Final Thesis RH Bill

Students Taking Sides...
|1 CHAPTER 1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Introduction As said in the position paper of the Honorable Representative V. Dennis Socrates of the 2nd District of the province of Palawan entitled The Sanctity of Family and Life: Natural Law and Thinking in the Constitution, every age in the history of civilization may be roughly characterized by the peculiar ideological conflict which divided peoples in its time. While there are historical moments of relative peace, there rises a conflict dividing the opinions of the people in almost every century.
HB 04244: Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill
HB 04244, also known as AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE POLICY ON RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES, was the resulting bill after consolidating five (5) related bills, namely: HB 00096, as introduced by Representative Edcel Lagman, entitled: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL POLICY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; HB 00101, as introduced by Representative Janette Garin, entitled: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL POLICY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; HB 00513, as introduced by Representatives Kaka Bag-ao and Walden Bello, entitled: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL POLICY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT,
Students Taking Sides...|2 AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; HB 01160, as introduced by Representative Rodolfo Biazon, entitled: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL POLICY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES; HB 01520, as introduced by Representative Augusto Syjuco, entitled: AN ACT TO PROTECT THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO INFORMATION ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE; and HB 03387, as introduced by Representatives Luzviminda Ilagan and Emerenciana De Jesus, entitled: AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL POLICY ON REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH FOR WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
In section 2 of the bill entitled Declaration of Policy, the sponsors lay the three policy foundations of the bill, namely:
1. The State recognizes and guarantees the exercise of the universal basic human right to reproductive health by all persons, particularly of parents, couples and women, consistent with their religious convictions, and cultural beliefs and the demands of responsible parenthood; 2. The State recognizes and guarantees the promotion of gender equality, equity and womens empowerment as a health and human rights concern; and 3. The State guarantees universal access to medically safe, legal, affordable, effective, and quality reproductive health services, methods, devices, supplies and relevant information and education thereon. In section 3 of the bill entitled Guiding Principles, the sponsors lay the framework of the bill, namely:
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1. Freedom of choice; 2. Repect for, protection and fulfillment of reproductive health and rights seek to promote the rights and welfare of couples, adult individuals, women, and adolescents; 3. Effective reproductive healthcare with the end of maternal health, safe delivery of healthy children and their full human development, and responsible parenting; 4. Promotion of all effective natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal; 5. Right to health of the poor and marginalized by providing of medically safe, legal, accessible, affordable and effective reproductive health care services and supplies; 6. Promotion of programs that enable couples, individuals, and women to have have the number of children and reproductive spacing they desire , of programs that achieve equitable allocation and utilization of resources, of programs that ensure effective partnership of the national and local government, and the private sector in the design, implementation, coordination, integration, monitoring, and evaluation of people-centered programs to enhance quality of life, of programs that conduct studies to analyze demographic trends towards sustainable human development, and of programs that conduct scientific studies to determine safety and efficacy of alternative medicines and methods of reproductive health care development; 7. The shared role of the national and local government units in providing reproductive health information, care, and supplies;
Students Taking Sides...|4 8. Promotion of active participation by non-government organizations and communities in the development of reproductive health policies that respond to the needs of the poor, especially the women; 9. The humane, non-judgmental, and compassionate treatment and counseling of women needing care for post-abortion complications; 10. The absence of demographic or population targets; 11. Promotion of gender equality and women empowerment; 12. The establishment of a well-coordinated and integrated policies, plans, and programs that seeks to uplift the quality of life of the people, more particularly the poor, the needy, and the marginalized; and 13. The development of a comprehensive reproductive health program that addresses the needs of the people throughout their life cycle.
The following are the salient features of the Reproductive Health and Population Bill:
1. The provision of emergency obstetric and neonatal care services in every province and city for every 500,000 citizens, and the provision of four (4) basic obstetric and neonatal care services for every 500,000 citizens; 2. The provision of full range of family planning methods, and PHILHEALTHs full coverage for the cost of family planning; 3. The inclusion of family planning supplies to the list of essential medicines; 4. The provision of PHILHEALTH maximum benefits to all serious and life-threatening reproductive health conditions such as, but not limited to, HIV/AIDS, breast and
Students Taking Sides...|5 reproductive tract cancers, obstetric conditions, and menopausal and post-menopausal related conditions; 5. The introduction of age-appropriate, Reproductive Health and Sexuality Education in the formal and non-formal education curriculum; and 6. The introduction of a Certificate of Compliance, to be issued by the local Population Office, as part of the essential requirements of a marriage license;
The bill is currently pending before the plenary of the House of Representatives, after the House Committee on Population and Family Relations transmitted Committee Report No. 664. However, after a heated debate last December 2011, and after facing massive opposition from the Catholic Church and other cause-oriented groups, the plenary has not set a schedule for the discussion of the measure. A similar bill is filed in the Senate, sponsored by the Honorable Senators Pia Compaera Cayetano and Miriam Defensor-Santiago.
Statement of the Problem
This study shall answer the following questions:
1) What are the views of the students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and
Letters regarding Reproductive Health Bill?

2) Do the students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters share the
same reasons and arguements with the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines? 3) Are the students open to change their position about the bill?
Scope and Limitation
The study shall discuss at length the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill as envisioned by the members of the House of Representatives. The provisions to be cited in this study shall be lifted from HB 04244. The Senate, led by Honorables Pia Compaera Cayetano and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, also has a version of the bill, but shall not be used in the study.
This study shall also discuss at length the position of the Catholic Church on Life, particularly on Reproductive Health, Population Management, and Contraceptives use. While the encyclical Humanae Vitae shall be used, the study shall exhaust local pastoral letters and position papers of local Catholic Church organs such as the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, ProLife Philippines, and others. It is safe to infer that the official position of the University of Santo Tomas on this issue runs along the lines of that of the CBCP and the Catholic Church.
This study shall use as samples the students of the University of Santo Tomas in gathering data to resolve the first problem of the study. However, there shall be no comprehensive breakdown of data in terms of year levels, gender, and faculty delineations in presenting the data. The study shall focus on enterprise findings of the survey. Also, students of the UST Education High School, UST High School, and UST Graduate School, shall not be respondents to the study.
Review of Related Literature
According to the Fact Sheet on the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill as issued by the House Committee on Population and Family Relations chaired by the Honorable Representative Gerardo Espina (House Bill 4244, 2011), the bills aim to do the following: (a) integrate a responsible parenthood and family planning component into all anti-poverty and other sustainable human development programs and promote peoples right to health, especially the poor and marginalized; (2) uphold the basic right of couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number of children they may have and the reproductive spacing they will adopt, and to provide the information, education, and access to medically safe, legal, affordable, effective, and quality reproductive healthcare services, methods, devices, supplies, and relevant information thereon; and (3) ensure the effective partnership among the national government, local government units (LGUs) and private sector in the design, implementation, coordination, integration, monitoring, and evaluation of people-centered programs to enhance quality of life and environmental protection.
Furthermore, the Fact Sheet cites sections 12 and 15, Article II of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, which state:
Section 12. The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the
Students Taking Sides...|9 rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the Government.
Section 15. The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.
According to Odchimar, The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights (Art. II, Section 11). The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception (Art. II, Section 12). Far from being simply a Catholic issue, the RH bill is a major attack on authentic human values and on Filipino cultural values regarding human life that all of us have cherished since time immemorial.Simply stated the RH Bill does not respect moral sense that is central to Filipino cultures. It is the product of the spirit of this world, a secularist, materialistic spirit that considers morality as a set of teachings from which one can choose, according to the spirit of the age.
Advocates contend that the RH bill promotes reproductive health. The RH Bill certainly does not. It does not protect the health of the sacred human life that is being formed or born. The very name contraceptive already reveals the anti-life nature of the means that the RH bill promotes. These artificial means are fatal to human life, either preventing it from fruition or actually destroying it. Moreover, scientists have known for a long time that contraceptives may cause cancer. Contraceptives are hazardous to a womans health. (Odchimar, 2011)
Students Taking Sides...|10 Advocates also say that the RH bill will reduce abortion rates. But many scientific analysts themselves wonder why prevalent contraceptive use sometimes raises the abortion rate. In truth, contraceptives provide a false sense of security that takes away the inhibition to sexual activity. Scientists have noted numerous cases of contraceptive failure. Abortion is resorted to, an act that all religious traditions would judge as sinful. Safe sex to diminish abortion rate is false propaganda.(Odchimar, 2011)
Advocates moreover say that the RH bill will prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. This goes against the grain of many available scientific data. In some countries where condom use is prevalent, HIV/ AIDS continues to spread. Condoms provide a false security that strongly entices individuals towards increased sexual activity, increasing likewise the incidence of HIV/AIDS. Safe sex to prevent HIV /AIDS is false propaganda.(Odchimar, 2011)
Advocates also assert that the RH Bill empowers women with ownership of their own bodies. This is in line with the post-modern spirit declaring that women have power over their own bodies without the dictation of any religion. How misguided this so-called new truth is! For, indeed, as created by God our bodies are given to us to keep and nourish. We are stewards of our own bodies and we must follow Gods will on this matter according to an informed and right conscience. Such a conscience must certainly be enlightened and guided by religious and moral teachings provided by various religious and cultural traditions regarding the fundamental dignity and worth of human life. (Odchimar,2011)
Students Taking Sides...|11 Advocates also say that the RH bill is necessary to stop overpopulation and to escape from poverty. Our own government statistical office has concluded that there is no overpopulation in the Philippines but only the over-concentration of population in a number of urban centers. Despite other findings to the contrary, we must also consider the findings of a significant group of renowned economic scholars, including economic Nobel laureates, who have found no direct correlation between population and poverty. In fact, many Filipino scholars have concluded that population is not the cause of our poverty. The causes of our poverty are: flawed philosophies of development, misguided economic policies, greed, corruption, social inequities, lack of access to education, poor economic and social services, poor infrastructures, etc. World organizations estimate that in our country more than P400 billion pesos are lost yearly to corruption. The conclusion is unavoidable: for our country to escape from poverty, we have to address the real causes of poverty and not population. (Odchimar, 2011)
According to De La Rosa, The University of Santo Tomas was established primarily for the purpose of sharing in the evangelizing mission of the church. It continuesly journeyed with the Church in her relentless pursuit to nurture the seeds of Gods kingdom, where the dignity of each human being and the sanctity of life are respected and upheld.
UST said that RH bill is a junk. Affirming its advocacy for life, the University of Santo Tomas has released a statement opposing the reproductive health (RH) bill pending in Congress, saying a government-sponsored responsible parenthood program should be motivated by an option for life and not against it. (Villamor, 2011)
Students Taking Sides...|12 The statement in support of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said natural family planning was the better option as it is not only pro-life but also pro-poor and prowomen, since it does not endanger peoples health.
It (natural family planning) promotes discipline and sacrifice. It does not take away the openness to the gift of life.
We believe that human life is Gods sole prerogative, having created this sacred gift immediately at the moment of conception, the statement released by the Office for Religious Affairs said.
UST is specifically opposing a provision in the consolidated RH bill, House Bill No. 4244, appropriating taxpayers money on contraceptive pills including abortifacients that are potentially hazardous to health, and [bring] about moral and spiritual corruption by promoting irresponsible sexual activity. (Villamor, 2011)
The bill, UST pointed out, will also require employers to spend for the contraceptives of their employees even if it is against their conscience. Moreover, the bill will punish critics of RH for malicious engagement in disinformation with jail time and hefty fines. (Villamor, 2011)
UST called for the protection of freedom of religion enshrined in the 1987 Constitution and the right to conscientious objection in matters contrary to ones faith.
Students Taking Sides...|13 According to Genove, If there is a strong argument on the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill, it is the ever-growing population of the Philippines. According to the latest statistics on the countrys demographical data, there are now 96 million Filipinos, a considerable increase in the last 10 years or so, or a growth rate of at least four to six percent every year. Translated to more significant data, five to six babies are born in the country every minute, a staggering information considering that the Philippines is, until today, still referred to by its neighboring countries as a developing economy.
Thus, the latest proposed legislation in both the Senate and the House of Representatives has left the Filipino people extremely polarized. A lot of considerations have emerged in several discussions essentially because the staunchest opposition to the passage of the RH Bill comes from the Catholic Church. This is understandable because the Philippines remains to be the only Christian nation in the Far East and with the colonization of Spain for almost four centuries, Catholicism is widespread and prevalent. (Genove, 2011)
Some sectors contend that the RH Bill boils down to the freedom of choice among couples and those who are sexually active. Others reason out that procreation is Gods legacy to His people. On the other hand, women who bear the brunt of childbirth and its perils say that they have the right to choose what is best for them, meaning, if their bodies could not withstand the rigors of childbirth, then they have all the right to take care of their own bodies. (Genove, 2011)
Students Taking Sides...|14 Examining closely the advantages and disadvantages of the RH Bill, the former far outweighs the latter, that is, there are more benefits that the majority of Filipinos can get compared to not having such a bill passed for legislation in the country. (Genove, 2011)
What is needed in the RH Bill is widespread information and dissemination of the various family planning methods and contraceptives that are available for couples. While the rich, educated couples understand the choices that they have, the poor folk who comprise the majority hardly have any knowledge on their options because they lack education. But, the lack of education is going to be another story or, on the contrary, the lack of education may be related to the passage of the RH Bill. (Genove, 2011)
HISTORY OF RH BILL The 1994 International convention on Population and Development (ICPD), to which the Philippines is a signatory, defines reproductive health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. Reproductive health therefore implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so. Implicit in this last condition is the right of men and women to be informed and to have access to safe, effective, affordable and acceptable methods of family planning and fertility regulation of their choice, as long as they are not against the law. It is also understood that couples have the right of access to appropriate healthcare services that will enable the women to go safely through pregnancy and childbirth, and have the best chance of having a healthy infant. With the Philippines signing the 1967 United
Students Taking Sides...|15 Nations Declaration on Population which stressed that the population problem must be considered by governments as a principal element in long-term economic planning, RA No. 6365 or the Population Act of the Philippines was enacted under the Marcos administration. The said law created the Commission on Population (POPCOM) and mandated it to study the population problem and come up with the appropriate solutions. In 1970, upon OPCOMs recommendation, the government officially launched the National Population Program (NPP) which advocated a small family size norm, and provided information and services to reduce the fertility rate. During the Aquino administration, the focus shifted towards the right of couples to determine the number of their children, a move that was also observed in other Asian countries. In 1988, the institutional and operational responsibility of the family planning program was transferred to the Department of Health (DoH) while the POPCOM was made to concentrate on population and Development activities. Under the DoH, family planning became a component of the total health program and was viewed as a health intervention rather than a demographic one. As such, improving maternal and child health, instead of merely reducing fertility, became the primary concern. In 1991, with the passage of the Local Government Code, population policy programs were subsequently devolved to LGUs. The Ramos government up scales the initiative of previous administrations by redefining the countrys population program from population control to population management subsuming family planning under the sustainable development framework. The sustainable development framework espouses a balance between and among population levels, resources and the environment. Then DoH Secretary Juan Flavier actively promoted family planning and reproductive health through the Kung silay mahal nyo, magplano campaign, and encouraged the use of condoms to prevent unplanned pregnancies and the spread of HIV. Under the DoH, family planning became a component of the total health program and was viewed as a
Students Taking Sides...|16 health intervention rather than a demographic one. As such, improving maternal and child health, instead of reducing fertility, became the primary concern. The Estrada administration continued the efforts of the Aquino and Ramos governments and introduced alternative demographic scenarios and other contraceptive method mixes to support fertility decline. Under the Arroyo administration, population policy largely reflects the Catholic Churchs position on family planning which emphasizes responsible parenting, informed choice, respect for life and birth spacing. Albeit acknowledging that population growth has to slow down, the national government is focusing solely on mainstreaming natural family planning (NFP ) as the only acceptable mode of birth control and leaves out the decision-making regarding the budget allocation for expenditures on other family planning methods to the LGUs. Amidst criticisms, President Arroyo pointed out that the government is not in violation of any law since modern contraceptives are not banned in the country and remain available commercially nationwide. (Ambat, 2009) The poor comprise the majority of Filipinos. Because they are poor, they necessarily lack education or have no education at all. Who, then, will teach and guide these people about their choices, especially in the number of children that they can have or are able to support? Again, because of a dearth of knowledge, these people simply just leave it to fate if it happens that the wife gets pregnant almost every year. (Genove, 2011)
The issue is not abortion at all. It is a totally different aspect of the entire discussion. The issue is giving the people a choice of whether they will adapt the family planning methods that have been suggested for them. It is for them to take it or leave it. If the people so desire that they would choose from among the artificial family planning methods available, then it is their choice. The bottomline is that these information should be made available for everyone and explained to them,
Students Taking Sides...|17 most especially those who have no capacity to learn and understand. These people are the ones most vulnerable. (Genove, 2011)
It is about time that family planning be included as part of the curriculum in schools and universities. The inclusion of sex education has been practiced in the past, but was phased out because of some opposition. Let this be revived today because of the need of the youth to be informed about their rights as a human being. Parents should also help the schools in making their children understand the pitfalls of early marriage or teen pregnancy. If the people are properly informed, then they would be able to make intelligent choices for their own betterment. In the process, they would be empowered. (Genove, 2011)
Population control should not be continued. Birth control --- through massive contraception which would result in abortion and lead to the destruction of Filipino families homes and of our future. (Atienza, 2011) The AIDS Education Program is a pervasive comprehensive plan of instruction which finds its way in as many subject areas as possible to ensure that students from Grade VI in the intermediate level up to college level pick up the core message: to avoid HIV/AIDS, use condoms. A wealth of data and arguments prove that condoms cannot guarantee 100% protection from the dreaded disease, but the program directors, led by Mr. Geof Manthy, the WHO representative, are bent on using the classrooms to condomized our children. There is value concepts included, but true to the tenets of safe sex and AIDS education courses, there is a deliberate attempt to obfuscate the value concepts by avoiding specifics and by allowing a certain tone, an attitude to prevail. In this approach, no values-teaching takes place. Instruction
Students Taking Sides...|18 simply tells students to take the facts or the information, sense how they feel about the facts, make their options and then make the best decisions. There is no right and wrong decision. What matters is that the students are comfortable with their answers which they base on facts and data and not on the moral issues of the sensitive subject of sexuality and the transmission of life. (Ranada, 1996) The church teaches the necessity of responsible parenthood for married couples. It has never been the teaching of the Church that couples should keep on begetting as many children as they physically can and simply trust God to provide for them. (Bacani, 1992) The chief concerns of a Catholic university is the critical study, dissemination, explanation and defense of catholic teaching regarding the population question, responsible parenthood, family planning and contraception, sterilization and abortion. Another very important task of a catholic university, especially of those in the medical faculty is to bring out the full truth about contraception and particularly the evil effects of the pill and the IUD. (Bacani, 1992) It is interesting to note the latest statistics coming from the Social Weather Station under the supervision of Mr. Mahar Mangahas, which revealed that in the June 2011 survey, only 30 percent agreed and 51 percent disagreed that the use of condoms constitutes abortion. Furthermore, only 29 percent agreed and 51 percent disagreed that the use of IUDs constitutes abortion. Also, only 29 percent agreed and 52 disagreed that the use of birth control pills constitutes abortion. The results of the survey likewise revealed that the balances from 100 percent, roughly 2 out of every 10 adult Filipinos, were unable to take a stand. (Genove, 2011)
Students Taking Sides...|19 According to Socrates, the debate (on Reproductive Health) would seem to revolve around the degree of protection to be accorded human life, and to some extent it is so: On one hand, pro-life thinking holds that the right to life demands respect and protection from pre-conception (marriage and the conjugal act), through birth and education (family life), to its terminal stages (the aged and the dying). On the other hand, the pro-choice position argues that human life and corrolarily, the concepts of marriage and the family may be the object of certain choices of the individual, and so assert the licitness of divorce, contraception, abortion, and so on. In truth, however, the issue is not so much the degree but the direction or end of such respect and protection: Respect and protection for what and for whom?
Furthermore, Socrates contends that, the issue of whether man is free to determine good and evil underlies the pro-life versus pro-choice debate. The pro-life (natural law) position affirms that human freedom does not extend to determining what is good or not; that there are objective criteria beyond the needs or preferences of the individual human person, stemming from the truths of human nature and the universe, which man could not tamper with without causing harmful disorder on himself and his environment.
The pro-choice stand, on the other hand, implicitly argues that, at least in the are of reproduction, there are no objective norms; or that considerations of socio-economic development, maternal health, etc. in the end subjective personal preferences determine the moral quality of the acts involved. Such position, however, would also remove the rational basis for any assertion concerning the immortality of all sorts of patently injurious acts to the person and to society
Students Taking Sides...|20 (masturbation, homosexuality, divorce, euthanasia, etc.), since it would deny the objective inviolability of the human reproductive process.
Socrates says that section 12, Article II of the 1987 Constitution, cuts cleanly into the pro-life versus pro-choice debate as constitutional acknowledgment of objective natural-law norms. It is clearly a pro-life provision, expressive of natural-law thinking.
Socrates says, Indeed, Section 12, Article II of the 1987 Constitution, effectively bars the possibility of de-criminalizing abortion, since it protects the unborn from the moment of conception. In fact, this provision is primarily intended to prevent the State from legalizing abortion or adopting the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade.
In Roe, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Texas statue criminalizing abortion as violative of a mothers right to privacy, a right qualified only by the states interest in protecting the health of a pregnant woman and protecting the potentiality of human life. These state-interests increase, according to the majority, as the woman approaches term, and become compelling at some point during pregnancy. Thus, the court arbitrarily determined those compelling points at approximately the end of the first trimester (for the states interest in maternal health) and at viability (for the interest in potential life), i.e., after the second trimester, when state intervention would be warranted. It was argued, to the contrary, that life begins at conception... and that, therefore, the state has a compelling interest in protecting that life from and after conception. The court, however, refused to rule on the difficult question when life begins. (Socrates, 2011)
Students Taking Sides...|21 The majority decision in Roe comes with the dissent of, among others, then Justice (later Chief Justice) Rehnquist, principally on the ground that it constitutes judicial legislation (suggestive of a positivist view on his part); but the decision has since withstood attempts to overturn it, noteably in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld Roe on the basis of stare decisis but also rejected the trimester framework in favor of an undue burden standard to determine the constitutional validity of a states regulation of abortion. In his dissenting opinion in Casey, Chief Justice Rehnquist (joined by three other justices) clearly declared that the Court was mistaken in Roe when it classified a womans decision to terminate her pregnancy as a fundamental right that could be abridged only in a manner which withstood strict scrutiny. (Socrates, 2011)
The jurisprudential and human social and personal conundrum spawned by Roe is precisely what our Section 12, Article II, prevents. Any legislation purporting to allow abortion (or to diminish the penalties), no matter how regulated, would be unconstitutional and therefore void. A repeal of the criminal statutes which at present penalize abortion would even elevate the act to the crime of murder, since the life of an unborn from conception is equally protected as the life of the mother. (Socrates, 2011)
The State has no right to dictate, directly or indirectly, the number of children a family should have; and it can be seen that underlying government efforts towards this end are non-legitimate considerations: making the task of bureaucratic planning easier (which opens the family to greater impositions); of of covering up government corruption and inefficiency which are real causes of underdevelopment; and, even worse, of eugenics (good-birth), towards the goal of keeping the
Students Taking Sides...|22 world spacious and pleasant for the supposedly superior (in terms of race, wealth, or skill) to the exclusion of the inferior. The eugenic considerations may be seen from the fact that pressure and funding for birth-control program flow from North to South, from rich to poor.
According to Pope John Paul II, the Gospel of Life is at the heart of Jesus message... Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God... life on earth is not an ultimate but a penultimate reality; even so, it remains a sacred reality entrusted to us to be preserved with a sense of responsibility and brought to perfection in love and in the gift of ourselves to God and to our brothers and sisters.
The Church knows that this Gospel of Life, which she has received from her Lord, has a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of every person believer and non-believer alike because it marvellously fulfills all the hearts expectations while infinitely surpassing them. Even in the midst of difficulties and undertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness canm by the light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law writeen in the heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15) the sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human being to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the recognition of this right, every human community and political community itself are founded.
In a special way, believers in Christ must defend and promote this right, aware as they are of the wonderful truth recalled by the Second Vatican Council: By his incarnation the Son of God has
Students Taking Sides...|23 united himself in some fashion with every human being (Gaudium et Spes, No. 22). This saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son (John 3:16), but also the incomparable value of every human person. (emphasis supplied)
According to Nidoy, the Reproductive Health Bills proposal for an enforced distribution of birth control devices has raised crucial issues in the realm of science: Does the pill kill children or not? Does it cause health or sickness of women? Does availability of contraceptives strengthen or destroy families? Do they improve quality of life or create more poverty? Do condoms prevent or promote AIDS at the country level? Is population control a solution to poverty or a misuse of limited funds?
Nidoy further says that these crucial national questions cannot be left to the opinion of just any expert. Based on rational criteria, the State must choose science experts who possess: (1) specialized expertise corresponding to the question; (2) highest international prestige (e.g. Nobel Prize winners, peer reviewed science journals or prominent science organizations); (3) objectivity, i.e. the expert should not be influenced by ideology, religion, commercial interests, political advocacy, international pressures. Scientific findings that tend to go against their personal biases are more credible.
According to The Ancient Christian Faith on Contraception and Sterilization, every Church in Christendom condemned contraception until 1930, when, at its decennial Lambeth Conference, Anglicanism gave permission for the use of contraception in a few cases. Soon , all Protestant
Students Taking Sides...|24 denominations had adopted the secularist position on contraception. Today not one stand with the Catholic Church to maintain the ancient Christian faith on the issue.
According to St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church, for necessary sexual intercourse for begetting (children) is alone worthy of marriage. But that which goes beyond this necessity no longer follows reason but lust. And yet it pertains to the character of marriage... to yield it to the partner lest by fornication the other sin damnably (through adultery)...
St. Augustine says further that, of so great power is the ordinance of the Creator, and the order of procreation, that... when a man shall wish to use a body part of the wife not allowed for this purpose (orally or anally consummated sex), the wife is more shameful, if she suffer it to take place in her own case, than if in the case of another woman.
Students Taking Sides...|25 The study of addressing an Urgent Action Needed to Address Reproductive Health Needs of Nepali Women, Nepal faces an uphill task in meeting its Millennium Development Goals (MDG) related to improving the reproductive health of its women, according to a new World Bank report launched today. Among its suggestions, the report calls for integration of reproductive health services, decentralized and action oriented planning, targeting poor geographic areas and finding innovative ways of financing reproductive health. (Worldbank.org, 2009)
Students Taking Sides...|26 In connection, reproductive health discussed a lot of facts and theoretical studies about womens position. Specifically in America that the resulting lacks of care can challenge rural women's reproductive autonomy. Their reproductive choices may also be limited by the added impact of rural values, norms, and belief systems regarding sexual health and the patient-physician relationship. Rural women tend to have less education, fewer job opportunities, lower salaries, more children, and greater family caretaking responsibility than their urban counterparts. They are more likely both to marry and to have children at younger ages. The combination of poverty, low population density, and lack of child care and other services in many rural areas reinforces traditional roles for women. They receive less preventive care than women in urban areas and have higher rates of chronic disease. (Jama.org, 2000)
Students Taking Sides...|27 One theoretical study in the issue of Reproductive Health, it is intimately related to sexual and diseases particularly HIV and AIDS. Correct and consistent condom use can prevent susceptible people from acquiring HIV infection. However, in many countries repeated cross-sectional studies reveal a trend of increasing prevalence of HIV infection alongside an increase in reported condom use. Changes in sexual behaviour that reduce the number of new HIV infections will not become apparent through changes in HIV prevalence until some time after the behaviour change takes place. Limitations in the data used to assess condom use may also explain the concurrent increases in condom use and HIV prevalence. One common indicator of condom use, the UNGASS indicator (condom use at last higher risk sex of those aged 15-24), has been chosen to illustrate how changes in the proportion of people who report using condoms do not always explain changes in the size of the group who had high risk behaviour. Indicators based on the proportion of the whole population who have sex without using a condom would be better measures of the size of the group at highest risk of HIV infection. (Zaba. Slaymaker, 2003)
Students Taking Sides...|28 With the aid of condoms as contraceptives; in another country they are improving Reproductive Health, making motherhood safer. Worldwide each year, more than half a million women die from complications of childbirth and pregnancy. AIDS claims three million lives. And in total, illness and death from poor reproductive health account for one fifth of the global burden of disease, and nearby one third for all women. This year, leaders worldwide committed to change. Progress for women is progress for all, they declared at the 2005 World Summit. (Unfpa.org, 2005) Reproductive health tackles the life of the women in the world. It is how it reaches the prevention of negative scenarios that will happen.
Universal access to reproductive health, including family planning, is the starting point for maternal health and saving womens lives. UNFPA makes motherhood safer with a focus on family planning, skilled attendance at birth and access to emergency obstetric care. Maternal health also frees women to pursue opportunities in work and education and make decisions that improve life for their families.
A new global initiative, the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health,
was announced at an official side event during the 2005 World Summit. This group of five United Nations agencies, including UNFPA, and many other partners, will mobilize global and local commitment and action to reduce deaths among mothers and children, promote universal coverage of essential interventions, and advocate for increased resources.
Mobile reproductive health clinics made motherhood safer in remote villages in the
Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, with six-member travelling teams of doctors, nurses, midwives and health educators rotating visits to 107 villages in the poorest parts of the three south-eastern provinces. The UNFPA-supported project was carried out with the Lao Womens Union and the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF).
In Eritrea, emergency obstetric skills gained by 140 nurses and midwives in a three-
week in-service training programme improved care during pregnancy, skilled attendance at births and access to obstetric fistula repair.
For indigenous communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNFPA
continued to address disproportionately high rates of maternal and infant deaths, using culturally sensitive approaches. In Panama, the first emergency obstetric care unit in the Comarca Ngobe Bugl region served 32 indigenous communities. In Otavalo, Ecuador, the Jambi Huasi clinic provided modern and traditional medical treatment and family planning to Quecha-speaking descendents of the Incasas many as 1,000 people per month in 2005. In Bolivia, a bilingual literacy programme designed to reach 8,000 indigenous women continued to build understanding of sexual and reproductive health.
In Jamaica, persons with disabilities were the focus of a reproductive health
programme to raise awareness and provide services. The UNFPAsupported effort sensitized parents, health and social workers, and school guidance counsellors to the needs of adolescents with mental and physical disabilities. It was carried out with the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities.
Midwives in Indonesia used small grants to pay for emergency transport from rural
villages to obstetric facilitiesan activity of the Mother Friendly Movement, a national initiative supported by UNFPA since 1997 that has trained midwives, upgraded health facilities, and raised awareness of the need for rapid action in case of labour complications.
The worlds highest maternal death rate occurs in Badakshan, Afghanistan, where
40 per cent of girls marry by the age of 15. In 2005, UNFPA launched a campaign to persuade mullahs in the remote province to speak out against child marriage, and continued to train health workers in emergency obstetric care and offer vocational training for girls.
The African Union Ministers of Health approved a continental reproductive health
policy framework that will support the new UNFPA Maternal Health Initiative. The initiative supports African countries in accelerating progress towards the MDGs; developing and implementing national road maps for maternal health; and scaling up programmes for family planning, skilled attendance at delivery, emergency obstetric care and obstetric fistula.
African lawmakers from 38 countries, meeting in Chad in May, adopted the NDjamena Declaration, pledging to do their utmost to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015 as progress towards ending poverty and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
According to Ditmore, condoms remain the sole effective method of prevention of HIV. However, in some places - including Cambodia and China condoms have been modified to add so-called pearls, hard rubber studs or even bristles that are painful and dangerous to the receptive partner, causing injury to the vagina and anus. Such injuries contribute to the transmission of disease, so these condoms are not useful for prevention of STIs or HIV. In addition to unsafe condoms, accessories such as the "tiger's moustache" penis ring have bristles and are as dangerous in the same way as unsafe condoms. Public health officials have outlawed the sale of unsafe condoms in Thailand, a step that should be taken in all places where both they and other unsafe accessories are available.
Students Taking Sides...|32 Moreover, concerning about Reproductive Health one of the proposed theoretical concept is the sex education. On in Western Nepal, school-based sex education gives uncomfortable feeling between teachers and students. According to Pokharel and Shakya, the National Adolescent Health and Development Strategy (2000) of Nepal considers adolescents a key target group for information and services. The extent to which sex education is being provided in schools has received little attention, however. At higher secondary level, students are supposed to be taught basic sex education using a chapter in a textbook called Health, Population and Environment. Little is known about how or how well this material is covered. In a study in 2002 among adolescents in eight schools in the Nawalparasi District in the Western Region of Nepal, we interviewed eight teachers responsible for teaching this subject. We also collected survey data from 451 students and held four focus group discussions with 26 of them. We found that adolescents in these schools did not appear to be getting the information they needed. Most of the teachers did not want to deal with sensitive topics and feared censure by their colleagues and society. Some lacked the skills to give such instruction. Many students also felt uncomfortable with the topics. The challenge is to strengthen sex education, make it more appropriate for the students and ensure that teachers are more comfortable and able to give instruction on the topic.
Students Taking Sides...|33 One of the countries that discussed the issue about sex education is China. "Sexual and reproduction health of teenagers" was set as one of major topics at the International Forum on Population and Development that opened Tuesday in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. Experts from different countries expressed their opinions and experience in sex education. Traditionally in Chinese culture, speaking about sex was a private matter for only close friends - not for public discussion. Unfortunately, this conservative attitude led to inadequate sexual education for children. Most Chinese students about sex from their friends, forbidden books and magazines and, more recently, the Internet, statistics show. According to Population and Development Country Report published Tuesday, during the past decade, the overall health of about 323 million Chinese young people aged 10 to 24 has been improving steadily. However, they have experienced an earlier age of sexual and psychological maturity. Young people's sexual ethics are changing. Premarital pregnancies and induced abortions among the young have continued to increase, said the report. More and more experts worried about the lack of sex education for teenagers, which has caused many negative results such as psychological problems. They continuously call for teaching reforms to give teenagers proper facts about sex. Chinese government agrees and is taking measures to change the situation. The sex education for teenagers is a complicated task. It integrates sexual morality, psychology, ethics and law. "The major purpose of the sex education for teenagers is to let them have a correct and comprehensive understanding in sex, which will help them properly control their sexual
Students Taking Sides...|34 behaviors," said Professor Peng Xiaohui with Huazhong University of Science and Technology, also famous Chinese sexologist. In order to improve China's poor sex education, Peng said, governments should pay much attention to two things: training more sex education teachers in primary and middle schools while cultivating more professionals through opening sexology majors in some universities. (Xinhua, 2010) According to Sharon Jayson, Sex education may not have the influence that many assume in averting teen pregnancy, suggest new international data that find U.S. teens have babies at much higher rates than peers in many countries, regardless of the sex education received in those countries. "I don't think sex education has anything to do with teen fertility," says sociologist Julien Teitler, director of the Social Indicators Survey Center at Columbia University in New York. "The evidence really doesn't support that, when you look at the differences between countries in teen fertility and sex education." He says Finland and the Netherlands, for example, have a history of comprehensive sex education; there's almost no sex education in Greece, Italy and Ireland. Yet teen birth rates are much lower in all those countries than the USA's 42 births per 1,000 women ages 15-19. An abstinence based approach to sex education focuses on teaching young people that abstaining from sexuntil marriage is the best means of ensuring that they avoid infection with HIV, other sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy. As well as seeing abstinence from sex as the best option for maintaining sexual health, many supporters of abstinence based approaches to sex education also believe that it is morally wrong for people to have sex before they are married. Abstinence approaches are represented in programmes such as Aspire and True Loves
Students Taking Sides...|35 Waits (both developed in the US), which aim to teach young people that they should commit to abstaining from sex until marriage. (Avert.org, 2009) Although not all abstinence education programmes are the same, they share the fundamental purpose of teaching the social, psychological, and health gains to be realised by abstaining from sexual activity. As such, abstinence education tends to include the following teaching objectives, which are derived from a definition given in Federal Law in the United States:5
Abstinence from sexual activity outside marriage is the expected standard for all school age
children
Abstinence from sexual activity is the only certain way to avoid out of wedlock pregnancy,
sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems
A mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected
standard of sexual activity
Sexual activity outside the context of marriage is likely to have harmful psychological and
physical effects
Bearing children out of wedlock is likely to have harmful consequences for the child, the
childs parents, and society
How to reject sexual advances and that alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to
sexual advances
The importance of attaining self sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity
Synthesis
The Reproductive Health debate does not only focus on the policy itself, but on the line of reason by which the decision-makers shall base their position on the issue. Clearly, the argument of the Church is on the right to life, with basis on how Scripture and the Philippine Constitution defines its very beginning.
The policy makers behind the measure, on the other hand, stresses on the need of presenting alternatives to the people. As the measure does not outlaw the use of Natural Family Planning methods, the State asserts its policy obligation to provide means for other women to which this method may not apply on basis of health and such other reasons.
The opinion of the gentleman representing Palawans 2nd district presents a varied perspective of the other members of the House, from which this measure emanates from. He stresses on the importance of the unborn child, and the equal rights it is accorded with; as defined in the Constitution, it shall be accorded equal rights as that of the mother. Representative Socrates reflects the opinion of House members opposing the measure, bringing the debate to greater heights.
Students Taking Sides...|37 The University of Santo Tomas position on the issue run along the lines to which the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) developed its position. The university has also participated in protest actions and other activities organized by the latter. While its primary opposition is entrenched on its Catholic identity, it has also expressed its opposition to specific provisions of the bill, particularly in the use of abortifacients.
The literature reviewed poses the following arguments against HB 04244:
1. The Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill is unconstitutional, for it is not in line with Section 12, Article II of the 1987 Constitution, which protects the rights of the unborn child and bestows upon it rights equal to the mother; 2. The Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill will not address the incommesuration of population and economic development. The opposing forces contend that economic development cannot be attributed to the growth of population, but to the speed and pace by which it adopts technological advancement; 3. Any effort from the government to manage family size is non-legitimate and has no basis in the Constitution; and 4. The Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill, through its introduction of contraceptive medications and devices, promotes promiscuity and irresponsible intercourse among the citizens.
Deducing from the arguments of those who oppose the measure, and from the treatise of Genove, the following arguments are posed in favor of HB 04244:
1. The Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill is constitutional, for it is in line with Section 14, Article II of the 1987 Constitution, which recognizes the role of women in nation-building, and shall ensure the fundamental equality of men and women before the law; 2. The Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill will address the economic slow down due to overpopulation. The advocates argue further that a managed population enables the State to allocate resources better since resources shall be commensurate to the number of people; 3. The Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill promotes the freedom of choice, which is central to the exercise of rights, must be fully guaranteed by the State. In the same manner, the limited resources of the country cannot be suffered to be spread so thinly to service a burgeoning multitudemaking allocations grossly adequate and effectively meaningless (subsections [a] and [l], section 3, HB 04244); and 4. The Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill, through its introduction of contraceptive medications and instruments, provides medically safe, accessible, affordable, and effective reproductive healthcare to the citizens.
This researchers, with the goal of checking the adherence of students to the adversarial position of the University of Santo Tomas towards the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill, sees the need to establish core arguments of both sides. It is seen to be important that these arguments be presented to become a guide in checking for understanding of students, who are subjects of this study, regarding the issue.
Significance of the Study
The study is a significant endeavor in promoting social awareness, particularly on the issue of Reproductive Health and Population Development. An essential element of an informed decision is awareness, which results to a deeper dissection of an issue to find an objective truth, which determines ones position.
This study shall also be beneficial to students who wish to pursue studies in Law and Public Policy. The issue at bar warrants a closer look in the two approaches of development of State policy; the first espousing that the crafting of policy must be devoid of religious biases and must solely focus on the benefit of the body politic, and the second espousing that public policy development warrants adherence to a higher law, that of Natural and Divine Law as espoused in the Scripture.
This study is also significant because it elucidates on the increasing social role of the Church on matters concerning policies on life, liberty, and development. The Reproductive Health Bill is not solely an issue of freedom of choice on the part of the married couples, but also of the States obligation to protect the couples sense of reason in choosing a reproductive health method. While the Reproductive Health and Population Development issue responds to the freedom of choice of families, it comes against, at least according to the Catholic Church and other opponents of the measure, the Constitutional obligation of the State to protect the family as its basic and autonomous social unit.
Lastly, this study is significant to Thomasians because it shall provide the basic premises by which both forces, either in support or opposition, of the RH Bill have developed their arguments. Reason, from a believer or a non-believers standpoint, must be the CORE element by which positions are adopted.
Conceptual Framework
The Conceptual Framework of the study, as illustrated in the Basic Venn diagram below, shall establish the premises by which the positions of the House of Representatives (RH Bill proponents only), the students of the University of Santo Tomas, and the administration of the University of Santo Tomas, are crafted.
RH Bill
Figure 1: Conceptual Framework
Definition of Terms
For the purpose of this study, the following terms shall be defined as follows:
1. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT BILL
otherwise known as HB 04244, is a consolidated bill from the bills filed by Representatives Lagman, Edcel (Albay), Garin, Janette (Iloilo), Bag-ao, Kaka (PLAkbayan), Bello, Walden (PL-Akbayan), Biazon, Rodolfo (Muntinlupa), Syjuco, Augusto (Iloilo), Ilagan, Luzviminda (PL-GABRIELA), and De Jesus, Emerenciana (PLGABRIELA), which provides for a policy on family planning, availability of reproductive health medication and service to constituents, and introduction of Reproductive Health education in the secondary education curriculum;
2. CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES otherwise known
as CBCP, is an organ of the Catholic Church composed of bishops and archbishops assigned in the Philippines that provide guidelines and positions to the Catholic faithful on issues of faith and morals;
3. LEGISLATION refers to an Act of Congress, either initiated by the House of
Representatives or the Senate, with the purpose of providing guidelines on courses of action and providing penalties for acts contrary to public morals;
4. POPULATION refers to the total number of people residing in a particular area; 5. PRO-LIFE refers to a general policy position by which the believer believes in the value
of life, and defines such to begin existence at the time of conception;

6. PRO-CHOICE refers to a general policy position by which the believer believes in the
value of choice, and promotes the freedom of the person to determine what suits him/her best.
CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH Hypothesis
The following are the hypotheses formulated based on the problem questions posted in the first chapter:
a. On the first question: Do the students of the University of Santo Tomas support the official position of its administration opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill?
Null Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas does not support the official position of its administration opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
Alternative Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas supports the official position of its admnistration opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
b. On the second question: Do the students of the University of Santo Tomas who oppose the bill share the same reasons with the University for opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill?
Students Taking Sides...|45 Null Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas who oppose the bill does not share the same reasons with the University for opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
Alternative Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas who oppose the bill share the same reasons with the University for opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
c. On the third question: Are the students open to change their position about the bill?
Null Hypothesis: The students are not open to change their position about the bill.
Alternative Hypothesis: The students are open to change their position about the bill.
Students Taking Sides...|46 Research Design
This study is a qualitative research that attempts to gather information with the end of validating student support on the admnistrations position on the RH Bill. The qualitative method is employed in the research because such research allows the detailed analysis of the existing policy positions from which the students based their support or opposition on the bill. >>advantages. Describe qualitative research.
The researchers will also use the descriptive research method in the conduct of the study. The descriptive method is used for gathering data about a population. It will allow the researchers to be familiar with the problems of the study. The method further allows the researcher to develop a body of work that reflects the motivations behind support or opposition of sample students to the Reproductive Health Bill.
The researchers would also refer to existing literature to come up with fundamental ideas regarding the research problem.
Students Taking Sides...|47 Research Participants
In order to respond to the problem statements of the study, the researchers shall conduct a survey with 300 participants, approximately 7.9 percent of the total population of the students in UST Faculty of Arts and Letters.
Random sampling shall be the method in selecting study participants. This sampling method was chosen to give students equal opportunity to become a part of the sample. To qualify to become part of the sample, one must be a duly enrolled student of the University of Santo Tomas. The chance of the entire sample population, in this case, the student body, to participate in the study lends credence to the sample selection method. To conduct this sampling method, the researchers must define the population, list down all the members of the population, and randomly select students who will answer the survey.
Students Taking Sides...|48 Data Collection and Instruments
The researchers used the following instruments to gather data for the study:
1. Survey Questionnaires the survey questionnaires used in the survey were designed to
get a direct response from the students regarding the problem statements of the study;
2. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) SPSS is a statistical software which shall
be used to generate results based on the survey questionnaire. The tool will enable the researchers to see enterprise findings of the study, and form analysis based on its results; and
3. Periodicals the researchers used periodicals and serials on health, policy, Reproductive
Health policy positions and Catholic insights on the positions regarding the bill. Periodicals may be in form of published materials or internet sources.
Students Taking Sides...|49 Research Procedure
The study shall be conducted within the confines of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters, and shall have its students as the subjects of the survey. The survey questions were formulated to determine if the subjects support or oppose the RH bill and the position of the CBCP.
The following were set to be the questions of the survey. Table 1
Students Taking Sides...|50 (1 totally disagree, 2 somewhat disagree, 3 somewhat agree, 4 totally agree) 1 2 3 4 1Do you agree that RH bill will provide emergency obstetric and Neonatal care? 2Do you agree that RH bill will require all accredited health facilities to provide a full range of modern family planning methods? 3Do you agree that family planning supplies will be considered as essential medicines? 4Are you in favor of RH bill requiring sex education to public and private schools starting from 5th grade up to 4th year high school? 5Do you agree that the penalty for violating RH bill is imprisonment from 1 month to 6 months or a fine of 10,000 pesos to 50,000 pesos? 6Do you agree that no marriage license shall be issued by the Local Civil Registrar unless the applicants present a Certificate of Compliance issued for free by the local family planning office? 7Do you agree that Barangay Health Workers and other community-based health workers shall undergo training on the promotion of reproductive health and shall receive at least 10% increase in honoraria upon successful completion of training? 8Do you agree that employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities and those with less than two hundred 200 workers shall enter into partnerships with hospitals, health facilities, or health professionals in their areas for the delivery of reproductive health services?
The pupose of this table of questionnaire is to determine the level of agreement of the students with regard to the salient features of the Reproductive Health Bill. This will also provide the answer for the first problem of the study.
Table 2
(1 totally disagree, 2 somewhat disagree, 3 somewhat agree, 4 totally agree) 1 2 3 4 9Do you agree with the position of the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas opposing the RH Bill?
The pupose of this question is to identify the level of agreement of the students with regard to the opposing position of the administrators of UST.
Students Taking Sides...|52 Table 3
1 10RH bill promotes reproductive health 11Contraceptives does not affect a womans health 12RH bill is a major attack on authentic human values and on Filipino cultural values regarding human life that all of us have cherished since time immemorial 13RH bill will reduce abortion rates 14Contraceptives provides a false sense of security that takes away the inhibition to sexual activity 15RH bill will prevent the spread of HIV 16RH Bill empowers women with ownership of their own bodies 17RH Bill is necessary to stop the increase in population 18RH Bill is a way to escape poverty
The purpose of the question is to identify whether the students who oppose and support the Reproductive Health Bill share the same basis as that of the CBCP. In the synthesis, the researchers, after presenting literature on the opposing and supporting the bill, have translated such treatises into arguments. questions are patterned in the arguments the CBCP, to establish if the respondent supported the measure only on the basis of influence. This question shall answer the second problem of the study.
1 19Do you agree on changing the provisions on RH bill?
The purpose of the question is to check the firmness of belief of the student respondents towards their positions. The researchers believe that, as the RH Bill debate progresses, students and citizens will have access to new information and studies supporting or opposing the RH Bill. This question checks the openness of the student respondents in appreciating new facts about the issue. This question shall answer the third problem of the study.
Statistical Analysis
To use the survey results as a basis of analysis, all such data shall be encoded in the SPSS application. The application shall assist in generating the results, used together with the statistical methods of frequency, cummulative percent and weighted mean. These methods and formulae shall be applied to determine the amounts needed among the set of data gathered.
The mean shall be used to determine the average results for a particular data set; it shall be used to determine the average responses of students.
Formulas: Mean To average all data points. - sample mean; x observed value; n sample size
CHAPTER 3 RESULTS OF THE STUDY Survey
The survey was conducted February 28, 2012, within the confines of the University of Santo Tomas. The list of 200 respondents were randomly chosen students from the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters.
All respondents were given approximately 5-7 minutes to answer the survey, supervised by the researchers. The researchers, however, were only available to respond to clarificatory questions on the form of the survey.
Survey Results
The following were the findings of the survey:
Areyoua retha thereisam sureintheH wa t ea ouseof Represe tiv pushingforReproductiveH lthandP nta es ea opula tion Developm ent?
18%
Yes
Are you aware that the administrators of the University of No Santo Tomas has released a position opposing the Reproductive Health
82%
Figure 2: Awareness of UST-AB students regarding R.A. 9211 26%
Yes No
74%
Figure 2.1: Awareness on RH bill
Please choose one from the following means by which you got or sought information regarding the position paper
80.00% 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% 0.00% The From my Varsitarian From my classmates The Central professors The Local Student Student Council Council
From the media
Figure 2.2: Means which students got information regarding the position of the University
Do you support the positionof the administratorsof the Universityof S anto T omas opposingthe Reproductive HealthBill?
2%
Yes 47% 51% No I don't know enough to make a stand
Figure 2.3: Do you support the position of the administrators opposing the RH bill?
P leaseindicatetherea sonswhyyoudonot support thepositionof theadm inistratorsof US T

45.00% 40.00% 35.00% 30.00% 25.00% 20.00% 15.00% 10.00% 5.00% 0.00% Media UST's stand is not realistic Others Myfam supports the bill ily Figure 2.4: Reasons why you oppose the RH bill
If providedwithnewinform ationreg ardingtheReproductiveH ealth Bill, a youopento chang your positionreg re ing ardingtheissue?
23% Yes, I am open to change my view on the issue No, I have made my decision to support/oppose the RH Bill. 77%
If providedwithnewinform ationreg ardingtheReproductiveHea lth Bill, areyouopento chang your positionreg ing ardingtheissue?
Figure 2.5: Reasons why you do not support RH bill
23% Yes, I am open to change my view on the issue No, I have made my decision to support/oppose the RH Bill. 77%
Figure 2.6: Are you open to changing your position regarding the issue?
D youb o eliev th t th R b isa in g en ofp b h lth e a e H ill n frin em t u lic ea a dm ls? n ora
11%
48%
Yes No I don't know enough about the bill
41%
Figure 2.7 Do you believe that RH bill is an infringement of public health and morals?
D youb o elieveth t th rep u eh ltha dsexua ed tion a e rod ctiv ea n lity uca m st b integ tedtoth secon a ed ca u e ra e d ry u tionb ill?
11%
46%
Yes No I don't know enough about the bill
43%
Figure 2.8: Do you believe that the reproductive health and sexuality education must be integrated to the secondary education bill?
Doyou believe that thehouseof representativ should focusits e energ topasstheRHbill? ies
34% Yes, the house must focus its energies to pass the RH bill No, the house must focus its energies to pass other important bills. 66%
Figure 2.9: Do you believe that the house of representative should focus its energies to pass the RH bill?
CHAPTER 4 DISCUSSION Question 1: Are you aware that there is a measure in the House of Representatives pushing for Reproductive Health and Population Development?
YES NO
164 respondents (82.00%) 36 respondents (18.00%)
As stated in the previous Chapter, the purpose of the question is determining awareness that such a measure is filed in Congress. The results indicate that majority of the respondents are aware that a Reproductive Health measure is currently in the House of Representatives.
Question 2: Are you aware that the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas has released a position opposing the Reproductive Health Bill?
YES NO
The results indicate that majority of the respondents are aware that the university has released a position opposing the RH Bill. However, the question does not indicate the specifics regarding the content of such position paper.
Students Taking Sides...|68 Question 3: Please choose one from the following means by which you got or sought information regarding the position paper: The Varsitarian From my classmates From my professors The Central Student Council The Local Student Council From the media 108 respondents (72.97%) 12 respondents (8.11%) 9 respondents (6.08%) 5 respondents (3.38%) 3 respondents (2.03%) 11 respondents (7.43%)
The results indicate that majority of the respondents acquired the information regarding the position of the University towards RH bill.
Question 4: Do you support the position of the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas opposing the Reproductive Health Bill?
YES NO I DONT KNOW ENOUGH TO MAKE A STAND
102 respondents (51.00%) 94 respondents (47.00%) 4 respondents (2.00%)
The results indicate that majority of the respondents support the position of the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas in opposing the Reproductive Health Bill. This question respond to the first problem statement of the study.
Students Taking Sides...|69 Question 5: Please choose four (4) reasons why you oppose the RH Bill.
My Professor told me to oppose the bill The bill is unconstitutional My friends oppose the bill My church opposes the bill The bill promotes premarital sex and abortion The bill promotes a pre-disposed family size The bill does not directly address poverty My family opposes the bill The media has convinced me to oppose the bill
20 respondents (19.61%) 45 respondents (44.12%) 44 respondents (43.14%) 102 respondents (100.00%) 102 respondents (100.00%) 62 respondents (60.78%) 10 respondents (9.80%) 15 respondents (14.71%) 8 respondents (7.84%)
The results indicate that majority of the reasons cited were the respondents churchs opposition to the bill, the bill promoting premarital sex and abortion, the bill promoting a pre-disposed family size, and that the bill is unconstitutional.
Students Taking Sides...|70 Question 6: Please indicate the reasons why you do not support the position of the administrators of UST.
USTs Stand is not Realistic Media My family supports the bill Others
42 respondents (44.68%) 28 respondents (29.79%) 13 respondents (13.83%) 11 respondents (11.70%)
The results indicate that USTs Stand is not Realistic. However, the respondents did not explain the context. Media also turned out to be one of the most frequent responses, together with family support. Other responses include religious views, and their own udnerstanding of the measure.
Question 7: If provided with new information regarding the Reproductive Health Bill, are you open to changing your position regarding the issue?
YES, I AM OPEN TO CHANGE MY VIEW NO, I HAVE MADE MY DECISION
The results indicate that majority of the respondents said that they have firmly decided on their stance regarding the Reproductive Health Bill. This reflects the solid decision of the respondents regarding their positions on the issue.
Students Taking Sides...|71 Question 8: Do you believe that the RH bill is an infringement of public health and morals?
YES NO I DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE BILL
The results indicate that majority of the respondents believe that the RH Bill is an infringement of public health and morals. The telling aspect of the result is the number of respondents who declare that they do not know enough about the bill. While in previous questions, there were only categorical questions on whether they support or oppose the bill in general. As this question deals with the familiarity of the respondents regarding the RH Bill, it could be said that some respondents have decided on their position without knowing the specifics of the measure.
Question 9: Do you believe that the reproductive health and sexuality education must be integrated to the secondary education bill?
YES NO I DO NOT KNOW ENOUGH OF THE BILL
The results indicate that while there is an opposition to the RH Bill in general, respondents would like reproductive health and sex education incorporated to the secondary education curriculum.
Students Taking Sides...|72 Question 10: Do you believe that the house of representative should focus its energies to pass the RH bill?
YES, THE HOUSE MUST FOCUS ITS ENERGIES TO PASS THE RH BILL 68 respondents (34.00%) NO, THE HOUSE MUST FOCUS ITS ENERGIES TO PASS OTHER IMPORTANT BILLS 132 respondents (66.00%)
The results indicate that majority of the respondents believe that the members of the House of Representatives must focus their energies to pass other important bills.
CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Summary
As reflected in the previous chapter, it can be safely said that majority of the respondents somewhat agree on the position of the administrators in opposing the Reproductive Health Bill. Though there is a majority of agreeing with the position of that of the university which is in line with the CBCP opposing the RH bill, there are still arguments presented by the as articulated in the first chapter, that are not in line with the reasonings and arguements of the students.
The university in line with the CBCPs position provides a moral and constitutional basis. It cited the value of life and human dignity as demostrated in Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI and in encyclicals of Pope John Paul II. It borrows its constitutional argument from sections 12 and 15, Article II of the constitution, which provides equal protection to the woman and the unborn child.
Through the survey and other research instruments, the researchers were able to establish the following:
1. That majority of the students are one with their administrators in opposing the RH Bill, ;
2. That majority of the students were not influenced by such other information conduits, and reinforced their opposition on the same premises provided in the university and CBCP stands; and

3. That majority of the students would want to change the provisions of the RH Bill, provided
with new information in support or opposition to the bill.
Conclusion
On the first question:
What are the views of the students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters regarding Reproductive Health Bill?
Null Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters does not support the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
Alternative Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters supports the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
Based on the results of the survey, the null hypothesis is affirmed.
On the second question:
Students Taking Sides...|75 Do the students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters share the same reasons and arguements with the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines?
Null Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters who oppose the bill does not share the same reasons with the University for opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
Alternative Hypothesis: The students of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters who oppose the bill share the same reasons with the University for opposing the Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill.
Based on the results of the survey, the null hypothesis is affirmed.
On the third question: Are the students open to change their position about the bill?
Null Hypothesis: The students are not open to change their position about the bill.
Alternative Hypothesis: The students are open to change their position about the bill.
Based on the results of the survey, the alternative hypothesis is affirmed.
Recommendations
The researchers recommend that future studies center on the support based on demographic and psychographic lines such as, but not limited to, gender, religion, age, and year level. This will indicate whether these lines will provide varied results from enterprise findings. It is also recommended that researchers would come up with a larger sample and not limit their study with one college or faculty to be able to have a more accurate results and to be able to see the embodiment of the whole university.
Furthermore, the researchers recommend that there be a study be conducted delving deeper on motivations behind the choices of respondents. This does not necessarily mean that a study be conducted based on influences solely, influences are governed by motivations, which determines judgment.
Lastly, the researchers recommend a discussion on the students positions on the Senate versions of the Reproductive Health Bill. The House, with its parochial nature, represents localized concerns on the issue. The Senate, on the other hand, with its national scope and with members elected-at-large, represents a more nationalized perspective on the measure.
References The Ancient Christian Faith on Contraception and Sterilation. (2011). What you know about RH Bill, 30-34. Ambat, G. H. (2009, July). www.senate.gov.ph/publications. Retrieved December 23, 2011, from www.senate.gov.ph: http://www.senate.gov.ph/publications/PB%202009-03%20%20Promoting%20Reproductive%20Health.pdf Atienza, L. (1996). Pro-life political action and lobby. In Voices for Life : A pro - life handbook for asia (pp. 17-18). Manila: Human Life International - Asia. Bacani, T. (1992). The Church and Birth Control. Manila. De La Rosa, R. (1996). A University for Life. In Voices for Life: A pro-life handbook for Asia (p. 1). Manila: Human Life International - Asia. Espina, R. J. (2011, March 15). 2010presidentiables.wordpress.com. Retrieved January 3, 2012, from wordpress.com: http://2010presidentiables.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/amendmentsto-house-bill-4244-consolidated-reproductive-health-bill/ Genove, M. C. (2011, September 23). The RH Bill. Retrieved December 28, 2011, from beta.su.edu.ph: http://beta.su.edu.ph/article/267-The-RH-Bill Odchimar, N. P. (2011). Choosing Life, Rejecting the RH Bill. What you need to know about RH bill, 1-5. Ranada, F. M. (1996). The Philippine Population Program's Sex Education Agenda. In Voices for Life : A pro - life handbook for asia (pp. 40-52). Manila: Human Life International - Asia. Socrates, D. M. (2011). The Sanctity of Family and Life: Natural - Law Thinking in the Constitution. 1-24. The Responsible Parenthood, Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2011, House Bill No. 4244, 15th Congress., 1st session. (2011).
Students Taking Sides...|78 Villamor, A. A. (2011, March 24). Varistarian. Retrieved December 20, 2011, from varistarian.net: http://www.varsitarian.net/breaking_news/20110324/junk_rh_bill_ %E2%80%93_ust
APPENDIX
APPENDIX A: SURVEY University of Santo Tomas Espaa, Manila Good day! We, the Legal Management students of the University of Santo Tomas, would like to conduct a survey regarding the stand and perceptions of the students on Reproductive Health Bill. This survey would help the researchers to find answers to certain questions regarding the bill mentioned. We will treat your responses with utmost confidentiality. We highly appreciate your time and effort in answering the survey. Age: ____ Sex: ___ College: ________________
DIRECTION: Put a check beside your answer. Are you aware that there is a measure in the House of Representatives pushing for Reproductive Health and Population Development? ____ Yes ____ No
1.
Are you aware that the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas have released a position opposing the Reproductive Health Bill? ____ Yes ____ No
2.
(if yes, proceed to question number 3) Please choose one from the following means by which you got or sought information regarding the position paper. ____ The Varsitarian ____ From my classmates ____ From my professors ____ The Central Student Council ____ The Local Student Council ____ From the media
3.
Do you support the position of the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas opposing the Reproductive Health Bill? ____ Yes ____ No ____ I dont know enough to make a stand
4.
(if yes, proceed to question number 5)
Please choose four (4) reasons why you oppose the RH Bill. ____ My professor told me to oppose the bill ____ The bill is unconstitutional ____ My friends oppose the bill ____ My Church opposes the bill ____ The bill promotes premarital sex and abortion ____ The bill promotes a pre-disposed family size ____ The bill does not directly address poverty ____ My family opposes the bill ____ The media has convinced me to oppose the bill
5.
(if no, proceed to question number 6) Please indicate the reasons why you do not support the position of the administrators of UST.
6.
If provided with new information regarding the Reproductive Health Bill, are you open to changing your position regarding the issue? ____ Yes, I am open to change my view on the issue. ____ No, I have made my decision to support/oppose the RH Bill.
7.
Do you believe that the RH bill is an infringement of public health and morals? ____ Yes ____ No ____ I do not know enough about the bill
8.
Do you believe that reproductive health and sexuality education must be integrated to the secondary education bill? ____ Yes ____ No ____ I do not know enough about the bill
9.
10. Do you believe that the house of representative should focus its energies
to pass the RH
bill? ____ Yes, the house must focus its energies to pass the RH bill ____ No, the house must focus its energies to pass other important bills.
APPENDIX B: TABLE FROM SPSS Are you aware that there is a measure in the House of Representatives pushing for Reproductive Health and Population Development? Frequency 164 36 200 Percent 82.0 18.0 100.0 Valid Percent Cumulative Percent 82.0 82.0 18.0 100.0 100.0
Valid
Yes No Total
Students Taking Sides...|82 Are you aware that the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas has released a position opposing the Reproductive Health Bill? Frequency 148 52 200 Percent 74.0 26.0 100.0 Valid Percent Cumulative Percent 74.0 74.0 26.0 100.0 100.0
Valid
Yes No Total
Please choose one (1) from the following means by which you got or sought information regarding the position paper. Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent The Varsitarian 108 72.97 72.97 72.97 Valid From my classmates 12 8.11 8.11 81.08 From my professors 9 6.08 6.08 87.16 The Central Student 5 3.38 3.38 90.54 Council The Local Student Council 3 2.03 2.03 92.57 From the media 11 7.43 7.43 100.0 Total 148 100.0 100.0
Students Taking Sides...|83 Do you support the position of the administrators of the University of Santo Tomas opposing the Reproductive Health Bill? Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Frequency Percent Yes 102 51.0 51.0 51.0 Valid No 94 47.0 20 47.04.9 98.0 Valid My professor told me to I dont know enough to the bill 4 2.0 2.0 100.0 oppose make a stand The bill is 45 11.03 Total 200 100.0 100.0 unconstitutional My friends oppose the bill 44 10.78 My church opposes the 102 25.0 bill The bill promotes 102 25.0 premarital sex and abortion The bill promotes a pre62 15.20 disposed family size The bill does not directly 10 2.45 address poverty My family opposes the 15 3.68 bill 8 1.96 The media has convinced me to oppose the bill Please choose Total 408 100.0 four (4) reasons why you oppose the RH Bill.
Please indicate the reasons why you do not support the position of the administrators of UST Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent USTs stand is not realistic 42 44.68 44.68 44.68 Valid Media 28 29.79 29.79 74.47 My family supports the 13 13.83 13.83 88.3 bill 11 11.70 11.70 100.0 Others Total 94 100.0 100.0
If provided with new information regarding the Reproductive Health Bill, are you open to changing your position regarding the issue? Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Yes, I am open to change 46 23.0 23.0 23.0 Valid my view No, I have made my 154 77.0 77.0 100.0 decision Total 200 100.0 100.0
Do you believe that the RH bill is an infringement of public health and morals? Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Yes 96 48.0 48.0 48.0 Valid No 82 41.0 41.0 89.0 I dont know enough about 22 11.0 11.0 100.0 the bill Total 200 100.0 100.0
Students Taking Sides...|86 Do you believe that the reproductive health and sexuality education must be integrated to the secondary education bill? Cumulative Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent Yes 92 46.0 46.0 46.0 Valid No 86 43.0 43.0 89.0 I dont know enough about 22 11.0 11.0 100.0 the bill Total 200 100.0 100.0
Do you believe that the house of representative should focus its energies to pass the RH bill? Cumulative Percent 34.0
Frequency Valid Yes, the house must focus its energies to pass the RH bill No, the house must focus its energies to pass other impt. bills Total 68
Percent Valid Percent 34.0 34.0
132
66.0
66.0
100.0
200
100.0
100.0
Social contract theory of ethics

http://lms1.accaglobal.com/CourseImports/AccaProfessionalEthics/www/WhatIsEthics/ SocialContractTheory.html
Moral relativism is the position that moral truth is relative to an individual or a group. Social moral relativism is a more precise position claiming that moral truth is relative to social groups. For example, some social moral relativists believe that moral truth is relative to the values and norms of cultural groups.
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7352425_social-moral-relativism-theory-ethics.html

Moral sense theory (also known as sentimentalism) is a view in meta-ethics according to which morality is somehow grounded in moral sentiments or emotions. Some take it to be primarily a view about the nature of moral facts or moral beliefs (a primarily metaphysical view)---this form of the view more often goes by the name "sentimentalism".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_sense_theory

Final Thesis RH Bill

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What are the main points of the Reproductive Health Bill?

What are the main points of the Reproductive Health Bill?

What are the guiding principles of the Reproductive Health Bill?

What are the guiding principles of the Reproductive Health Bill?

Students Taking Sides...

HB 04244: Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill

Students Taking Sides...|3

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Statement of the Problem

This study shall answer the following questions:

Letters regarding Reproductive Health Bill?

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Scope and Limitation

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Review of Related Literature

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For indigenous communities in Latin America and the Caribbean, UNFPA

In Jamaica, persons with disabilities were the focus of a reproductive health

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The African Union Ministers of Health approved a continental reproductive health

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sexually transmitted diseases, and other associated health problems

A mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the expected

standard of sexual activity

childs parents, and society

The importance of attaining self sufficiency before engaging in sexual activity

Students Taking Sides...|36

The literature reviewed poses the following arguments against HB 04244:

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Significance of the Study

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Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

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1. REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND POPULATION DEVELOPMENT BILL

of life, and defines such to begin existence at the time of conception;

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CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH Hypothesis

Students Taking Sides...|46 Research Design

Students Taking Sides...|47 Research Participants

Students Taking Sides...|48 Data Collection and Instruments

Students Taking Sides...|49 Research Procedure

The following were set to be the questions of the survey. Table 1

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Students Taking Sides...|52 Table 3

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1 19Do you agree on changing the provisions on RH bill?

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CHAPTER 3 RESULTS OF THE STUDY Survey

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The following were the findings of the survey:

Figure 2: Awareness of UST-AB students regarding R.A. 9211 26%

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Figure 2.1: Awareness on RH bill

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