Press Release
January 21, 2015

On Pope Francis' visit and recent statements
Statement of Sen. Pia S. Cayetano
Chairperson, Senate Committee on Women, Family Relations and Gender Equality

"I thank Pope Francis for stressing the importance of responsible parenting among the Catholic faithful. It is indeed the primary responsibility of parents to plan the number and spacing of their children, to ensure that each child is cared and provided for, and to not leave their future to fate." "I am glad the Pope did not turn a blind eye to the reality of the hardships faced by families who were not able to plan their families. Eight children to feed, care for, and send to school, is not a joke. And it is important that we stress that parents must own up to this responsibility. Government can only help by providing information, services and supplies. But ultimately, it is the choice of the individual and the couple."

"I fully respect the Pope's stand in favor of natural family planning, which is just consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church, which he heads. I wish to reiterate that the Reproductive Health Law promotes free access to information and services to allow couples to make a responsible choice on what family planning method to use, whether natural or artificial, or a combination of both. The law does not favor one method over the other and definitely does not impose an ideal family size."

"Lastly, I thank Pope Francis for recognizing the significant role of women in society and his advice to us to listen more to women. Coming from an institution predominantly made up of men, his views favoring increased women's representation are truly inspiring and should be taken to heart by our leaders and people."

News Latest News Feed