MANILA, June 20, 2012— The government’s allocation of P500 million for birth control supplies supposedly to reduce maternal and child deaths is a waste of taxpayers’ money, a Catholic Church official said.
Fr. Melvin Castro, Executive Secretary of the CBCP’s Commission on Family and Life said that if the Department of Health (DoH) really wants to reduce the problem, adequate health care services for pregnant mothers and unborn children are needed.
“They should use that P500 million in improving medical facilities and services instead of wasting that hefty amount on contraceptives,” Castro said.
DoH Secretary Enrique Ona yesterday announced that the agency would be allocating P500 million for birth control supplies in community health centers.
The move, he said, is in line with the government’s doubling of efforts to reduce maternal and child deaths in the country as sought by the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
However, Castro said it is unfortunate that the DoH continues to give “false justifications” in promoting the widespread use of condoms and other artificial family planning methods.
“The [use of] contraceptives, by its nature, is population control. So let’s not invoke maternal deaths because they are using the women just to push population control,” he said.
Castro also believes that Filipinos will not support the government’s desire to promote the use of contraceptives in the country.
“I trust our people. Even if they give it free, Filipinos with well-formed conscience will not accept it… their morality will not go down,” he said. (CBCP News)
