05/24/2011 | 05:56 AM
Amid the rising chorus of anti-Reproductive Health (RH) Bill rhetoric of his fellow clergymen, prominent Jesuit priest Joaquin Bernas, SJ sings a different tune.
In his column on Inquirer.Net on Monday, Bernas declared, "I have never held that the RH Bill is perfect. But if we have to have an RH law, I intend to contribute to its improvement as much as I can."
He also disagreed with "churchmen (who) compel President Aquino, by whatever means, to prevent people from acting according to their religious belief."
His most recent column was partly a defense from criticism by conservative Catholics, including a "high-ranking cleric" who called him Judas. But we also went on the offense.,
In the column titled "My Stand on the RH Bill," Bernas branded as "irresponsible" clerics who say that support for the RH Bill is a serious sin and lauded the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for “[disowning] the self-destructive views of some clerics."
He also referred to some critics of the bill as "attack dogs."
Bernas' column is usually a cerebral take on affairs of the state that perhaps fellow academics can best appreciate.
But reflecting the increasingly fevered public interest in the RH issue, his latest column has gone viral, with nearly 5,000 Facebook “recommends" as of Tuesday morning and nearly 1,500 Twitter shares.
‘Freedom of religion’
Bernas put his views in context by pointing out that the Philippines is a pluralist society which should support not only the freedom to believe but the “freedom to act or not to act according to what one believes."
Thus, Bernas argued, neither the government nor the church has the right to stop people from practicing responsible parenthood whichever way they prefer.
Citing the “Compendium on Social Teaching of the Catholic Church," Bernas explained that the state ought to decide based not only on the majority, but the minority as well.
For Bernas, spending public money to promote public health does not violate the Constitution, contrary to the argument of some anti-RH activists.
“Public money is neither Catholic, nor Protestant, nor Muslim or what have you and may be appropriated by Congress for the public good without violating the Constitution," he said.
Opposes mandatory sex education
Bernas also showed his more conservative side by declaring his opposition to mandated sex education in public schools and his support for the provision that strengthens the illegality of abortion.
For him, parents must give consent to the classes beforehand, citing Article II, Section 12 of the Constitution on “the natural and primary right of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character."
He also reiterated his definition of abortion. “Sacred life begins at fertilization and not at implantation," he said.
Finally, Bernas emphasized how the bill would protect the nation’s poor women, according to the bill’s Declaration of Policy and Guiding Principles. “They should be saved," he said.
RH bill dividing Catholics
Bernas’ column came a day after another cleric, the conservative retired Bishop Teodoro Bacani made waves during Sunday evening’s RH Bill Grand Debate on GMA News TV with his confrontational demeanor on stage.
On Monday meanwhile, a member of the clergy called for “sobriety" on the issue after other members of the Catholic Church escalated their attacks on the RH Bill.
In a pastoral statement, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said that the ongoing debate on the bill was putting Catholics at “odds" with each other.
He defended the Church’s stand, saying that it was not trying to further inflame the situation but to make an appeal “for the triumph of reason and sobriety."
Giving Catholicism a bad name
Earlier, Bernas had written a blog entry saying that a sector of the Church is giving the Catholic religion a bad name by imposing their beliefs on everyone.
Bernas was reacting to a Barangay Ayala Alabang ordinance that required a doctor’s prescription for the purchase of artificial contraception, such as condoms.
The CBCP has since stopped formal dialogues with both the Palace and the Senate on the RH Bill.
However, CBCP public relations unit head Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. said on Monday that they are still open to talks on the bill, barring some “non-negotiables."
Debate for the House of Representatives’ version of the RH Bill began last week while the Senate is scheduled to begin RH debates by August.