Aquinians polled oppose RH Bill, but…

A survey conducted by a social sciences class and the Office of Religious Affairs revealed that most of the students and personnel polled are opposed to the Responsible Parenthood Bill (RH Bill), formerly known as the Reproductive Health Bill, but are not knowledgeable enough about its provisions.

The RH Bill raised strong criticism from members of the church due to its provisions for mandatory sex education and the use of contraceptives.

While the Bill contends that cutting back the country’s growing population rate is necessary to lessen poverty, the Church has insisted that the country’s poverty problem is not caused by overpopulation.

In June, 4th year Social Sciences students randomly polled 832 students and personnel of the University. Some 477 said they are against the Bill, while 355 are in support.

Similarly, the Religious Education students randomly questioned 70 respondent personnel and other students regarding the Bill.
On the query if they have read the full text of the RH Bill, only 10 said yes and 60 said they have not read the full text.

When asked if they are aware about the Catholic Church’s stand on the issue, 39 answered yes, while 31 answered no.

“Most people questioned are hardly aware of the Bill, and know only the convenient facts,” said Rev. Fr. Robie Reyes, OP, Vice-President for Religious Affairs.

Center for Religious Education Coordinator Patrick Paulino said the respondents seemed to have media-based perception, knowledge coming from what they see or hear in the media.

To provide a clearer understanding on the issue, the ORA revisited the Bill in the Lacordaire Catechetical Forum last week at the AQ Chapel.

The forum aimed to discuss in a wider setting the components of the Bill and its impact on the moral life of Aquinians, among others.

“Our goal is to lay out the content and provisions of the Bill and the Catholic Church’s stand on the issue,” Paulino said.

Lacordaire Catechetical forum is a co-curricular activity by the CREED held once every semester.

Posted on: 08.24.2011