Comment on Couple 'tried selling their 12-day-old daughter to fund street food business' [Philippines]
mastertigurius@lemmy.world 1 week ago
And last month a teen tried to sell her month old child for 50k pesos to cover tuition. Last August, a mother tried to sell her two-week-old for 45k to pay hospital bills. In December '24, a mother tried to sell her child for the same amount to cover cockfighting debt. I’m sad to say that the story in this post isn’t really news here - it’s everyday life. This is the dark underbelly of this colourful, smiling nation. An ultra-capitalistic hellscape where literally everything can be a commodity, the poor are poorer and the rich are richer. At the same time, the Catholic church has the country in an iron grip and promises eternal hellfire for those who dare to use contraception or even consider abortion. So we end up with millions of couples getting kids they can’t afford to take care of… And then more kids, and more. The kids can’t go to school, because the parents can’t afford uniforms and school supplies, and so the vicious circle continues.
Lovstuhagen@hilariouschaos.com 1 week ago
Right, there has to be some allowance of family planning. I am pro-life, but… condoms are necessary in a cruel world where we can’t expect the government to provide adequately for the youth through sensible policies.
You can’t tell a poor couple barely making ends meet to continue to procreate if they al ready struggle to feed & clothe their existing kids.
I have no idea what the answer is for a place like the Philippines because it seems nothing has worked over the years. I’ve htought of studying economics more specifically to try to undersand these hard cases better.
In the meantime, I do hope and pray for the success of the Philippines. Filipinos I’ve met are always very kind and talented, I have met so many who are musically gifted. I look forward to a future where life can always be celebrated there.