Government of The Philippines Gets Real About Birth Control

Yesterday I noted that the government of Iran is abandoning its subsidized family planning program because it wants a higher birth rate. Today's news is about protests in The Philippines because the government is proposing to do exactly the opposite--to subsidize birth control in order to push the birth rate lower. 

The proposal, which is expected to face a tough time getting through parliament, has angered the influential Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines which has led opposition and called Saturday's protest.President Benigno Aquino has strongly backed the law, saying in a statement before the rally that in a situation where couples "are in no position to make an informed judgement, the state has the responsibility to so provide".The law would use a government health insurance fund to provide birth control pills, condoms and other contraceptives for free.
It would give the poor preferential access to family planning services in state hospitals, while lessons on family planning and sex education would become compulsory in schools and for couples applying for a marriage license.

The article also notes that both abortion and divorce are illegal in The Philippines--another reminder of the issue of women's rights in so many countries in the world.