Some distressing facts about the Philippine environment:

o The Philippines has less than 10 % of its forest cover and coral reefs remaining.61
o Less than 50% of the country’s ground fresh water resources is potable.62
o Untreated domestic wastewater (90%) from congested communities threatens water bodies further.63
o Diseases from polluted water (31% of total illnesses) costs Php 6.7 billion (US$134 million) annually.64
o Only 1,907 cubic meters of fresh water are available to each person each year, making the Philippines the
2nd to the lowest among Southeast Asian countries with fresh water availability.65
o Only 39% of 525 water bodies are potential sources of drinking water.66
o 44% of the population earn less than $2/day, and of 2/3 of the population are engaged in unsustainable
environmental and natural resource usage.67
57
International Law Association (ILA) Resolution 3/2002: “New Delhi Declaration of Principles of International Law Relating To Sustainable
Development” in ILA, Report of the Seventieth Conference, New Delhi (London: ILA, 2002), available online: <http://www.ila-hq.org>.
58
1987 Brundtland Report, 1992 UNCED, 2002 World Summit in Sustainable Development
59
Conservation International Report.
60
Foreign Policy Magazine’s Annual Ranking of Failed States. www.foreignpolicy.com. The Philippines climbed up the ranking and is now at
53 (2009) from 58 in 2007, driven by a key component: population pressures
61
Conservation International.Philippine Biodiversity Conservation Profiles. 2002. pp. 3-4
62
Greenpeace.State of Water Resources in the Philippines. October 2007. p. 17
63
Ibid., p. 19
64
Ibid., p. 21
65
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). (2002) Country Profile on Environment – Philippines, Chapter 4: Current Environmental
Issues. February 2002.http://www.jica.go.jp/english/global/env/profiles/pdf/03.pdf
66
EMB. 2006. National Water Quality Status Report 2001 to 2005. http://www.emb.gov.ph/wqms/2001-2005%20NWQSR/NWQSR%20-
%20Body.pdf and World Bank. 2003. Philippine Environment Monitor
67
State of the Philippine Environment: A Progress Report, February 2006
 Population growth raises pressure to provide for a larger population, reducing the time to make necessary
adjustments (technological & institutional) to accommodate larger numbers at higher living standards.68
o Institutional and technological responses to population do not occur automatically, entail costs, and take time
to provide desired results. Slow population growth allows for more space and time to create the necessary
technological and institutional adjustments.
o “Slower population growth has, in many countries, bought more time to adjust to future population
increases. This increases those countries’ ability to attack poverty, protect and repair the environment, and
build the base for future sustainable development. Even the difference of a single decade in the transition to
stabilization levels of fertility can have a considerable positive impact on quality of life.”69
o Already, the Philippines shares the vicious cycle of high population growth; social conflict (insurgency, crime,
rape); large migration; depleted ecosystems, food, water and energy insecurity/insufficiency/dependence;
failing governance; failing health care and education systems as part of the same group of “political and
environmental hotspots”70:
 Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Haiti, Indonesia, Nepal, Madagascar, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, and the
Solomon Islands.
• The need for limitation of births was recognized by St. Thomas Aquinas. He claimed that reproducing in numbers
that outstrip the resources of a nation is immoral and should be prevented by legislators.71
o Saint Thomas agreed with Aristotle that the number of children generated should not exceed the provision of
the community and that this should be ensured and enforced by law as needed.
o Saint Thomas argued that this must be ensured by law since if more than a certain number of citizens were
generated, the result would be poverty, which would breed thievery, sedition, and chaos.
Figure 7.4: Benefits of Slower Population Growth
68
National Research Council. “Population Growth & Econ Development: Policy Questions.” Washington, D.C. National Academy Press. 1986.
69
ICPD Programme of Action para 3.14
70
Diamond, Jared. “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive.” Penguin. 2005. pp. 496-499; 515-516
71
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Omnia Opera, Tomus XLVII, SententiaLibriPoliticorum(Rome: Ad SanctaeSabinae, 1971), A 140-141.
Myth # 8: Highly populated countries like India and China are successful because of their large populations,
while other countries are experiencing a “demographic winter.”
FACT: India and China have been trying to reduce population growth and family sizes for decades, and their
growth is due to improving productivity of their citizens. The Philippines is 100 years away from a “demographic
winter,” and even with lowered population growth and fertility rates, will already reach 160 million in 2060.
Without this, the Philippines may have an unsustainable population of 240 million people.
 Countries like India and China are successful because they are able to take care of their population, and have been
actively trying to reduce their growth rate for decades. Their population is more productive.
o India and China may have higher GDPs but consider their significantly lower TFRs & growth rates.
 As comparisons are frequently drawn with Thailand, their numbers are also in the table below:
Table 8.1: General comparison of India, China, Thailand and the Philippines72
India China Philippines Thailand

Population 1.1 billion (2nd most 1.3 billion (most 99 million (12th most 67 million (20th most
populous) populous country) populous) populous)
Growth Rate 1.4% 0.5% 1.9% 0.7%
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) 2.65 children 1.54 children 3.23 children 1.65
GDP 8% 10% 7.1% 7.6%
Per Capita Income $3,290 $6,838 $3,546 $8,700
Unemployment Rate 10.8% 4.3% 7.5% 1.2%
 India reports several difficulties with their increasing population.73

o Environment: “Rapid population growth, developmental activities either to meet the growing population or
the growing needs of the population, as well as changing lifestyles and consumption patterns, pose major
challenge to preservation and promotion of ecological balance in India.”
o Urbanization: 29% of the population lives in urban areas. “Urban population growth has outpaced the
development of basic minimum services; housing, water supply, sewerage and solid waste disposal are far
from adequate; increasing waste generation at home, offices and industries, coupled with poor waste disposal
facilities result in rapid environmental deterioration. Increasing automobiles add to air pollution. All these have
adverse effect on ecology and health. Poverty persists in urban and peri-urban areas; awareness about the
glaring inequities in close urban setting may lead to social unrest.”
o Rural Development: “Over 70% of India’s population still lives in rural areas,” and they are still dependent on
agriculture for employment. “There is substantial under employment among these people; both wages and
productivity are low. These in turn result in poverty; it is estimated that 320 million people are still living below
the poverty line in rural India. Though poverty has declined over the last three decades, the number of rural
poor has in fact increased due to the population growth.”
o India’s government has been advocating family planning since the 50s. “By the late 1960s, many policy
makers believed that the high rate of population growth was the greatest obstacle to economic development.
The government began a massive program to lower the birth rate from forty-one per 1,000 to a target of
twenty to twenty-five per 1,000 by the mid-1970s.” During the 1980s, an increased number of family planning
programs were implemented. In rural areas, the programs were further extended through a network of
primary health centers and subcenters. By 1991, India had more than 150,000 public health facilities through
which family planning programs were offered.”74
72
CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html
73
POPULATION GROWTH - Trends, Projections, Challenges and Opportunities Working Paper No. 2/2000-PC. By PremaRamachandran,
Mohan Singh, A.N. Kapoor , K.K. Lamba, Planning Commission, Government of India
74
India, Country Studies/Area Handbook Series, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress
 China now has a low growth rate and low TFR from its deliberate family planning policy efforts. Still, the increase
in population has already done its damage:
o Environment: According to the World Bank, “Much of *China’s+ energy-producing and -using equipment is both
inefficient and highly polluting. As a result, China experiences severe urban air pollution that has a significant
impact throughout the region. It is the world’s 2nd-largest source of GHG emissions… of the 20 cities
worldwide with the most polluted air, 16 are in China."75
o Urbanization: China has seen a drastic increase in its urban population since the 1950s. “This costs in the
dislocation of people and in resource consumption, [and] will be inevitably accompanied by dramatic increases
in the consumption of water, land, energy, and mineral resources.76 China today is on the verge of being
majority-urban, with an estimated two-thirds of Chinese living in cities by 2030 (half).”77
o Rural Development: Rapid growth and unchecked modernization have jeopardized China’s farmlands. “China’s
air quality has affected vegetation and agriculture. Sulfur dioxide has given China ‘some of the world’s worst
acid rain. An estimated 30% of China’s cropland is suffering from acidification, and the resulting damage to
farms, forests, and human health is projected at $13 billion’. 1/4th of China’s land is desert, and desertification
is proceeding at a pace of more than 1,300 square miles/year. Practices such as ‘overcultivation, overgrazing,
and firewood collection,’ along with destruction of natural vegetation, have intensified this, reducing the
capacity of soil to hold water, suppresses airflow rise and convergence, enhances surface albedo, intensifies
downward airflow, and ultimately leads to climatic aridification’.”78
o China’s various governments have been trying to curb their population growth since 1949. Different
campaigns have tried different tactics, such as emphasis on “virtues of late marriage.” “Birth control offices
were set up in 1964. The campaign was particularly successful in the cities, where the birth rate was cut in half
during the 1963-66 period.”79 Notwithstanding the controversial 1-child policy implementation, nearly all the
fall in the TFR took place before the 1-child policy was instituted.
o China also illustrates the problem of demographic momentum: although Chinese couples on average have 1.8
children, as a result of rapid population growth a generation ago, the number of married fertile women is still
growing. China has 7 million more births than deaths each year; the Philippine population will also continue
to grow long after it reaches replacement level fertility.
 Though India and China are economically successful because of their large population, this has been attributed to
the increase in productivity due to development and utilization of innovative technologies by the young educated
population who formed the majority of the growing population.
o They have been able to exploit the dynamics of demographic transition to achieve economic growth by using
human resources as the driver of economic development; improved employment with adequate emoluments
has promoted saving and investment which in turn stimulated economic growth.”80
o The ‘demographic dividend’ (changing age structure) that followed access to family planning is thought to
account for up to one-third of the economic growth.81
75
Cann, C.W., Cann, M.C., & Gao Shangquan. 2005. China's road to sustainable development: An overview. China's Environment and the Challenge of
Sustainable Development.New York, M.E. Sharpe. pp. 3-34.
76
Urbanization, sustainability and the utilization of energy and mineral resources in China, Lei Shen, Shengkui Cheng, Aaron James Gunson, Hui Wan. Institute
of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research (IGSNRR), CAS, Beijing 100101, PR China.University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T
1Z4. China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, PR China
77
China and the Path to Environmental Sustainability, by Ethan Goffman. Released August 2007. http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/china/review.pdf
78
Ibid.
79
China, Country Studies/Area Handbook Series, Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress
80
POPULATION GROWTH - Trends, Projections, Challenges and Opportunities Working Paper No. 2/2000-PC. By PremaRamachandran, Mohan Singh, A.N.
Kapoor , K.K. Lamba, Planning Commission, Government of India
81
Birdsall, N., A. C. Kelley, et al. (2001). Population matters: demographic change, economic growth, and poverty in the developing world,
Oxford University Press, USA.
 The prospect of a so-called “demographic winter” – birth death, aging, etc. – while occurring in varying degrees in
highly advanced countries, is as distant as about 100 years from today for the Philippines.82
o Projections indicate that, if TFR continues to decline by 0.2 children every five years, replacement fertility of
2.1 children per woman would be reached only by 2040 (see Figure 8.2).
o However, the effects of population momentum would persist for another 60 years before population ceases to
grow, by which time the Philippines’ total population would be 240 million.
 For example, Thailand’s population, which has reached below-replacement fertility for some time, continues to
grow owing to population momentum.
o As empirically proven, a high-quality family planning program (access to education, provision of modern and
natural family planning methods) can reduce high fertility rates closer to replacement rates than economic
development or poverty reduction alone.83
Figure 8.2: Population Momentum in the Philippines
Table 1: The year in which a country reaches replacement level fertility

has a major impact on its ultimate population size.
Philippines
250
200
Population (millions)
150
2060
2040
100
2020
2010
50
Total fertility rate: 3.2 (2010)

Unmet need for family planning: 17% (2008)
Population Reference Bureau
82
Pernia, Ernesto PhD, et al. Population and Development: the Real Score.” University of the Philippines. 2004. pp. 14-15
83
Boongarts, J. The Role of Family Planning Programmes in Contemporary Fertility Transitions.” in The Continuing Demographic Transition.
Jones, G.W, et al (eds.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1997. See Also, Tsui, A.O. “Population Policies, Family Planning Programs, and Fertility:
for the Record. In, Global Fertility Transition.Bulatao, R.A. and Casterline, J.B (eds.). Population and Development Review. Supplement to
Vol. 27. New York: Population Council.
Myth # 9: Family planning through modern contraceptives is against the Constitution.

FACT: The Philippine Constitution and Philippine commitments to international agreements allow family
planning and the use of modern methods.
 Philippine Constitution of 1987: Couples have the basic human right to decide freely and responsibly the number
and spacing of their children. (Article XV, Section 3. Declaration of Principles & State Policies, Section 9, 12, 14, 15,
and 16 of the 1987 Constitution, cited in the PPHP Directional Plan (2001-2004))
 Philippine Constitution supports health and development. “The State shall…

o “…protect & promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. (Art. II.
Sec. 15)
o “…adopt an integrated and comprehensive approach to health development, which shall endeavor to make
essential goods, health and other social services available to all the people at affordable cost. There shall be
priority for the needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women and children. The State shall
endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers.” (Art. XIII. Sec. 11)
o “…defend the right of spouses to found a family in accordance with their religious convictions and the demands
of responsible parenthood.” (Art. XV. Sec. 3. [1])
 Under the Filipino constitution, those millions of citizens who are Protestant, Moslem or belong to other faiths
have an incontestable right to choose whatever method of family planning they wish to use and the government
has a responsibility for optimizing the health of its citizens according the best scientific evidence.
o Catholic bishops and Church leaders, if they are to truly honor the statements on religious toleration
elaborated in Vatican II, also have a moral obligation to respect the sincere beliefs of others.
 Ireland, a progressive, developed and predominantly Catholic Country, has a Constitution similar to the
Philippines, wherein, “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal
right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and as far as practicable, by its laws, to defend and
vindicate that right” (Article 40, Sec. 3.3).
o In light of this, the Irish government has a family planning policy that funds and delivers all modern
contraceptive methods including IUDs, pills, injectables, and implants.
 As a sovereign state pursuant to its Constitution, the Philippines is a signatory of the following international
treaties, conferences, and conventions that enshrine reproductive health:
o United Nations declaration that Reproductive Health is a human right, and “these rights are basic right of all
couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children
and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and
reproductive health. In addition, it also includes their right to make decisions concerning reproduction free of
discrimination, coercion and violence, as expressed in human rights documents.
o First Conference on Human Rights in 1968 accepted that “parents have a basic right to determine freely and
responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to do so.”
o Through the “United Nations Decade for Women” (1976-1985) that targeted improvements in women’s status,
and the third World Conference on Women (Nairobi Conference) in 1985, recognition that “women’s rights
are human rights” was spread throughout the world.
o The World Summits on Sustainable Development (Rio and Johannesburg), which advocate “Development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs, balanced integration of social, economic and environmental aspects in development decision-making,
socially and environmentally sound development...”84
84
1987 Brundtland Report, 1992 UNCED, 2002 World Summit in Sustainable Development
 The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the Philippines and some 180 States in the 55th United
Nations General Assembly in September 2000 (the Millennium Assembly). Four of the eight development goals
were directly related to reproductive health.
o Goal 3: eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by
2015;
o Goal 4: reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five;
o Goal 5: reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio;
o Goal 6: halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
Myth #10: Islam, Christianity and other major religions forbid contraception.
FACT: Islam, most Christian denominations, and other major religions allow couples to use modern and natural
methods to plan their families. The governments of Catholic countries have accepted family planning policies
with State provision of modern and natural family planning methods.
 Religions all over the world have their own stances regarding contraception, and even within a particular faith
(such as Christianity), there are divisions regarding what the official stance is. Perceptions about population
concerns are similarly varied.
 It has been made clear by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines that the Roman Catholic Church in the
Philippines is firmly against contraception.
 Catholic countries like Panama, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Venezuela, Paraguay and Ireland all prohibit abortion as a family planning method even as they
vigorously promote contraceptive use.
o Similar countries have family planning policies allowing contraceptives, and have lowered their fertility rates to
sustainable levels, enabling families to plan their desired sizes (see Tables 10.1 and 10.2).
o The Philippines is the only predominantly Catholic country that has not adopted a family planning policy.
Table 10.1:
Table 4: Catholic Countries with Modern Family

Table 10.2: Planning Methods and Lower Fertility Rates
Country %Catholic TFR before FP TFR after FP became

became available available
Italy 90 2.47 1.4
Spain 88 2.92 1.4
Portugal 90 2.88 1.3
Mexico 87 6.5 2.2
Brazil 79 6.15 2.0
Malta 98 4.1 1.4
Source: World Health Organization, UC

Berkeley School of Public Health
 Chile serves as a model of how a predominantly Catholic country can pioneer a family planning program with the
support of the Catholic Church, academe, and international community.85
o Educational institutions, e.g., Universidad Católica and the Universidad de Chile and academics from FLACSO
(Facultad Latino americana de Ciencias Sociales) served as centers of scholarly, scientific, and medical
research and practice and provided the knowledge base to guide family planning policy.
o The Chilean medical, scientific, and political community also advocated reducing the size of families and the
judicious use of family planning.
o The Catholic Church hierarchy promoted such policies because they felt it would reduce the alarmingly high
rates of induced abortions that were then prevalent in Chile.
o Chilean medical & scholarly community shared a unity of purpose with U.S. foundations and agencies such as
the Population Council and the Ford & Rockefeller foundations, U.S. government agencies such as AID or the
Inter-American Development Bank; and regional institutions, such as the PanAmerican Health Organization.
o The government joined the Church in supporting modern methods to decrease the high rate of abortions.
 Today, Chile has a sustainable fertility rate, one of the largest GDP-per capita and Human Development Indices,
and is an OECD country that has risen out of a military dictatorship and feudalsystem.
 Ireland, another progressive, developed and predominantly Catholic Country, has a Constitution similar to the
Philippines,where: ”The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right
to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and as far as practicable, by its laws, to defend and
vindicate that right.” (Article 40, Sec. 3.3)
o In light of this, the Irish government has a family planning policy that funds and delivers all modern
contraceptive methods including IUDs, pills, injectables, and implants.
85
Power, Margaret. Gender, Modernity, and Technology: Chile during Four Different Political Regimes, 1964-2000. Illinois Institute of Technology. 2004.
 Catholic Constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas’ sums up the need for the separation of Church and State, and the
rights of all faiths under the Constitution86:
“Very much involved in the debate about contraception is the matter of religious liberty. We have to be aware of
the fact that we live in a pluralist society where various religious groups disagree about the morality of artificial
contraception. Freedom of religion means more than just the freedom to believe. It also means the freedom to act
or not to act according to what one believes. And this freedom is violated when one is compelled to act against
one’s belief or is prevented from acting according to one’s belief. In our society, while people of good faith may find
near unanimity on the matter of abortion as defined in the Penal Code, there clearly is sharp division in the matter
of contraception. The division is drawn largely along religious lines. The official Catholic teaching, for instance, is
that only natural family planning is allowed. The religion of many non-Catholics, however, prescribes a different
set of rules on sexual morality. And, as much as Catholics, they too have the right of moral equality and moral
freedom under our democratic system.
 The three other major religions in the country (Islam, Protestantism and the Iglesia ni Cristo) support family
planning, state funding for contraceptives, and the legislation promoting both modern and natural family
planning. Bishop Rodrigo Tano, the chairperson of the Interfaith Partnership for the Promotion of Responsible
Parenthood, has presented the perspectives of the other faiths in the Philippines87(see Table 10.1):
Table 10.3: Views on Contraception and Reproductive Health by other Religions
Islam Protestantism (UCCP, Baptists, Iglesia Ni Cristo

Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran)
- Safe and legal methods of - The procreative and unitive - We must uphold the balance
family planning are acceptable purposes of marriage can be between population and
and aligned with the Koran. separate. development as faithful
- Family planning and
- Population growth rates and stewardship.
reproductive health programs
should be non-coercive, economic development are - There must be informed and free
responsible and informed. interrelated. choice when it comes to
- Contraception is permissible, - Reproductive health methods reproductive health.
with these conditions: (such as contraception) that - Contraception, whether artificial
1. The birth control method are legal, safe and moral are or natural, is allowed as a way
should be used with both acceptable, whether natural or towards responsible
parties' consent.
artificial. parenthood, including the
2. The method should not
cause permanent sterility. control of family size to insure
3. The method should not quality of life.
otherwise harm the body.
 Islamic countries have adopted modern family methods with significantly positive development results.
o In Indonesia, the world’s largest Islamic nation, contraceptive use contributed to 75% of the fertility decline,88
enabling the State to sustainably provide for its previously rapid growing population.
 Changes in Indonesia’s education and economic development increased contraceptive use and subsequent
fertility decline were only possible because an organized supply delivery system of contraceptives existed.
o Iran, a virtual Muslim theocracy, has achieved one of the world’s most successful family planning programs.
 Despite economic and political hardships, the newly established government recognized the risks of a ballooning
population and prioritized the implementation of a national population policy.
86
Bernas, Joaquin, SJ. “Back to the RH Bill.”Philippine Daily Inquirer. 7 February 2011
87
Rodrigo Tano, “Ongoing Discussion: Reactions from Different Sectors – The Religious Perspective,” Philippine Population in Focus: Myths
and Challenges, 28 August 2010.
88
Gertler, P. J., &Molyneaux, J. W. (1994). How economic development and family planning programs combined to reduce Indonesian
fertility. Demography, 31(1).
 Full support of religious and community leaders, a well established primary health care infrastructure and
intelligent resource allocation resulted in a rapid decline in fertility and population growth.
 This trend has had positive impacts on women’s health, education, and human development, and will help
preserve natural resources for future generations.
o The rapid drop in Iran’s fertility rate was also concurrent with remarkable decreases in infant, child and
maternal mortality rates—a result of increased maternal and child care (see Figures 10.4 and 10.5).
Table 10.4:
Table 10.5:
 The Philippines is populated by more than just the Roman Catholic faith. If any sort of fair analysis of
contraception and reproductive health is to be discussed along the lines of religion, it should consider all of these
factors, and protect the rights of all citizens regardless of belief.
 Regarding the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, the country must align with how other predominantly Catholic
countries have addressed reproductive health and family planning policies.
 The current bills with family planning and provision of modern contraceptives* are compatible with the Church’s
social teachings, including the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person, the preferential
option for the poor and vulnerable, integral human development and the primacy of conscience. In this light they
urge that the Church listen to them as responsible Catholic laity who offer their Church the advantage of
evidenced-based approaches to the evolving needs of 21st-century Philippine society.
o *Key features of these measures are:
 State to promote without bias all effective medically safe & legal natural & modern family planning
methods
 Provision of information, care and supplies to be the joint responsibility of the National and Local
Government
 Abortion is illegal and freedom of choice is guaranteed by the state
 The DOH shall spearhead the procurement of and distribution of family planning supplies to all LGUs
 Integration of family planning and responsible parenthood component in anti poverty programs
 Mandatory age appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education
 Creation of a joint congressional oversight committee to oversee its implementation
 Possible penalty of 1-6 months in jail or fine of P10,000 to P50,000 for anyone who maliciously
engages in disinformation about the intent or provisions of the act
 Prominent theologians have called for a refocusing on the Catholic Church’s leadership toward89:
o A clear admission and recognition of the burden of large family sizes on the poor.
o Dialogue* with government on providing a holistic approach toward family planning, poverty alleviation, and
equitable growth, and partnering with the government in carrying our family planning, even if it focuses on
natural methods within its membership.
 * The conditions for such dialogue have been outlined by Bishop Pablo David90: “*Dialogue+ can only
be possible, however, if we first suspend our pre-judgments and our tendencies to label anyone who
doesn’t agree with us as anti-life, anti-God, or anti-family. It is counter-productive to simply take a
sharp adversarial stance or a posture of militancy. We might end up alienating more people, or
marginalizing ourselves.”
o Forming consciences through value formation of its members in making rational decisions on adopting family
planning programs within its teachings, amidst choices provided by the State (supported by other religions)
 Catholics must examine their own doctrines and their role as members of the Church in upholding the spirit of its
teachings in the modern world, especially with regard to the experience of the promulgation of Humanae Vitae.91
o Humanae Vitae is not an infallible doctrine. When Pope Paul VI issued Humanae Vitae in 1968, over 600
Catholic theologians signed a document saying that this encyclical was not binding on Catholics and that
Catholic couples could feel free in good conscience to disagree with the ban on artificial contraceptives.92
o Roman Catholic hierarchies in 14 different nations agreed with the theologians. As Catholic theologian
Christine Gudorf writes: “When Humanae Vitae, the papal encyclical retaining the ban on artificial
contraception, was issued in 1968, the Episcopal conferences of 14 different nations issued pastoral letters
assuring their laity that those who could not in good faith accept this teaching were not sinners.”93
o Recently, Pope Benedict XVI said that condoms could be used in sexual intercourse to prevent the transmission
of HIV. This shows that in his view the use of condoms can be justified in certain circumstances and that
intercourse with condoms is not in itself intrinsically evil. If it were intrinsically evil (such as, for example,
rape) it could never be justified for any reason.
89
Carroll, John, S.J. “Addressing Demographic Realities: A Complementary Perspective.”A Balancing Act: Social & Catholic Perspectives on
Population and Development. John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues.Philippine Center for Population and Development. 2008.
90
David, Randy..“A Shepherd in the Family.”Philippine Daily Inquirer.Makati City.p. 11. 16 July 2006
91
Bernardo Colombo . A Discussion of Birth Control: Personal Experiences and Reflections.Teologia.Theological faculty of Milan.March 2003 pp. 72-
98. See also, http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/6960?eng=y
92
Charles Curran, Loyal Dissent: Memoir of a Catholic Theologian (Georgetown, Washington D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2007, 49-69
93
Professor Christine Gudorf, “Contraception and Abortion in Roman Catholicism,” in Daniel C. Maguire, Editor, Sacred Rights: The Case for
Contraception and Abortion in World Religions (New York and London: Oxford University Press, 2002, 71.
o Catholic theologians now insist that the use of effective contraception is not just permissible but mandatory
when the failure to do so would result in births of babies for whom the individual couple or the community
cannot adequately provide.94
o Bernardo Colombo, who participated in the Papal Commission which voted 70-4 in favor of contraceptive use,
concludes his account:95
 "The growth of world population levels has slowed. Noting this, some have said that ´The Church was
right´: in essence, demographic problems are resolved with time and not by impairing the moral
conduct that the Church sees as acceptable. These are foolish opinions. They do not take into account
the factthat this slowing did not come like manna from heaven, but was to a great extent caused by
the extension of contraceptive practices contrary to Church teaching into developing countries."
94
Professor Daniel C. Maguire, Professor of Moral Theology at Marquette University, a Catholic, Jesuit university.
95
Bernardo Colombo . A Discussion of Birth Control: Personal Experiences and Reflections.Teologia.Theological faculty of Milan.March 2003 pp. 72-
98. See also, http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/6960?eng=y

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Get Real: The Facts vs. Myths on www.mulatpinoy.

 The use of contraceptives can reduce abortion rates by 85%.2

Source: Westoff C.2003

Myth #2: Contraceptives are dangerous to health and cause cancer.

Source: British Medical Journal

Figure 5.1 Figure 5.2

Figure 5.3 Table 5.4

 The Philippine population is growing beyond its economic means.41

 The country’s ‘youth bulge’ is a socio-economic and national security risk.

Gross National Income (GNI) per capita

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Percentage of students enrolled in

Myth#7: The Philippines has enough resources to meet a larger population.

Figure 7.1: Philippine Footprint vs. Biocapacity vs. the World’s

o These align fully with the universal concept of Sustainable Development:

 Some distressing facts about the Philippine environment:

Figure 7.4: Benefits of Slower Population Growth

India China Philippines Thailand

 India reports several difficulties with their increasing population.73

Figure 8.2: Population Momentum in the Philippines

Table 1: The year in which a country reaches replacement level fertility

Total fertility rate: 3.2 (2010)

Myth # 9: Family planning through modern contraceptives is against the Constitution.

 Philippine Constitution supports health and development. “The State shall…

Table 4: Catholic Countries with Modern Family

Country %Catholic TFR before FP TFR after FP became

Italy 90 2.47 1.4

Spain 88 2.92 1.4

Portugal 90 2.88 1.3

Mexico 87 6.5 2.2

Brazil 79 6.15 2.0

Malta 98 4.1 1.4

Source: World Health Organization, UC

Table 10.3: Views on Contraception and Reproductive Health by other Religions

Islam Protestantism (UCCP, Baptists, Iglesia Ni Cristo

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