“JOSEFA” – Epitome of the Role of Women in the Church

Josefa Llanes Escoda, a heroine, spiritual leader of the underground during World War II in the Philippines, a well-known Filipino advocate of women’s right of suffrage, and founder of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, is to whom a new organization of women in the church is named after.

Members of the new women organization has been formed exactly to advocate women’s rights in today’s challenging world.

In an interview in DXGN 89.9 SPIRIT FM’s “AMBIT” program, Dr. Eleanor Palabyab, an obstetrician and gynecologist and a pro-life advocate revealed that ‘JOSEFA’ will be part of a 3 day annual convention of pro-lifers on June 16-18, 2016 to be held at the Pinnacle Hotel, Davao City. Host to this year’s convention is The Family and Life Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Davao.

Dr. Palabyab also announced that the organizers have made schemes to reduce and make the registration affordable to all since the topics that will be discussed during the convention are relevant to the general public.

No less than Bishop Gilbert Garcera, DD, chairperson of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Family and Life is scheduled to discuss “The Three Women Doctors of the Church – Our Source of Inspiration,” while ‘Josefa’ prime-mover Dr. Angelita Miguel-Aguirre will talk about “Authentic Femininity.”

“There will be a natural family planning workshop in the afternoon that would really make the participants understand and appreciate Natural Procreative Technology,” Dr. Palabyab said.

She enumerated the challenges of women today, especially in the aspect of women’s role in procreation such as having the choice to stand for her rights and having a “say” especially when it comes to planning a family.

“Women should be empowered to understand what will happen to her body when using artificial forms (of contraception),” Dr. Palabyab continued, “she has the right to say ‘NO’ to artificial forms (of contraception) and say ‘YES’ to natural procreative technology.”

Dr. Palabyab, Doctors for Life Philippines (DFLph) president said, vaccines that are injected into the human body contain mercury and formalin that are harmful to the body and brain. These vaccines, she added, also cause autism.

The 3 day conference will also present the following topics: “The Dictatorship of Moral Relativism,” “Contraception Why Not?” by Dr. Ligaya Acosta; “Homosexuality and the Church – Youth” by Filipinos for Life; Psychological Complications of Sex-change Surgery” by Dr. Lucille Montes; “Empowering Parents Against Secularized Media” by Dr. Roberto de Vera.

Pro-life advocate lawyer Atty. Concepcion Noche will talk about the RH Law and the Supreme Court Decision: Implications for Physician Responsibility. Dr. Noche was one of the legal counsels who asked the Court to stop the implementation of the RH law, which took more than 13 years to pass. Republic Act 10354 requires government health centers to hand out free condoms and birth control pills, benefiting tens of millions of the country’s poor who would not otherwise be able to afford or have access to them.