(This speech was delivered during the December 8 Prayer Rally against the Anti-Life and Anti-Family Bills at the DWAD Gym)
L-I-F-E Bills
L
License only after a church pre-marriage counseling
Bill House Bill 216
Title "Amending Article 16 of the Family Code, Making it mandatory
for Couples to undergo Counseling Prior to the Issuance of
Marriage License"
Author Hon. Rozanno Rufino B. Biazon, Lone District, Muntinlupa City.
Provisions
"The bill aims to provide for mandatory marriage counseling given by priest,
pastor or imam for all couples intending to marry," amending the present law
that only requires marriage counseling in cases where parental consent or advice
is needed.
The author asserts that "an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure" by requiring marriage counseling to properly prepare the couples. The author believes that properly preparing the couples will prevent future marital problems. (Note - counselors come from one's religious affiliation, not from the Population Commission or City Hall.)
Status: Pending with the Committee on Revision of Laws.
Insist respect of the religious belief and right of conscience of health
workers.
Bill HB 5028
Title "The Rights of Conscience Act of 2006"
Author Hon. Hermilando Mandanas of the 2nd District of Batangas.
Provisions The bill intends to guarantee the rights of health care service providers to refuse to perform operation/s and act/s that are contradictory to their religious and moral beliefs and conscience. With this bill a health worker can refuse to prescribe artificial contraceptives or abortifacient drugs and devices, and perform permanent sterilization without fear of any repercussion.
Under the bill, medical or health workers have the following rights: of
conscience, immunity from liability and rights against discrimination because of
her/his religious and moral beliefs on artificial birth control, abortion,
sterilization, artificial insemination, in-vitro fertilization, human cloning,
euthanasia, human stem cell research, fetal experimentation and other anti-life
acts.
Health or medical institutions are also granted similar rights, i.e., of
conscience, immunity from liability and against discrimination.
Guaranteeing the right to conscience and given the right orientation and moral
values, healthcare providers will refuse to do immoral and unethical acts.
Date Filed: January 25, 2006
Status: Pending with the Committee on Health. No scheduled hearings.
Forbid and ban abortifacient drugs and devices.
Bill House Bill 4643
Title "The Anti-Abortive Drugs and Devices Act"
Author Hon. Rene Velarde, Partylist Buhay.
Provisions
The bill intends to regulate drugs used as abortive drugs (e.g. prostaglandin)
for therapeutic purposes only, and ban abortive devices.
As the pro-HB-3773 congressmen are bragging that they have the support of 120
congressmen and will pass the bill before Congress ends session this April, the
more we need to hasten the passage of HB 4643.
This is to make HB3773 inutile since HB 4643 will ban the main method of population control.
Status: Pending with the Committee on Revision of Laws and waiting for a
committee hearing to be scheduled.
Extend help to pregnant women through tax discounts of pregnancy care services.
Bill House Bill 5327
Title "The Pregnancy Care Centers Act of 2006"
Author Hon. Ed Zialcita, 1st District of Paranaque.
Provisions
If pro-contraceptive health and medical organizations is profitable because of
the market demand created by their information and communication campaigns (read
propaganda work), e.g. artificial birth control is a necessity, then we should
also create an environment that will encourae HMOs and other NGOs to provide
pro-natal services.
The bill will promote the establishments of "pregnancy care center" or "crisis
pregnancy center" by mandating the Department of Health to make grants and tax
rebates to private and non-profit agencies and organizations that will establish
these centers.
These centers are oriented to provide medical attention for pregnant women,
nutritional support, services; free of charge.
By providing medical and other services to pregnant women, especially those in
crisis will imbibe pro-natal values and give them the option to carry to term
their pregnancy.
This bill addresses one of the issues of our advocacy against abortion. The
usual argument by pro-abortion and feminists activists is that "pro-lifers are
against abortion but do not provide assistance to women in crisis" (this
propaganda line denies our efforts in providing these services). But with this
bill, the government is tasked to support our long standing pro-life and
pro-women programs and projects. '
Date Filed: March 7, 2006
Status: Pending with Committee on Population and Family Relations. No scheduled hearing.