DOH-ARMM urges Catholic Church to give people correct information

By Hader Glang • Zamboanga Today Online

A top official of the Department of Health (DOH) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has called on the Catholic Church to give the people the right information on the Reproductive Health (RH), which has been debated for over a decade now in the Senate and Congress.

"Gusto ko lang po sana ipanawagan sa kanila na ibigay po natin ang tamang inpormasyon sa ating mga mamamayan (I just want to call on them to please give us the correct information to our citizens," Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr., DOH-ARMM secretary, said in an interview by local reporters here.

The DOH-ARMM top official was in Zamboanga City to spearhead the Basilan's 1st Health Summit participated in by ARMM regional health officials with residents and stakeholders to gather first- hand information on health needs and concerns in their villages, and craft the corresponding solutions.

"Ang sa akin lang po dito (just for me here). Let the people decide and if the people can not decide help them decide by helping them decide by the right and true information. Huwag po natin sila ilihis sa tamang inpormasyon (let's not divert them to the correct information)," Sinolinding added.

As far as the ARMM is concerned, Sinolinding explained that there is already a 'Fatwa' about family planning, considered as birth spacing which means the Muslim community by analysis "endorsement of the religious scholars do not oppose but rather encourage the families to decide on their own."

According to him, this is based on family size, number of children and based on their capability to economic as well as their physical capabilities. "Islam do not actively oppose but it promotes strong and healthy family."

There are four recognize reasons why birth spacing is allowed in Islam, he said. "Number 1, if the life of the mother is endangered. Second, if the father can not fulfill his duties as a Muslim because of too many children. "

The other two include, if there are diseases in the family as part of the family lineage hereditary diseases and if the child still breast fed and has to stop because the mother is pregnant, this will deprive the children.

Meanwhile, Dr. Sinolinding stressed that the biggest problem and challenge the country is facing relative to reproductive health is to keep the people ignorant about the benefit of the proper way of family planning or the proper way of birth spacing.

According to him, the mother, the father and the children of families should be given priority because there are many countries in the world -- Catholic even Italy where Vatican is located and even Rome they support reproductive health and they practice.

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