Solons laud SWS survey on family planning

Solons laud over SWS survey on family planning
or
Solons get loud over SWS survey on family planning

JOHANNA CAMILLE SISANTE, GMANews.TV
10/15/2008 04:46 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The proponents of the Reproductive Health bill in the House on Wednesday welcomed the results of the latest Social Weather Station survey showing that majority of Filipinos favor mandating the government to distribute contraceptives. In a statement, House Bill 5043 principal author Rep. Edcel Lagman said the SWS survey results released early Wednesday morning confirm that Filipinos approve of family planning and want a law requiring the government to distribute artificial birth control methods such as condoms, pills, and IUDs. "The message is loud and clear. Filipinos want to plan their families, approve of contraceptive use and they want government to help them be responsible parents," said Lagman.

Translated: The proponents of the Reproductive Health bill in the House on Wednesday gloated over the results of the latest Social Weather Station…"The message is loud and clear. Filipinos want to plan their families, approve of contraceptive use...", said Lagman. He later added, "…the rest of the Filipinos who disapprove must simply be ignored. They can go to hell!…see you there..".
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...The SWS survey showed that 68 percent of Filipinos agree that there should be a law requiring government to distribute legal contraceptives.

Well, guns are legal too, but "legal" contraceptives? Pray tell us, what are "illegal" contraceptives?
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...Fifty percent disagreed that contraceptives are abortifacients, 33 percent concurred, and 15 percent were undecided.

Yeah, yeah. And the majority of the crowd voted to release Barabas.
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...RH bill co-author Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Health committee chair Rep. Arthur Pinggoy likewise welcomed the survey results.

With open arms, of course.
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..."The 50 percent are right. Contraceptive use prevents conception, and therefore there is no pregnancy aborted. The 68 percent would be enough to pass the RH bill requiring government to make contraceptives available. We congressmen should vote to represent that majority sentiment," said Hontiveros in a text message to GMANews.TV.

My text message reply: "R u kddng?? Bill says full range of cntrceptvs. Iud’s, pills, injctbles prvent cnception? Oh cmon, get ur facts str8".

Argumentum ad populum says the majority is infallibly right huh? Count Barabas in.
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...Pinggoy, meanwhile said there is truly a need for legislation mandating the government to distribute contraceptives as most Filipinos cannot afford them. "Fifty-two percent of Filipinos live below poverty level and most of them have no access to contraceptives because they cannot afford it," Pinggoy told GMANews.TV in a text message.

Reply: "K, jus like d pur can’t affrd fud too. u go like: wat d heck w no fud, jus gib dem more 'safe' sex."

To which Marie Antoinette says: "Let them eat cake!".
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...The survey results also showed that 54 percent disagree that youth would be considered "promiscuous" if family planning is included in their school curriculum, while 25 percent agreed and 19 percent were undecided.

See?, 54%: isn't that an awesome majority? Mandatory sex-ed for the rest of the 46% who disagree or are clueless! We don’t care if your children will be "promiscuous" or not, and whether you even understand the meaning of the word. We enlightened, bright solons have the right to decide what's good and what's not for your own children. Plus, you have the right to remain silent.
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...The survey with a 3% error margin was done from September 24-27. Of those surveyed, 81 percent were Catholics. "Clearly, doctrines advocated by the Church hierarchy do not reflect the diversity of attitudes and practices among the Catholic faithful themselves," said Lagman.

Last time I heard , the Church hierarchy reflects divine revelation, not "diversity of attitudes and practices". And Honorable Sir Lagman, please define “Catholic faithful” .
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...Lagman said that the SWS survey "echoes surveys conducted by Pulse Asia in 2001, 2004 and 2007 which consistently show that Filipinos believe in the importance of family planning and would like to have the information and access to do so responsibly." Lagman said the latest survey results strengthens the resolve of the 113 RH bill coauthors and improves the chances of the bill's approval in the House.

Oh? Do survey results now qualify as valid basis in justifying the passage of bills? The judging in American Idol now looks more reasonable.
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...The chair of the House "pro-life" caucus, however, dismissed the survey results. Paranaque Rep. Eduardo Zialcita told GMANews.TV in a text message that many are misinformed about reproductive health because the anti-Reproductive Health bill side is rarely heard in the media. "Many of them (respondents) misinformed. Our side is hardly heard in the media," said Zialcita. "Assuming the survey is true, it doesn't make it right."...

How true. The thing with surveys is that depending on the way questions are presented, the results may lead to unreasonable conclusions. Not to mention misinformation. To be fair, I say take another survey among the same respondents. Here goes: