Survey: 82 percent Filipinos want passage of bill allowing access to artificial contraceptive

Manila: Majority or 82 percent of Filipinos want the passage of a bill that allows access to artificial contraceptives, in a government-run family planning program for the poor, a private survey group said. 

In a survey of 1,200 respondents, from June 3 to 6, 82 percent said they wanted the Philippine government to subsidize family planning methods to the poor and give information to young people to control the country's 2.2 percent growth rate, the Social Weather Station said, adding that only 8 percent disagreed and 9 percent undecided. 

Twenty years ago, only 61 percent agreed to the same statement asked by the SWS in 1990. At the time, 26 percent were undecided, 13 percent disagreed, SWS said. 

Meanwhile, in the June 2011 survey, 73 percent said that if a couple wanted to practice family planning, all relevant information on "all legal methods" should be available. 

In 1990, only 55 percent believed that couple that want family planning, should have access on all legal family planning methods, SWS said. 

Sixty-eight percent agreed in the June 2011 survey that "the government should fund all means of family planning, be it natural or artificial means," (specially for the poor), the SWS said. 

Forty-six percent rejected the view that family planning information in school could make young people promiscuous. 

The influential Catholic Church has been against the use of artificial family planning methods. 

The result of the SWS survey affirmed the stand of President Benigno Aquino to support the passage of the controversial health bill in Congress, spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told Business World, adding that Aquino is for a government subsidy of the family planning for poor Filipinos. 

"With respect to providing funding, we are very, very emphatic about it, for those who could not afford the choice (of family planning) that they have made, we will so provide," Lacierda said. 

However, despite his support for the controversial bill, Aquino has not signed as urgent the passage of the said bill by the upper and lower houses of Congress.