THE heated battle regarding the Reproductive Health (RH) has yet to die down but another fight between the Catholic Church and the legislative branch of government is brewing.

 

Now, prelates and lawmakers are expected to clash views regarding the Divorce Bill being tackled by the House of Representatives.

 

Gabriela Party List Reps. Luzviminda Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus, the two proponents of House Bill 1799 or An Act Introducing Divorce in the Philippines, want to give Filipino couples an option to end their irreparable and unhappy marriages through divorce.

 

With Malta approving the process recently, the Philippines is the only country in the world without a divorce law.

 

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The Catholic Church has all the reasons to object to the bill as the Holy Bible, in the Book of Mark Chapter 10:9, clearly states that “what therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."

Catholic teachings disseminated by the Archdiocese of Denver state that divorce is a grave offense against the natural law.

 

It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other until death.

 

Sacramental marriage is the sign of the covenant of salvation, to which divorce does incredible injury.

 

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Also, there is no need for a divorce law in the Philippines as we already have annulment as a process to declare a marriage null and void.

 

In Article 45 of the Family Code of the Philippines, there are six grounds for annulment of marriage.

 

Among these are absence of parental consent, mental illness, fraud, that the consent of either party was obtained by force, intimidation or undue influence, one or the other party was physically incapable of consummating the marriage, and such incapacity continues and appears to be incurable and if either party was at the time of marriage afflicted with a sexually-transmitted-disease (STD) found to be serious and seems to be incurable.

 

If this is the case, the House is just wasting its precious time and people’s money to hear a law which is already existing.

Let’s focus on strengthening the family and not ruining it.