The Freedom to Choose:
Reflections on Faith, Population, and Responsible Parenthood
By Benito L. Mabeza, CPA
Editor’s Note: I am republishing this piece which I originally wrote in 2011. At the time, the global human population had just breached 7 billion, and the highly polarizing Reproductive Health (RH) Bill was being fiercely debated in the Philippine Congress. Looking back, the core questions of choice, conscience, and stewardship remain as vital today as they were then.
I was living in Vietnam as an expatriate in 2011, tethered to home through online Philippine newspapers and evening news broadcasts. Two major headlines dominated my mind, mapping out a profound collision between global reality and national policy:
- The Reproductive Health Bill Debate: A deeply polarizing issue dividing Philippine society, pushing the government and the Catholic Church into opposing corners.
- 7 Billion Humans: News broke that the earth’s population had officially crossed the seven-billion mark.
Seven billion is easy to write, but staggering to imagine. That is seven billion hopes, dreams, and mouths to feed. Nearly 95 million of those individuals were Filipinos—living in a country where poverty remains a daily battle, classrooms are chronically overcrowded, and basic necessities are luxuries for millions.
Behind every statistic is a human story. Watching these events unfold from afar, I found myself asking heavy questions: Where are we going? How many people can this planet sustain? And does the biblical command to "be fruitful and multiply" mean we should keep multiplying regardless of the circumstances?
The RH Bill: A Question of Choice
The Reproductive Health Bill touched the most intimate corners of human existence: how we create life, how we plan families, and who holds the right to decide.
- The Proponents: Argued that reproductive health education and access to family planning empower poor families to make informed choices. They believed couples should have access to both natural and modern methods based on their unique circumstances and beliefs.
- The Opponents: Led by the Catholic Church, they maintained that artificial contraception violates the natural moral order and threatens the sanctity of human life.
These are not trivial arguments; they involve deep questions of faith and human dignity.
But caught in the middle of this ideological crossfire was the ordinary Filipino couple. A husband and a wife already struggling to feed three children in a cramped home without running water, stretching a few hundred pesos across the week, with another baby on the way.
Who gets to decide what that family can responsibly undertake?
Agency, Eden, and the Gift of Free Will
I have never been afraid to question. In college, I quietly explored various religious and philosophical perspectives in search of truth rather than dogma.
I distinctly remember a Bible study focused on the Garden of Eden. When the preacher asked for my thoughts on Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, I gave an answer that probably made him regret inviting me:
"Shouldn't we be grateful to the serpent? If not for that temptation, perhaps we would still be in the Garden of Eden—all naked! Here we are today, clothed, thinking, questioning, and with the freedom to choose between good and evil. Is God really selfish for restricting us from knowledge?"
The preacher responded that it was all predetermined in God’s plan. I disagreed. If everything is written and predetermined, what meaning does choice actually have?
God gave us the freedom to choose. But freedom is never a blank check. Freedom carries responsibility—and that responsibility is the absolute heart of parenthood.
Redefining "Be Fruitful and Multiply"
The biblical command to multiply was given when the earth was vast, populations were tiny, and resources seemed limitless.
Today, we live in a fundamentally altered world. Seven billion people share a choking planet. Forests are vanishing, oceans are depleted, and cities are paralyzed by congestion.
Perhaps "be fruitful and multiply" should no longer be interpreted as a mandate for unchecked growth. Perhaps, in the 21st century, it is a call to be responsible stewards of the life and world we have been given.
The Limits of Natural Family Planning
As a practicing Catholic, I understand and respect the Church's teaching on Natural Family Planning (NFP). There is beautiful wisdom in understanding the natural rhythms of the human body.
But is it realistic to demand that every couple rely solely on this method, regardless of their realities? NFP requires rigorous discipline, perfect communication, and flawless cooperation. Humans are emotional, passionate, and imperfect. We are not machines.
Furthermore, is sex in marriage exclusively about making babies? No. Sex is also intimacy, tenderness, companionship, and a profound, wordless expression of love. If God created human sexuality purely for reproduction, why build into it such immense capacity for pleasure and bonding?
The Church must continue to guide and form consciences. But ultimately, it must respect the ultimate agency of the parents. They are the ones who must buy the food, pay the school fees, and stay awake through the night with a sick child.
Prevention vs. Termination
To clarify my own convictions: I believe life begins at conception. Therefore, a human life deserves absolute protection from its very origin.
However, we must distinguish between preventing conception and terminating an existing pregnancy. Preventing a pregnancy through contraception is fundamentally different from abortion. For me, that distinction is non-negotiable.
If we truly believe life is precious, our care cannot end at birth. It is not enough to simply insist, "Have the child." We must collectively ask, "Who will care for the child?"
Children are spectacular blessings. But bringing a child into this world requires more than the physiological ability to conceive—it requires the sustained capacity to parent.
What Do We Owe Our Children?
Imagine reporting back to the Creator: "Lord, we followed Your command. We multiplied until there were seven billion of us."
If God asks, "And what did you do with the world I gave you?"—what will our reply be? Did we multiply poverty, hunger, environmental degradation, and human misery?
This entire debate shouldn't be a turf war between Church and State. The real question is: What kind of world are we preparing for our children?
If we love them, we must care about the quality of the world they inherit. We owe them clean air, safe water, quality education, dignity, and a future.
Final Thoughts
Responsible parenthood is not about enforcing childlessness, nor is it about irresponsible multiplication. It is about recognizing that the greatest gift we can give our children is not simply life, but a life worth living.
The command to multiply must be paired with an equally sacred command: Be wise. Be responsible. Be good stewards. Freedom without responsibility is just recklessness.
God gave us the freedom to choose. Now, it is our duty to choose wisely.
Until then, my humble regards.
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