“NO TO SBN NO. 1979”

(Erico Joseph T. Cañete)

I was made to believe that no military force on earth can bring America down. This is due to the fact that its military strength is like a Roman warrior who flourishes a captured flag in every battle. Yet, as they say, this country can only be defeated by forces from within; morality. 

America is suffering from a disease of misconstrued notion of freedom, that is, the belief that freedom means doing anything one likes, i.e. a matter of individual choice that may benefit the doer of his hedonistic intention without minding the objective assessment of the act itself. This is not freedom at all but an abuse of freedom. Freedom determines us to the goal of our choice to achieve our end; happiness. It directs and determines us to do the real good and nothing else. If not, then there’s an abuse of freedom and consequently morality suffers.

During his campaign, Trump’s second term agenda (hopefully to be legislated and implemented) include banning abortion, outlawing medication abortion, etc. 

In his inaugural speech, President Trump begins with a statement, “The golden age of America begins right now…. Our top priority will be to create a nation that is proud and prosperous and free” Personally, I take this as a wake up call to this great nation. Free again? Free from what? Free from abuse of freedom?

As he progressed in his speech, he vowed to end government’s policy of trying to socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life; a society that is colorblind and not biased. Furthermore, he declared that it’s the US government’s policy that there are only two genders, male and female.

America is gradually becoming a true land of the free with a new leader determined to bring his constituents to the common good, which is first and foremost, moral recovery. Too early to assess? Who knows? Isn’t it that a good country is the one becoming better however bad it may be now; and a bad country is the one becoming worse?

How about this Christian nation and predominantly Catholic? How far are we in terms of moral recovery? We have now a Reproductive Health Law which recommends the use of contraceptive means of birth control. Recently, SBN 1979 – otherwise known as the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act of 2023 – is gaining strength despite of withdrawal of support of the seven senators. It’s an apparently admirable title. But on the contrary, it’s an attack to the family by removing the parents from any participation in the adolescent life of children on issues of sexuality, as the Council of the Laity of the Philippines puts it. It gives a choice, an avenue for a sixteen-year old individual to use contraceptives. Subconsciously, this entices a teenager to be promiscuous.    

If this would become a law, what’s next? Legalizing direct abortion, divorce, same sex marriage, inter alia under the guise of constitutional rights? Are we as a nation getting morally devious? When can we come to our senses that moral uprightness or value is higher than constitutional right? When and how can we strengthen the moral fiber of the family? When can we learn that the Senate, the educational and health institutions need to understand the tenets of the Natural Moral Law? 

We, as a nation, are still far from moral recovery. Step by step, we need measures that would strengthen the Filipino family in its role in inculcating values and virtues to the members. One concrete measure is to voice out our NAY stand to the SBN 1979 despite its amendments or substitute bill.

God save our country!