Gimmick backfires

The party responsible for, pardon the pun, conceiving and posting the names of  candidates who supported the Reproductive Health (RH) bill and classifying them as Team Patay is certainly regretting the fallout from  the controversial “branding.”

All fingers pointed to the Bacolod Archdiocese  for the  streamer listing  candidates under Team Buhay and Team Patay. Though the local church denies this vigorously, the fact that the streamer was hung within their premises and they didn’t take it down quickly suggests that they tolerated  it, if not agreed, with the labeling.

It was too late. The streamer was countered by pro-RH law proponents with a list of priests who supposedly fathered children. Though they didn’t present  evidence of such indiscretion , the list does  throw up a familiar problem of double standard clergy men  and silenced the noisiest backers of the Team Patay/Buhay gimmick.

The streamer controversy, which has been raised to the Supreme Court, was a gimmick that backfired.

The  signing of the RH law doesn’t mean that the debate is over. In fact some Catholic Church officials were recently thanking one of its chief architects, Rep. Edcel Lagman, for supposedly  driving back to their fold more youths wishing to escape the trap of sexual promiscuity that the law supposedly encourages.

With so many new followers would the Church stop moves to have the law repealed?

It’s highly unlikly the Church in the Philippines  will slow down its offensive.  With a new Pope installed,   it can  complement their legal offensive with a ground-level campaign to draw more people away from using contraceptives and other birth control devices.

Which is as it should be.

The  Church’s insistence that the RH law would encourage abortions and sexual promiscuity can be debated to death.  It is only with  vigilance  and actual influence on Filipino youths and families that it can change  mindsets  in favor of  purity,  faithfulness to  one’s married spouse, and respect for the dignity of persons.

Let it be said that the government isn’t forcing anyone to take birth control pills or use contraceptive devices under the RH law. It does, however, make them more available, and authorizes every local government to stock up on them as part of their free health programs.  It penalize those who prevent access to such services to couples who need or want to avail of them.

With the law in place,  choices will be offered and made.  Neither the government nor the Church can impose their will on couples or individuals of reproductive age. Both institutions can only influence or guide but the decision is left for citizens to  make on their own.