MANILA, Sept. 14, 2011—An official of the world’s largest pro-life organization said Filipinos will remain happy as a people if they continue to value their faith and family life.
“Even those of us in the supposedly ‘developed’ world are happier if we have intact families with all of the children with whom we are blessed, and if we keep faith and family and community close to our hearts,” said Stephen Phelan, Communications Director of Human Life International (HLI).
“If Filipinos want to be happy and not just mere ‘accepted’ by people who think there are too many Filipinos for their comfort, then they will continue to value faith, life and family,” he added.
“They will embrace authentic human development programs that lead toward independence – not more dependence on foreign dollars.”
Recent revelations
Phelan was referring to recent news reports that had even reached international media about billions of dollars being poured into the Philippines for the implementation of family planning programs.
Following an accidental admission by a House of Representatives’ solon that the Reproductive Health (RH) bill is a depopulation measure, abortion groups – including the world’s largest abortion provider International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) – have been discovered to be funding at least three local pro-RH organizations.
The cooperation between foreign abortion groups and Philippine-based non-government organizations backing the RH bill was not denied by either the measure’s Senate version sponsor Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago or co-sponsor Sen. Pia Cayetano in last week’s debates.
“The recent revelations by RH advocates usually do not happen in the open. Normally they are more disciplined and ‘on message,’” observed Phelan.
“They use the same arguments, and they ignore data that betray the problems with their views, so that part is common worldwide (among those pushing ‘reproductive health’).”
Faith “absolutely essential”
The HLI official pointed out that faith is “absolutely essential” in the crusade to uphold a culture of life, since “as the 20th century has shown us a society that rejects its faith tradition quickly becomes corrupt and murderous.”
“The Pope has been speaking quite a bit about the loss of faith and how that is really at the root of so many problems, including – and this is important – a loss in the belief in authentic human dignity. The dignity of the human person only makes sense ultimately as a gift from his Creator, which is why we need to be reminded so often of this basic truth, and why we need faith communities that strengthen us and keep us in relationship with God,” he said.
“It is impossible to see a person as a problem to be eliminated when you see Jesus in him.”
Phelan emphasized the need to prioritize education in protecting human life and family and in ensuring that legislation respects both. Not to be limited to traditional forms of education, this can be done through creative tools using the Internet and by speaking at rallies and marches, he remarked.
However, the communications director pointed out that the media have to be educated as well.
Helping media to present the accurate picture
“They are likely being told many half-truths, or a story about what it takes to become a ‘developed nation.’ They have to know that every nation that ever became wealthy did so with larger families. In recent decades family sizes have shrunk, and people are only now starting to make the connection between this demographic implosion and the serious economic crisis of the West. The Philippines should not want to emulate nations that cannot pay their bills, and are incurring enormous debts, and whose societies have serious social problems as well,” Phelan stated.
Filipinos, he added, must realize that “the Western lifestyle is nowhere near as ‘happy’ as our (advertising) commercials and products make us sound. To buy into this is to buy into a lie.”
“Children really are the future, and they must be welcomed, educated and nurtured, not seen as the enemy of progress,” he furthered. (CBCP for Life)
