Gabriela backs SC ruling on stay of RH law

By Christine F. Herrera

THE status quo ante order on Reproductive Health Law only goes to show that the law has “loopholes and flawed policies” particularly on population control, and runs contrary to President Benigno Aquino III’s plan to privatize the 26 state-run hospitals, Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan said Friday.

Ilagan, who voted “yes with reservations” on RH bill, said Gabriela would show up during oral arguments in the Supreme Court to ensure that their concerns were tackled.
She also bared that the House tried to railroad the hospital privatization bill by passing it on second reading while everybody was not looking during the impeachment trial but that they were able to block it.

The bill was tossed back to the panel.

Ilagan accused President Aquino of doing “double speak” for wanting RH to give the poor free access to contraceptives and medical health care, yet at the same time depriving the poor access to cheaper hospitalization cost for pushing for privatization of 26 public hospitals.

“Various dissenting opinions including Gabriela’s reservations as explained in our vote when the law hurdled deliberations in the House underscores the various criticisms raised on the RH Law,” Ilagan said.

Ilagan has long raised its objection to what she calls the Aquino-Akbayan backed population control agenda in the RH Law.

Ilagan explained that the provision under the Declaration Policies, which provides that couples planning to have children should raise the child in a “humane way,” practically bars the poor from having children.

“It is population control and practically telling the poor to stop having children. How can the government expect the poor to raise their children in a humane way when they are not equipped with the means and empowered to do so,” Ilagan said.

“President Aquino is a strong advocate of responsible parenthood. We have no quarrel with that. However, as parents are given access to contraceptives, the President would also privatize the hospital that would make it more difficult for these parents to afford hospitalization,” she said.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/03/23/gabriela-backs-sc-ruling-on-stay-of-rh-law/