Contraceptive Irony: When "Safe" Means "Unsafe"

We are now in the era where decadent things are not just tolerated but even promoted. Take, for example, the case of lying. In theory, lying is still wrong and some people may even be sent to prison because of this sin. However, in practice, lying is promoted, particularity, in the advertising world.

Do you want to increase your sales? Just tell the consumers partial truth or even the total untruth. Show them a burger that looks so yummy and big and then give them the total opposite. Promise them a fast Internet and then make them pay for a pathetic service (and yes I'm speaking from experience).

Manufacturers of modern contraceptive tools lead the way in lying to consumers. To reap multimillion profits, they promote plenty of lies, the worst of which are about the adverse effects of their products to women's health.

I found an empty box of Trust Pill in a trash bin in front of a Mercury Drug branch. As expected, the pill's information sheet was left in the box. What I read in that sheet of paper somewhat amusing, particularly this part:

Spot the contradiction.

It said that “oral contraceptive is the most researched product in the history of modern medicine, and its safety has long been established”. It then narrated the adverse effects of oral contraceptive pills to “some women”, such as headaches, gastric upsets, nausea, vomiting, impaired appetite, breast tenderness, slight changes in body weight, slight changes in libido, depressive moods, and impaired liver functions.

The contradiction is very obvious and that it revealed the manufacturer's great lie.

The mere fact that there are adverse effects makes Trust Pill, and other contraceptive pills, truly unsafe not only for women's health but also to their relationships. Depressive episodes caused by pills may cause a rift between the user of this pill and her husband. Slight change libido, which was not mentioned how slight, may prevent women to have satisfting sex (which was declared by Senator Pia Cayetano as a “right” of Filipinas).

Their defense, of course, is that these adverse effects are only experienced by “some women” only. The problem is that they didn't quantify it. “Some women” may range from two women to one million or more.

There are other precautions for Trust Pill like its contraindications for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and those who have liver disorders, clotting disorders, breast and cervical cancer, sickle-cell anemia, hormone active tumors, hyperlipidemia, severe cardiovascular diseases, previous or existing thromboembolic diseases, and idiopathic jaundice.

Another adverse effect that the Trust Pill manufacturer conveniently ignored is the fact that the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (IARC-WHO) considered contraceptive pills, particularly estrogen - progestogen, as Level 1 carcinogens.

According to the IARC monograph for their research on Combined Estrogen–Progestogen Contraceptives:

There is sufficient evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of combined estrogen–progestogen oral contraceptives. Combined estrogen–progestogen oral contraceptives cause cancer of the breast, in-situ and invasive cancer of the uterine cervix, and cancer of the liver.

Ethinyl Estradiol is considered as estrogen and Levonorgestrel as, which are the ingredients of Trust Pill, are considered as estrogen & progestin. (see these Wikipedia entries for Ethinyl Estradiol and Levonorgestrel for details) This means that this Trust Pill may cause cancer in the breast, uterine cervix and liver. Even ex-DOH Secretary Esperanza Cabral accidentally admitted in a radio interview that birth control pills cause breast cancer.

I agree that oral contraceptive pill is the most researched medical product. The glaring lie is the claim that this pill's “safety” was established.

Birth control pills are not safe. It is dangerous to women's health. Those who promote its government-funded distribution is bringing plenty of Filipinas in danger.

Yet another Word-twisting from Bishop-haters and Church-bashers

Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles is under attack due to his alleged comment that the destruction brought by Typhoon Yolanda was caused by the RH Law.

Admins and supporters of the One Million Voices Against CBCP Facebook Page (which should actually named as 3000+ little voices against CBCP) are spreading this poster:

Their poster claimed that Archbishop Arguelles said the following:

“Yung nangyayari sa atin, lindol, baha, super typhoon is God's message to people. It is the result of "ungodly" laws such as the Reproductive Health (RH) Law”

I almost believed their poster until I read the news article in ABS-CBNnews.com where they “copied” the quote. The quote in their poster is nowhere to be found in the news article! What they did is to string words in the news article and then present them as one quote.

I gave the poster-makers the benefit of the doubt and googled the made-up quote. This is the result:

It is obvious that they have no other source for their made-up quote. The Google search even exposed their lies.

I even posted my objective research to the  One Million Voices Against CBCP FB Page but this what I got:

It seems like these people are allergic to the truth, especially if the truth is against their hate-filled beliefs.

Well, at least I learned a lesson and that is to be more careful in dealing with Church-haters because they will lie and lie just to justify their hate.

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UPDATE: It seems like the admin of  One Million Voices Against CBCP FB Page blocked my comment. This is another proof that they are lying.

Buhay o Patay?

“Sa buhay ka ba o sa patay?” - ito marahil ang mainit na tanong ngayong panahon ng eleksyon sa ating bansa. Salamat sa Archdiocese ng Bacolod at pumaibabaw muli ang isyu patungkol sa RH Law na pilit ibinabaon ng mga kandidatong pro-RH (pro-patay) na tumatakbo sa Senado at Kongreso. Dahil lang sa iisang tarp na ipinaskil sa katedral ay napapaisip ngayon ang mga tao kung sino ang Team Patay at kung sino ang Team Buhay.

Ang isyu ng RH Law ay parang zombie na nagbalik mula sa hukay. Akala ng mga pro-patay na mga kandidato ay tapos na ang isyu noong kanilang ipinilit ito noong nakaraang taon. Nagkamali sila.

Nakita ko ang paninidigan ng mga tao kontra sa RH Bill noong sumali ako sa prayer rally sa EDSA. Kahit umuulan ay hindi natinag ang mga tao. Kahit ilang oras nakatayo ay walang problema. Ang mahalaga ay maihayag sa mga pinuno ng gobyerno ang saloobin laban sa RH Bill.

(Source: CBCP for Life)

Naisip ko noong araw na iyon na ito ang mga taong na hindi na lang tatahimik kapag naipasa ang RH Bill. At sa tingin ko ay tama ako.

Ang mga taong sumusuporta para sa Team Buhay ay ang mga libo-libong tao na nagtyaga sa prayer rally, ang mga taong nakikipagbakbakan sa Facebook at Twitter, at ang mga simpleng tao na kumilos upang tutulan ang RH Bill sa kanilang paraan.

Hindi pa tapos ang laban ng RH Law at hindi pa kami sumusuko. Kaming mga Pilipinong na tapat pa sa Simbahan at mga pro-lifers na hindi kaanib ng Simbahan, kami ang tatapos sa mga Team Patay. Tuloy ang laban!

Oh ano? Sa buhay ka ba o sa patay?