While the Supreme Court discusses the controversial Reproductive Health Bill in Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday, July 9th, a prayer vigil, sponsored by the Episcopal Commission on the Family and Life of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, is being held in front of the Palace of Justice. In this way, the Catholic Church wants to reiterate its firm opposition to the law, signed last December by President Benigno Aquino after 14 years of a contentious legislative process, and hopes that it will be declared unconstitutional. Ten judges have already voted for its rejection, while five others have declared themselves in favor of the application of this law, which promotes a family planning program, inviting couples to have no more than two children, and facilitating voluntary sterilization.

Card. Luis Antonio G. Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, said that «the absolute value of human life will defeat birth control. We will work harder to promote the sanctity of human life and of the human person, the integral education of the youth, the access of the poor to social and medical services, the preservation of the true meaning of marriage, and stewardship of creation. We call on all Filipinos to work together to heal the family and to walk humbly in justice as children of God».
 

The Pontifical Council for the Family has summarized a statement about the initiative from Father William Santiago, former Director of the Pastoral Ministry for the Family in the Philippines, and among the Dicastery’s associates. «The atmosphere of the gathering is not marked by tones of hostility and violence, but by celebration, prayer, dancing and joy, to renew our faith together in a project that promotes the respect and defense of life, as founded in Christian anthropology and recognized by the Philippine Constitution, from the Preamble onward», Fr. Santiago said. The Reproductive Health Law is, therefore, «unconstitutional, since it clearly stands in contrast to the Constitution’s fundamental principles concerning the right to life». The Catholic movements, schools and lay associations have organized themselves in order to promote a large participation in the prayer vigil, which is − as the priest says − «an opportunity to keep alive the vigilance over the essential values of life together and over justice in the Republic of the Philippines and, at the same time, to renew our faith and commitment to promote and defend the Christian values of the human person’s dignity and of life». The meeting was attended by representatives of other religions and of the civil community, which is for the most part− as Fr. Santiago says − opposed to this new law.