192 professors of the Jesuit Ateneo de Manila University from its Loyola Schools, School of Medicine and Public Health, Law School and School of Government have signed a declaration affirming support for the controversial Reproductive Health bill. The declaration states that the bill “is a vital piece of legislation that needs to be passed urgently” and asserts that the key principles of the bill are compatible with Catholic social teaching. [Declaration]
It also appears to imply that contraception is morally licit, which contradicts the teaching of the Catholic Church. The declaration fails to refer to provisions in the bill that are problematic from the perspective of freedom of conscience. In describing the bill as an affirmation of human rights, it adopts the position of activists who are using human right claims to force objecting health care workers to participate in or facilitate contraception and abortion. [The Philippines RH bill of 2011: the shape of things to come?]