I got a hold of the short seven-page position paper of the U.P. School of Economics professors unequivocal support for the bill, in particular it's main thrust to "enable couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to carry out their decisions."

So much snarkiness, and downright buffoonery, has been levied against this bill, mostly from the Church's hard-line stance against modern methods of family planning.

Such as:

Palanca also stressed she opposes the Reproductive Health Bill being pushed in the House of Representatives, also admitting that she has not even read it 'but I don't care."

Oh, and this is what is supposedly written on the petition against the bill being signed all over the country:

The bill is a deceptive ploy used to entice the people to accept the New World Order, a worldwide spiritual warfare aimed to destroy life and family to spread the culture of death.

Culture of death. Sigh. These people need a moral revision, at the very least. If you, however, are on the fence, then you must know:

1. Controlling population is a critical complement to sound economic planning and poverty reduction. If you want a better country, this bill is not just helpful, it is key.

2. Family size is closely related to poverty incidence at all levels. The latest data show that poverty incidence is less than 10% for a family with one child; but it rises steadily with the number of children to 57% for a family with nine or more children. Larger families also make less investments per child in human capital, investments that are crucial in breaking the chain of intergenerational poverty.

3. Poor families WANT TO PLAN THEIR FAMILIES. On the average, among the poorest ten-percent of women of reproductive age, 44% of pregnancies are unwanted. Among the poorest families, 22% of married women of reproductive age express a desire to avoid pregnancies but are still not using any family planning method. Among the poorest women who want to avoid pregnancy, at least 41% do not use any contraceptive method because they lack information.

This bill isn't "anti-life" as some Catholic groups have claimed. This bill does not promote abortion, rather contraception. Really, if you can't tell the difference, then you shouldn't be making claims.

It's important to note that this may be last chance to make this change -- one that is long, long overdue. Allow our women and their families to receive from their government, proper information, means, and use of modern contraceptive methods. They will be healthier, happier and so will their children.

Wala ng agawan ng textbook sa eskwela!

(Another blogger here. Download bill here.)