Manny Pacquiao laces up gloves in country's fight over birth control
Manny Pacquiao, right, easily defeated Shane Mosely this month, but can he repeat in the Filipino birth control bout?
May 20th, 2011
04:05 PM ET

Manny Pacquiao laces up gloves in country's fight over birth control

Manny Pacquaio's latest fight could be much tougher than pounding on “Sugar” Shane Mosley for 12 rounds.

Fresh off his trouncing of the American welterweight contender, Pacquiao, 32 – who also serves as a Sarangani representative in the Filipino Congress – has entered the ring again to denounce a reproductive health bill that he and his fellow lawmakers are considering.

The bill has several controversial provisions, such as the requirement that women experiencing problems after abortions, which would still be banned, must be treated humanely and compassionately.

Pacquiao and President Benigno Aquino III, a backer of the bill, agree abortion should be outlawed, The Manila Times reported. Where they part ways is on the issue of contraception, according to Filipino media.

Aquino believes couples should be educated on birth control and should be free to choose the method they deem most appropriate, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. Pacquiao, on the other glove, opposes contraception and paraphrased Genesis to defend his stance.

“God said, ‘Go forth and multiply.' He did not say, ‘Go and have just one or two children,’” the People’s Champ said, according the paper.

Some of the bill’s supporters slammed his literal interpretation of the Bible. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said the pugilist, who is Catholic, like 81% of Filipinos, was acting like a fundamentalist. Disregarding his status as a fellow legislator, she further questioned his foray into what she said was a sociopolitical issue.

“We cannot be know-it-alls. It will be very misleading to use his celebrity status to enter into what is, after all, a great debate on the political economy,” she told the Daily Inquirer.

PacMan’s remarks are not controversial solely on religious or political grounds. As Defensor-Santiago pointed out, Pacquiao’s wife, Jinkee, recently acknowledged taking birth control pills.

The Phillipines’ GMA News reported this week that a doctor said Jinkee Pacquiao – also an opponent of the reproductive health bill – began using the pills after the couple’s fourth child, Queenie, was born. She took them to get back in shape, according to reports.

“That was in the past, but now she no longer does,” GMA quoted the eight-division champ as telling reporters.

Citing an April poll from the Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit focusing on sex education and health, GMA News said Pacquiao’s wife wasn’t different from the overwhelming majority of Catholic women who have sex.

The poll states that 98% of those polled have used some means of contraception “other than natural family planning.”

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Filed under: Boxing • Celebrity • Christian • Philippines • Politics • Religion • World
soundoff (235 Responses)
  1. JP

    Funny how no one has mentioned Pacquio's mistress. Oh yes, come on, we all know it was true.

    May 21, 2011 at 3:31 pm | Report abuse |
    • taipan70

      Seriously....Im a Pac fan at heart and even met the chap before he became a true boxing icon. I also have lived there. Pac should have a bit of common sense. In the Philippines a major underlying part of the economical and social issues stem from overpopulation. In area size roughly as slightly larger than Arizona, and with a population of 1/3 of the US, the country would be better off with birth control options for its citizens. Whoever his political advisors are, they are clearly afraid to confront him on this issue and discuss the merits of contraceptives. They all should be fired.

      May 23, 2011 at 6:56 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Bru

    in the news tonight, there might be trouble in the manny pacquiao home. and trouble is spelled “krista ranillo”. krista is manny pacquiao’s leading lady in his yet to be released movie.

    during the celebration mass at LA, video showed jinkee, pacquaio’s wife in tears. it was a coincidence that the officiating priest’s sermon was centered on husband-wife relationships. at the peace be with you part of the mass, manny who was beside jinky extended his hand to give her a hug but she refused the hug. instead, jinkee hugged her friend who was beside her and manny’s walked to manny and hugged her son.

    May 21, 2011 at 3:45 pm | Report abuse |
  3. WonderMan

    Curious to know why when Manny appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show, he was caught leaving with his mistress Krista, rather than with his wife Jinkee? Oh wait, I know the answer to that one. Don't believe it? Look it up...clearly caught on tape. His cross in the window, his adulteress in the passenger seat. He even refused to sign autographs for about 70 fans. No wonder they hate you.

    May 21, 2011 at 6:13 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Ignatius

    "The bill has several controversial provisions, such as the requirement that women experiencing problems after abortions, which would still be banned, must be treated humanely and compassionately."

    So not allowing contraception is inhumane? Wow, way to spin an article CNN.

    May 26, 2011 at 10:16 am | Report abuse |
    • John

      Ignatius, or should I say Father Ignatius, you're an idiot. We're talking about family planning. We're not talking about abortions. Although, the baby isn't a baby until a certain trimester. Ouch, bet ya don't like reading that :O

      May 29, 2011 at 6:08 am | Report abuse |
  5. JoeSMith

    If you can't feed'm and give'm a good life then don't have'm. Don't go immigrating (invading) other countries because you overpopulated and ruined your own country. Grow up. What those idiots wrote 2000 years ago has some good in it no doubt but there is a lot of stupidity and myths in the good book also. Way to many to mention. Get over it.

    June 16, 2011 at 11:30 pm | Report abuse |
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