Fines and prison terms for not practicing contraception

Manila (AsiaNews) – For Mgr Fernando Capalla, Archbishop of Davao and chairman of the Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, the new bill on population control is “unjust, arbitrary, and unreasonable” because it “violates the [. . .] autonomy of couples” and “desecrates the sanctity of marriage”.

In his pastoral letter on population control legislation, Archbishop Capalla condemned the “two-child policy” bill that was approved last week by a committee of the Filipino Congress. The goal of the policy is to impose controls on population growth.

“The measure imposes fine and imprisonment for parents, spouses, and health professionals who impede ‘sexual and reproductive rights’ [i.e. a euphemism for contraception and abortion],” Archbishop Capalla said.

The programme that the bill would set up is called Lingtas Buntis and involves a mass information campaign on fertility control methods and government financial aid to couples who decide to stop at two children.

According to the chairman of the Bishops’ Conference, the bill’s “premises are all wrong. A long line of serious economists and demographers have long discredited the Malthusian myth that positive population growth stunts economic growth. Modern history has also demolished this myth.”

Now what happens if you have six children,like me? Is it like opening day of Trout Season, if you're over your limit you have to throw some back? I'm sure Jane Fonda and Hillary would be huge supporters of this policy.