The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) speaks out on the RH Bill.

The Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, a network of more than 30,000 evangelical congregations in the Philippines, reiterates its call for the immediate consolidation and passing of the House Bill 4244, more commonly known as the Reproductive Health Bill. We call on our legislators to end the debates and to vote for its approval. We wholeheartedly support Pres. Aquino’s statement that “Perhaps the debates should end and Congress can decide, once and for all, on the responsible parenthood bill,”

We believe that the RH Bill is pro-life. Life begins at fertilization, and the promotion of the use of artificial forms of contraception does not take away life, for life begins at the union of the sperm and the egg cells.

We believe the RH Bill promotes a responsible lifestyle. As we have stated in our previous statements, God had created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). When He commanded Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it,” He gave it to a world population of two. Now that the world population has escalated to seven billion, all the more, we are to fulfill the second part of the mandate, which is to subdue the earth. Responsible parenthood should be one of our responses to this call, and this would entail determining the number of children that we would raise in decent standards.

We believe that the purpose of marriage is not procreation alone, but also to enjoy the divinely instituted intimacy between husband and wife.

We believe abortion is a sin and should not in any way be tolerated. We support the RH Bill because it recognizes such reality, and does not promote nor legalize abortion.

We believe that the RH Bill fulfils the responsibilities of the Government in its duties to promote good and restrain evil. The Bill is one of the ways in which the government aids in the development of our countrymen by helping them actualize their duties in the family. People have the right to be educated and it is unconscionable to keep the people in ignorance.

We restate: the RH Bill is pro-life, pro-development and pro-poor.

For the Board of Directors:
Bishop Efraim Tendero,
National Director
Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches

August 5, 2012