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Focus on the poor
When 192 Ateneo professors signed a recent declaration of support for the RH bill, they did so not merely to contradict the CBCP. The professors, including some from the school's theology department, made their rationale clear.
CONFLICTING VIEWS. 192 Ateneo professors support the RH bill, defying the CBCP. Illustration by Jessica Lazaro“It is the poor – and in particular poor women and their children – who stand to benefit the most from the passage of this bill. And should not the poor be the focal concern of any social institution, be it religion, education, or the government?” the faculty members said in a statement first released on August 13 and updated on August 18.
The professors, however, clarified that their stand does not represent that of Ateneo or the Society of Jesus, the religious order that founded the school and is more popularly known as the Jesuits.
They instead invoked “academic freedom and responsibility,” and said they sought to ground their claims on science and empirical evidence. They also considered “the lived experience of the poor and marginalized,” with some of them having lived with the poor in the course of fieldwork.
They also said their position adheres to Catholic social teaching, including principles like the preferential option for the poor and the primacy of conscience.
“We recognize that others who do the same may arrive at a position contrary to ours; however, we view the ability to hold and express divergent opinions on an issue as a sign of a vibrant academic community,” the signatories wrote. (Read their entire position paper below.)
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