Sen. Tito Sotto denies inventing story on son's death

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MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III on Wednesday fired back at his critics, calling them "callous" and "insensitive" for questioning his claim that his son died due to side effects of contraceptives.
Sotto singled out former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral and Iloilo Rep. Janet Garin for questioning his earlier statement that his wife's contraceptive use caused their son's heart condition, which later killed him.
"I would like to take exception to statements made by Esperanza Cabral, former secretary of health during the time of Gloria Arroyo, and to a certain extent Congresswoman Janet Garin," he said.
"I find their statements callous and insensitive and it is unfortunate that the reproductive health debate has come to this level. They should have given the sorrow of my family more respect," he added.
Cabral earlier dared Sotto to produce his son's death certificate and hospital records to show the actual cause of death of the 5-month-old baby.
She noted that Dr. Carmen Enverga-Santos, obstetrician of Sotto's wife Helen Gamboa, is already dead and cannot confirm or belie Sotto's claim.
Garin, meanwhile, said Sotto should consider suing the doctor for the mental anguish she caused by linking contraceptives to Vincent Paul's death. She said Sotto's wife might not have been taking birth control pills  under doctor's supervision.
On Thursday, Sotto produced his son's death certificate, saying he will give copies to advocates of the Reproductive Health Bill.
"Bibigyan ko sila ng kopya. Baka akala nila di ko papatulan," he said.
He also said his wife used Diane Birth control pills under the supervision of Dr. Santos.
"She was supervised by her doctor while using it. Intelihente naman po yung asawa ko. Alam niya kung paano gumamit nito," he said.
Sotto said even his own mother, Dr. Herminia Castelo-Sotto, agreed that Vincent Paul's heart condition was linked to Gamboa's contraceptive use. He noted his mother was a staunch women's rights activist and the first Medical Commissioner of Workmen's Compensation Commission of the Department of Labor and Employment.
"Ayon sa kanila (Sotto and Santos), ang pagbubuntis ng aking maybahay na si Helen kahit may contraceptives at gagamit ng contraceptives ay maaaring naging sanhi ng complication, prematurity at eventually pagkamatay ng anak namin. Bakit ko iimbentuhin ang katotohanang ito?" he said.
Contraceptives are abortifacients
Sotto reiterated that contraceptives are abortifacients and pose serious health risks to women and children born to mothers who use contraceptives but still get pregnant.
He challenged his critics to answer him point by point instead of attacking his character via posts on Facebook and Twitter.
"May mga nananakot pa. Kung sa mga drug lords hindi ako natakot, sa kanila pa," he said.
The senator said he does not intend to call for a complete ban on contraceptives nor does he intend to stop people from using contraceptives. However, he said it is his duty as a lawmaker to study the implications of the Reproductive Health bill on all Filipinos.
He said the book "The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth,"
 by Barbara Seaman, shows the serious side effects of estrogen use. He said the book showed that in a  cohort of 50,282 preganancies, 19 children with cardiovascular defects were born to 1,042 women who received female hormones during their pregnancy.
"I don't need to be a doctor to know the possible complications on children from women who take birth control pills but still get pregnant," he said.