RH Bill’s population control thrust dangerous for women workers

“The population control framework within which the Reproductive Health Bill is currently being pushed by the Aquino regime is dangerous for poor women, including women workers.”

This was the statement of labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno as it joined the raging debates on the controversial bill still in the House of Representatives, saying the Aquino regime is hijacking women workers’ clamor for comprehensive reproductive health care for its anti-poor economic program.

“When the government framework is comprehensive reproductive health care for women, women workers will be educated and given choices and services. When the government framework is population control, as it is right now, women workers will almost be coerced into using contraceptives,” said Nenita “Nitz” Gonzaga, KMU vice-chairperson for women affairs.

“A population control framework will benefit greedy pharmaceutical companies and the Aquino regime – to the detriment of women workers and poor women in general. It will not solve poverty but will only expand state and corporate control over women’s bodies with the illusion that this will solve poverty,” she added.

KMU cited the Aquino government’s Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016, particularly Chapter 8 with the title “Social Development” and its section on “Policies and Strategies.” There, it is stated under the sub-heading of “Population” that “The Directional Plan for Population 2011-2016 addresses the challenge of poverty alleviation, as this is affected by fertility and parenting choices.”

The same section states the passage of “A National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population Development” as part of the government’s legislative agenda.

“We will not be fooled by the Aquino regime’s high-sounding phrases as it plans to hijack women workers’ calls for comprehensive reproductive health care to advance its policies that are fundamentally anti-poor and anti-women. We are calling for the removal of the population control provisions in the existing RH Bill but we are not optimistic that the Aquino regime, given its direction, will heed our calls,” Gonzaga said.

“With its population control framework, the Aquino regime is continuing the long tradition of blaming the poor, especially poor women, for poverty. It is not the poor who are causing poverty in the country, but the extremely rich who exploit the labors of the majority for their selfish interests and maintain a socio-economic system which allows them to do so,” she added.