NEARLY four of 10 registered voters say they will vote for candidates who favor the Reproductive Health Bill, and only 6 percent will vote for those who oppose it, according to the January survey of the Social Weather Stations.
The survey also found 68 percent favor giving couples access to all legal means of family planning from public health services and 52 percent find natural family planning methods to be “almost always effective or effective most of the time.”
Asked the question “In the next election, on the issue of the proposed Reproductive Health Bill, will you vote for candidates who support it, will you vote for candidates who oppose it, or does this not matter to your vote?” 38 percent said they will vote for candidates who favor it, 20 percent said it has no effect on their vote, and 6 percent said they will vote for candidates who oppose it. Thirty-five percent do not know the contents of the RH Bill
Support for pro-RH bill candidates is 39 percent among Catholics and 34 percent among non-Catholics.
Support for access to legal means of family planning was high among both Catholics and non-Catholics: 69 percent among Catholics and 64 percent among non-Catholics.
The Roman Catholic Church opposes the RH Bill.
The special 2010 survey module on reproductive health was sponsored by the Forum for Family Planning and Development.