Bishops can also play "dirty politics," a congresswoman tagged as a "pro-abortion" politician alleged Wednesday.

"With the threats and mudslinging, I thought it [dirty politics] was only among us politicians. But later on, I realized that dirty politics exists everywhere," Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin told ANC television, referring to the bishops’ threat to campaign against "pro-abortion" politicians in the 2010 elections.

Garin said bishops should not get involved in "dirty politics" since it is "immoral" and "something that is not within the bounds of what God believes in."

The congresswoman, who authored House Bill 812 or The Reproductive Health Care Act, said the bishops’ threat is an effective attempt to stop lawmakers from passing legislative measures that support the use of artificial contraceptives.

She said many legislators have become worried of the repercussions if they support the use of artificial contraceptives.

"If you ask me, if I am afraid, my answer would be yes, I’m very much afraid," she said, adding that she felt the Church’s power in her reelection bid in 2007.

In that election, she said the Church allegedly created a picture of her as a pro-abortion politician, despite the fact that her bill penalizes abortion.

The bill also proposes punishment for the peddlers of potions known as "pamparegla," which are used to induce abortion.

"The CBCP [Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines] believes that artificial family planning is synonymous to abortion," Garin said. "Nowhere, in any legitimate literature, is reproductive health defined as pro-abortion."

The Church believes that any artificial means to control the human body, especially fertility, is against God’s will.

Garin said she experienced "sleepless nights" thinking if the use of artificial contraceptives is the same as abortion.

After she thought of her constituents and the growing number of poor families, she decided to continue with her bill.

"I was really thinking hard if, indeed, I will burn in hell because I'm for this legislative measure. But thinking about poor people and my constituents who have a hard time because of unplanned pregnancies, I decided to continue," she said.

Garin gave this advise to bishops: "I hope they will have an open heart, an open mind."

She said there are a lot of babies who cannot be baptized or worse, die of hunger, because of poverty.

There are also dead people who cannot be buried because their families can’t afford to give them a proper burial.