MANILA, Dec. 18, 2012— As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the Supreme Court is an option to continue their fight against the reproductive health (RH) bill.
Officials of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said they will support a plan by anti-RH bill lawyers to question the measure before the SC.
Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, chairman of the CBCP’s Commission on Family and Life, revealed that a group of Catholic lawyers will initiate the filing of the case once the RH bill becomes a law.
“I know that a group of Catholic lawyers has a plan to make an appeal before the Supreme Court because it’s against the Constitution… against religious freedom,” Reyes said.
“The Constitution states that the government should protect the family and marriage. The RH bill is against the goodness of family and the stability of marriage,” he said.
According to Monsignor Joselito Asis, CBCP secretary general, many individuals are willing to file a case in the SC.
He said the bishops was after the “total scrapping” of the population control measure because of its “bad provisions” and they will support moves against it.
“We always called for the total scrapping of the bill. If it becomes a law, the next step is to appeal this to the right forum,” Asis said.
“It would be an initiative of the lay people. Many are interested to file a case in the SC,” he said. “Now, will the CBCP support this? Of course!”
Both houses of Congress yesterday approved on third and final reading the controversial measure.
The House of Representatives voted 133-79 to pass the bill with seven abstentions, while the Senate did the same thing with 13-8 votes.
The two chambers are expected to iron out the differences in their respective versions of the bill in the bicameral conference committee today so President Aquino can sign it into a law. (CBCPNews)
