The Philippine Reproductive Health Bill-Where Do You Stand?

Knowing the details of the proposed law is essential in having a healthy debate on the issue. Here are the pertinent details of the proposed bill, which was introduced during a session of the current Congress by Honorable Edcel C. Lagman, Janette L. Garin, Narcio D. SantiagoIII, Mark Llandro Mendoza, Ana Teresa Hontiveros-Baraquel and Elandro Jesus F. Madrona, and provides as follows:

Guiding Principles. – This Act declares the following as basic guiding principles:

a. In the promotion of reproductive health, there should be no bias for either modern or natural methods of family planning;

b. Reproductive health goes beyond a demographic target because it is principally about health and rights;

c. Gender equality and women empowerment are central elements of reproductive health and population development;

d. Effective reproductive health care services must be given primacy to ensure the birth and care of healthy children and to promote responsible parenting;

e. The limited resources of the country cannot be suffered to, be spread so thinly to service a burgeoning multitude that makes the allocations grossly inadequate and effectively meaningless;

f. Freedom of informed choice, which is central to the exercise of any right, must be fully guaranteed by the State like the right itself;

g. Free and full access to relevant, adequate and correct information on reproductive health and human sexuality guided by qualified State workers and professional private practitioners;

h. Reproductive health, including the promotion of breastfeeding, must be the joint concern of the National Government and Local Government Units (LGUs);

i. Protection and promotion of gender equality, women empowerment and human rights, including reproductive health rights, are imperative;

j. Development is a multi-faceted process that calls for the coordination and integration of policies, plans, programs and projects that seek to uplift the quality of life of the people, more particularly the poor, the needy and the marginalized;

k. Active participation by and thorough consultation with concerned non-government organizations (NGOs), people’s organizations (Pos) and communities are imperative to ensure that basic policies, plans, programs and projects address the priority needs of stakeholders;

l. Respect for, protection and fulfillment of reproductive health rights seek to promote not only the rights and welfare of adult individuals and couples but those of adolescents’ and children’s as well; and

m. The government shall ensure that women seeking care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner.

Contraceptives as Essential Medicines. – Hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, injectables and other allied reproductive health products and supplies shall be considered under the category of essential medicines and supplies which shall form part of the National Drug Formulary and the same shall be included in the regular purchase of essential medicines and supplies of all national and local hospitals and other government health units.

Mandatory Age-Appropriate Reproductive Health Education. Reproductive Health Education in an age-appropriate manner shall be taught by adequately trained teachers starting from Grade 5 up to Fourth Year High School. The implementation of Reproductive Health Education shall commence at the start of the school year one year following the effectivity of this Act. The POPCOM, in coordination with the Department of Education, shall formulate the Reproductive Health Education curriculum, which shall be common to both public and private schools and shall include related population and development concepts in addition to the following subjects and standards:

Reproductive health and sexual rights; Reproductive health care and services; Attitudes, beliefs and values on sexual development, sexual behavior and sexual health; Proscription and hazards of abortion and management of post-abortion complications; Responsible parenthood; Use and application of natural and modern family planning methods to promote reproductive health, achieve desired family size and prevent unwanted, unplanned and mistimed pregnancies; Abstinence before marriage; Prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS and other, STIs/STDs, prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer and other gynecological disorders; Responsible sexuality; and Maternal, pre-natal and post-natal education, care and services.

Additional Duty of Family Planning 0ffice. – Each local Family Planning Office shall furnish for free instructions and information on family planning, responsible parenthood, breastfeeding and infant nutrition to all applicants for marriage license.

Certificate of Compliance. – No marriage license shall be issued by the Local Civil Registrar unless the applicants present a Certificate of Compliance issued for free by the local Family Planning Office certifying that they had duly received adequate instructions and information on family planning, responsible parenthood, breastfeeding and infant nutrition.

Ideal Family Size. – The State shall assist couples, parents and individuals to achieve their desired family size within the context of responsible parenthood for sustainable development and encourage them to have two children as the ideal family size. Attaining the ideal family size is neither mandatory nor compulsory. No punitive action shall be imposed on parents having more than two children.

COMMENTARIESCATHOLIC CHURCH POSITIONThe Catholic Church has been very vocal in disagreeing with the proposed bill and in the process of obtaining peoples signatures to block the passage of the bill in Congress. They are in the belief that passage of the proposed bill will give children proper knowledge and training in Reproductive Health which would surely contribute to more cases of abortion. While the proposed bill endeavor to consider the present world problem of population growth, they believe that this should not be remedied through the introduction of the bill as natural use of birth control can still be considered the best approach to population control without resorting to abortion or blocking human right to life.

DOCTORS’ POSITIONDR. MARIA FIDELIS MANALO, MSc.Bioethics LecturerHospice and Palliative Care, Department of Community & Family MedicineFar Eastern University-NRMF Medical CenterFairview, Quezon City, Philippines

Though I am very much for educating the public regarding maternal care, prenatal care and postnatal care, and I would definitely want to see a decrease in maternal morbidity and mortality, I believe there are better ways of doing it. The end does not justify the means. There are more legitimate and more effective ways of promoting responsible parenthood. The use of artificial methods of family planning is not completely effective in preventing fertilization or the formation of the zygote. Hence, some artificial contraceptives are actually abortifacient. At the same time. these cannot totally protect users from sexually transmitted diseases. These may also harm the body in numerous ways. In the natural order, human life is a gift that is so great and so full of possibilities that everyone should value it. Man is not the absolute owner of life; he is but its steward. However, man has the right to self-determination, making his choices based on the good and the truth, always in keeping with Natural Moral Law. This means that neither the State nor society nor any individual has the right to dictate to anyone on how to practice responsible parenthood, especially if the options go against their conscience and/or religious beliefs and convictions. With regards to sex education, children have different levels of emotional maturity and sex education is proper of parents. In order to prevent unwarranted curiosity and correct the misconceptions, sex should never be considered taboo, but should be discussed by the parents with the children with delicateness and sensitivity.

The bill wants to uplift the quality of life of the people, to increase the share of each

Filipino in the nation’s resources, and to eliminate poverty. However, the solution to poverty is development and not population control. Without many people realizing it, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are usually behind the promotion of these RH bills around the world. These are leading advocates of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. What they do include the 5 As (Access, Adolescents, Advocacy, AIDS/HIV and Abortion.) There are traces of eugenics in these and may actually be anti-poor rather than pro-poor. The reproductive health bill does not actually solve the problem; it may actually cause more predicaments. Since the contraceptive mentality (I can’t have or I don’t want this child) is already there, if the contraceptives fail, people may just consider having an abortion.

DR. NIMFA BARIADepartment of AnesthesiologyFEU-NRMF Medical CenterFairview, Quezon City, Philippines

The Reproductive health bill is a departure from the current system and a step forward to improve the quality of life. It is important that this bill should focus on the interest of the people and will not result in a demographic target wherein promotions will be used to entice people in availing the services for population control. It is not true that there will be abundant resources if we control the population; proper management of the resources is the key. The reproductive health bill should go beyond the demographic data and ensure the delivery of quality health care services by proper implementation.

This bill endorses the education on and access to both natural and artificial family planning techniques. It enables women and couples to have the liberty of informed choice on the manner of family planning they prefer according to their needs and personal beliefs. Although it may decrease unwanted pregnancies and teen pregnancies, there may be a possibility of having more promiscuous teenagers. The proposed law is just a guideline and what is more important is the implementation. As long as there will be proper execution of the law, this bill will not be a prelude to abortion.