The Catholic Church: Medieval threats against the President

What's up with all the warnings being issued by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to the government in relation to Malacanang's pro family planning stance. These men in robes are even threatening to "excommunicate" President Nonoy Aquino if he does not reconsider his being open to liberal options that could make information, services, and products available to Filipinos who wish to apply greater control over their reproductive health and the sizes of their families. Control over both, suffice to say, most certainly also affords them control over their futures and accountability for their fortunes.

The Church's prerogative to be prescriptive of a person's personal views ends where free will begins. This free will is applied when, among others, one participates in the democratic processes and exercises of our secular state. Therefore, the mandate of an official to represent the aspirations of his people is understood to originate from free will as interpreted by due processes made available by the state for its citizens to channel said will.

Noynoy's stand on reproductive choice represents the Church's failure to influence how its constituents choose to exercise their will through these state-sanctioned processes. As such the CBCP should focus more on reflecting on where their influence is losing traction with their constituency than on making medieval threats against a duly-elected Chief Executive of the Republic.