the condom wars

Warning lang po:  I've maintained DS as GP as I can but this is the first time I'm gonna go PG sa aking posting.  Sorry but I have to do this.

There’s a war raging between PNoy’s government and the church. It’s all about condoms, contraceptives and the whole idea of birth control. Isang bagay na tinutulak ng gobyerno para tuluyang ma-implement. Na tinututulan naman ng mahigpit ng simbahan. At ako’y nauuta na naman dahil paulit-ulit na lang itong pinag-aawayan.

Actually napakadali sanang tapusin ng usapang ito dahil isa lang ang isisigaw ko – for the church to get off government’s back and let them do their thing. Pero syempre hindi pwede yon. Sa dinami-dami ng mga bagay na pinakikialaman ng simbahan sa pagpapatakbo ng bansa natin, I’d give this one to them. Dahil nga naman buhay ang pinag-uusapan dito. At sa mas malalim na pananaw, ang moralidad na mahigpit nilang binabantayan.

Sabi ng simbahan kasi, everyone’s got the right to live. Oo naman. In fact nakakahimagsik na mabalitaan na may 5th grader na namatay dahil tinamaan ng ligaw na bala dahil nagpaputok ang isang lasing. O kaya nasagasaan ng isang reckless driver ang isang graduating student, buntis na babae or isang tatay na nagta-trabaho para sa kanyang pamilya.

At mas lalong nakakainit ng dugo yong mga nagpapa-abort. Kasi buhay na talaga ang pinag-uusapan doon. May pintig na ng puso na involved. At sinuman ang kumitil ng pintig ng puso na yon, walang puso.

That is why I’m anti-abortion. But I’m pro-prevention.

Having said that, ito lang talaga ang tanong ko. Ano’ng right to live ang pinag-uusapan sa condom? Does that sticky liquid at the tip of that rubber have the slightest hint of a pulse? Does a drop of semen can actually scream ‘hey you stupid, don’t let me go to waste, I’m a future rocket scientist’? Wala naman ah. At that point, it is nothing but a natural secretion of the human anatomy. Parang jingle lang. Or pawis. So anong right to live ang pinag-uusapan doon?

Let’s take two couples for example. Yong isa gumagamit ng condom. Yong isa, hindi. But both are trying to be responsible people, preventing unwanted pregnancy knowing that they don’t have the capacity yet to bring another life into this planet. Pero kailangang mag-sex. And that is inevitable.

So, dahil yong isa ba ay gumagamit ng condom, he deserves the condemnation of the church? Eh yong isang tinapon lang ang semilya sa good morning towel? Okey lang dahil hindi sya gumamit ng condom? O baka naman pati good morning towel pag-diskitahan na rin ninyo?

Well, let me guess, ito marahil ang isasagot ng simbahan sa ganyang tanong: Pareho silang iko-condemn to hell coz they shouldn’t be practicing sex in the first place. Ay teka, mga Father, both couples po are legally married. Ayaw pa lang magka-anak dahil nagbabayad pa ng mga utang dahil sa mahal na kasalang nangyari sa simbahan ninyo!

O sige, for argument’s sake, hindi na lang kasal. Mag-BF/GF pa lang sila pareho. Sasabihin ninyo siguradong malaking kasalanan yan dahil hindi pa pala kasal nagse-sex na. Oo nga naman. Pero Father, other than that, meron pa ba kayong maipapayo to these people except praying 30 Hail Marys?

I’m sure ipapasok na ninyo yong second argument ninyo. And that is the very low morality, kung meron pa mang natitira, sa lipunan natin ngayon. Totoong-totoo naman at walang makikipag-argue dito. Kahit saan ka tumingin, kahit hindi sa aspetong sekswal, isa na ang moral values sa pinakamahirap makita sa ating society. Dahil ba sa madalang na tayong mag-simba? Dahil ba sa hindi na tayo nagdadasal? Hindi na tayo nagbabasa ng Bible. In short, we are no longer practicing our faith kaya yan, ang baba ng moral values natin.

Siguro. Pero maitanong ko lang (believe me I didn’t want to go as low as this but I wanted to drive home a point)… Ang mga pari ba na na-accuse of sexual offense, hindi sila nag-dasal araw-araw, hindi sila nag-rosary oras-oras kaya natukso pa rin sila? What I’m saying is, sila nga, people who have tried to live the life of sainthood, natutukso pa rin, bumibigay pa rin, how much more kaming araw-araw na exposed sa ‘kamunduhan ng sanglibutan’?

Sex is sex. At this day and age, kakaunti na lang ang taong may matibay na posisyon at determinasyon not to engage in it - premarital or otherwise. Kung meron man, they can hold on to it only for as long as they can. But it’s not gonna be forever.

Sakit na ito ng lipunan. Television is bombarding us with shows suggesting sex. Movies are showing it even bolder. Even printed materials are all screaming sex. And well-known people, kahit politicians are already careless about their sexual activities. Hindi na sila natatakot na makasira sa kanilang mga career ito. Or whatever effect it will have on people who look up to them. In fact, parang proud pa sila for the world to know that they have several kids to prove their infedility.

Yan ang katotohanan ngayon. The bitter, ugly truth that we have to face. Na dapat hanapan ng solusyon, hindi pikitan ng mata at ipag-pasa-Dyos na lamang. We have to do something about it. Gawan natin ng paraan. Pag may nagawa nang paraan, doon natin samahan ng dasal. (O di ko pa rin kayo nakalimutan ha!).

Inasmuch as you wanted to uphold the morality of your flocks, you have to wake up and face reality. And the truth is, hindi na ganon ka-effective ang simbahan sa pagpapalaganap ng moralidad. In fact, you have lost your grip a long time ago. At ngayon, sa pagkakaligaw ng landas ng inyong herd, they are suffering from one huge dilemma.

Poverty. Sexual diseases. Over population. Mga baby na pina-flush sa toilet. Iniiwan sa lansangan at kung saan-saan. Kahit sa eroplano.

If the church can really devise one comprehensive solution to these problems, then by all means go. Go, go, go. Pero kung wala kayong isasagot kundi ang taimtim na pagdadasal, pagro-rosary at paglalakad ng paluhod sa Quiapo church, then, sisigaw na nga ako - tantanan na ninyo ang gobyerno!!!

Let them do what they think is necessary to address these problems. Dahil sa totoo lang, napakaraming problema ang mabibigyan ng solusyon if we put population explosion at bay. May pag-asa tayong umunlad. May pag-asa tayong mabawasan ang crime rate. May pag-asa tayong mabuhay ng may kaunting dignidad.

Hindi ba kayo naaawang makita ang mga batang musmos, barely taking their first steps and yet nangangalkal ng basura para lang may makain? If you can’t do something about it, then let the government try their thing. Kung hindi man ninyo suportahan, then lay off.

Wag yong pati si Noynoy na naging sunod-sunuran sa inyo all his life, ite-threaten ninyo ng excommunication. Wag ganon. Threats are unbecoming for men of God like you. Mga sanggano at terorista lang ang gumagawa ng ganon.

Sa usaping ito, I’m giving my support to Noynoy (as if sa haba ng sinabi ko hindi pa rin malinaw yong part na yon!). Kung hindi nagawa ng ibang Pangulo dati dahil sa takot sa simbahan, I hope Noynoy can do it. It’s something that should have been implemented ages ago. It could have been more effective noong hindi pa talamak ang cancer. But late as it may be, it’s better than not happening at all. Who knows how grim the picture can be 10, 20 years from now.