MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE) A comprehensive family planning and reproductive health care policy will reduce the estimated 400,000 abortions in the country every year, Senator Rodolfo Biazon said Wednesday.

"The 400,000 cases of abortion every year are the result of unwanted pregnancies and unplanned families. A government policy and program on family planning and reproductive health would reduce these cases of underground abortion," Biazon said at a press conference.

Abortions are illegal in the country.

"There would be no need to resort to abortion" if reproductive health information preventing conception is made available to everyone, he added.

Biazon stressed the urgency of passing his reproductive health care bill, which remains pending at the Senate.

"We are now 90 million [people] and will be, in 2013, 100 million, given that 2 million babies are born every year," he said.

"Many children are not fed, clothed, sheltered because of [a lack of a national policy on reproductive health]. You hear of cases of babies being thrown out of buildings, being flushed into the toilet because of this reason," he added.

Apparently addressing the objection of Catholic bishops to pending reproductive health bills in both chambers of Congress, Biazon, a former military chief, noted that other predominantly Catholic countries throughout the world have their own population management policy.

Among them are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Pampanga, Venezuela, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, "which brought Christianity to our country."

"If these countries, which are devout[ly] Catholic have these policies, we should have them too," he said.

A Catholic bishop has issued a pastoral letter suggesting that Catholic legislators who back the reproductive health bills should be denied holy communion.

Biazon said this plan should be revisited.

At the same time, he welcomed the announced dialogue between Malacañang and Catholic leaders on the adoption of a national reproductive health policy.

"This would clear the air of misconceptions between the parties," he said.

Biazon also clarified that his own pending bill does not legalize abortion.

"[My] reproductive health bill is not for abortion. Abortion is a crime and is against our religion," he said.