MANILA, August 16, 2012— Amid a battle with President Benigno Aquino III over a proposed contraception measure, the Catholic Church is promoting natural family planning.
Allied with other pro-life organizations, the Catholic hierarchy has initiated a nationwide effort to overturn the Aquino administration’s aggressiveness to promote artificial contraception.
Various dioceses have also conducted series of seminars on the natural method of family planning as part of the Church’s “moral responsibility” to the people.
Church leaders believe that active educational campaign would help empower the couples on the “moral, effective and safe” way of family planning.
The church is not only stressing that artificial contraception violates Catholic teaching but also that it harms women’s bodies and the environment.
In Manila, Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle has endorsed the establishment of a network on NFP as the church’s way of exercising “responsible parenthood.”
Heeding the call, members of the “All-Natural Family Planning Network” will meet on August 23 at the Pius XII Catholic Center to discuss plans to further improve their advocacy.
Hosted by the Catholic Women’s League (CWL), the gathering will also serve as a venue for looking into the options allowed by the Church in terms of amendments to certain provisions of the RH bill.
The booklet, “The Standard Days Method of Natural Family Planning: Expert Opinions and Pastoral Perspectives,” will also be launched during the meeting.
The launching will also feature as speaker Dr. Hanna Klaus, one of the experts who contributed to the booklet, published by the Archdiocese of Cagayan De Oro and CWL.
“As a positive alternative to the RH bill, we can propose a nationwide program for All-NFP as a valid, viable and vital way of addressing the felt needs of many couples today for family planning and for their preference for NFP methods,” said CWL president Caridad Rabuco.
The Catholic hierarchy has consistently opposed the use of artificial contraception methods like condoms and pills. [CBCPNews]
