Thursday, September 17, 2009

sad news

i know we are all trying to stay positive here, but i just saw this article from the inquirer and had to share. tsk tsk tsk. so sad. talk about a step back!

Catholic schools seeks women’s law exemption

MANILA, Philippines—Insisting on their religious and academic freedoms, Catholic educational institutions are seeking exemption from a provision in the new Magna Carta of Women banning the dismissal of unwed mothers from employment or school.

Monsignor Gerardo Santos, national president of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), said the CEAP would ask that a provision on such an exemption be inserted into the new law’s implementing rules and regulations.

He said the chairman of the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Emmanuel Angeles, has said he would support the CEAP’s participation in the writing of the IRR.

“It is important that we respect the religious affiliation of these institutions, the schools, or company the persons [concerned] belong to,” Santos told the CEAP national convention at the Manila Hotel.

Women’s rights activists have said that under the new law, unwed mothers who are kicked out can file a civil case and sue for damages while government officials who dismiss them can be sanctioned under administrative and civil service laws.

Santos insisted on the Catholic schools’ right to have an unwed pregnant student or employee go on leave “after due process,” or to enforce other disciplinary action.

and this is exactly WHY i have issues with the catholic religion....

5 comments:

neva said...

the moment I read the public statement of the catholic church saying they were against the magna carta for women, I denounced Catholicism (and actually organized religion in general).

I will not be a victim of a religion that doesn't believe in me and what God intended me to be.

flower said...

grabe! what about unwed fathers???

hay nevs, i totally agree with you. until they accept women priestesses, homosexuality, condoms, etc. etc...

can you really imagine jesus christ in the flesh saying "if you're an unwed mother, you can't go to a school of your choice"? it's just absurd.

i just wish we took our 'separation of church and state' more seriously.

Ex Singapore Salsa said...

I believe that unwed mothers have the right to sue if they are dismissed from employment, however, I agree with the Catholic schools' prerogative to dismiss unwed mothers.

Accepting unwed mothers would not be in conjunction with what they teach the students that reproduction and the sexual act must be within the bounds and sanctity of marriage. That being said, I believe unwed fathers should be dismissed too.

I'm not so bothered by this, but then again, I've always been the most blindly conservative and traditional amongst y'all.

flower said...

hmm i disagree.

granted, the catholics run and own the school. but if they will go to that direction, and choose to discriminate as a way of being "in conjuction with what they teach the students", then they should also dismiss all homosexuals, all those who are sexually active, all those who use contraception, all those who use God's name in vain, all those who don't go to mass, etc. etc.

the schools in contention aren't madrassas, they're some of the best schools we have here. and to deny someone of quality education, only because they have committed a 'forgivable' sin (as all sins are forgivable, right?) isn't exactly a love-your-neighbor-as-you-love-yourself thing to do... it's very judgy... but didn't someone say 'judge not and ye shall not be judged?"

maybe with the ban, they'll learn to forgive 7 x 70 times...

yun lang :)

belly said...

ex sing salsa... i can't believe you are not bothered by this or see anything wrong with it...

let me put it as simply as i can... i think it all boils down to this very simple idea...

if jesus owned a school here today, do you think he would dismiss or not accept an unwed mother in his school?

do we really need to ask that question?