About 80 percent of Filipinos are Roman Catholic, and previous attempts to pass a divorce bill have faltered under the influence of the Catholic Church here, which vehemently opposes legislation that runs counter to its teachings. The divorce bill comes in the wake of a bitter battle over a reproductive health law that provides modern family planning education and free birth control for the poor. Yet the absence of divorce has hardly preserved the sanctity of marriage in the Philippines. When she heard news of the divorce bill moving through Congress, “I was so happy,” Ms. Castro said. She is watching the progress of the divorce bill closely.

Source: New York Times March 24, 2018 22:07 UTC