Population control debate heats up in Philippines - Feature

Manila - A decades-old debate on population control turned nasty in the Philippines, with Catholic bishops ordering priests to deny communion to politicians supporting wider access to contraceptives and other artificial family planning methods. The church, which wields major influence in the predominantly Catholic country, alleged that proposed laws on reproductive health and family planning were "anti-life" and actually promoted abortion, which is illegal in the Philippines. A senior bishop said priests should not give communion to supporters of such immoral moves because they were unworthy. In Manila's suburban city of Quezon, a councilman was forced to move the location of his wedding after a priest in his parish threatened to deny him communion for proposing an ordinance promoting contraceptives and sex education for... [read full story]