Prayer Rally to Stop the
Reproductive Health Bill (HB 5043)
The
prayer rally to stop the Reproductive Health Bill (HB 5043) last November 13
(Thursday) at the Xavier University Covered Courts was an event spearheaded by
the university and the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro to inform of the updates,
pros and cons regarding the HB 5043. The rally calls for us our individual and
communal awareness and exercise of rights as citizens of this democratic
country and as human beings created with free will.
As
beings, therefore, we are expected to choose between yes or no, life or death,
good or evil. But there are always exceptions with regards to this. There is
also gray between the colors black and white, and oftentimes this is where we
lead to when we usually find both sides rationally correct or right. Yes, the
HB 5043 has its advantages, that’s why it is formulated as a bill. Also, there
are reasons that must be considered why it must not be passed on and approved
as a bill, as what the prayer rally was talking about. There must only be one
answer for this: either yes (to approve this bill) or no (not to approve this
bill). By intense deliberation, one can have its view on whether to say yes or
no with regards to this. The university and the church’s viewpoint is no, that
is, we Ateneans and Catholics opt to reject the passage of the bill as it now
stands. I too believe so. This is not because I am influenced by outside forces
(the church I am in or the university’s statement on HB 5043), but because I
choose to say yes than no, I choose life over death, I choose goodness over
evil. The bill may have its advantages, yes, but I see that we, the citizens of
this country, will have more advantages if we are to reject the passage of this
bill. And I pray that the people involved in this passage will somehow be
enlightened for them to see the reality of what the Filipinos truly need, and
that is freedom.
Not to choose is also a choice.
But I chose to choose. Why? Because I am part of this republic we are in. I am
a human being, I cannot just live with all the pressures going on around me and
not minding them. I cannot live in the world of apathy. I have to exercise my
right. I have a role to play. I am an Atenean amDg.
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