Tens of thousands of Filipino women are hospitalized each year due to complications from unsafe abortions, at a rate of 4.5 people per 1,000 women, and countless more have complications but receive no treatment.4,19 In Manila, the hospitalization rate was nearly double the national average. probably due to better access to care than in rural areas of the country. This report provides a summary of reproductive health indicators in the Philippines – particularly the level of contraceptive use, unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions – and describes the socio-political context in which services are provided, the consequences of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions, as well as recommendations for improving access to reproductive health services. In addition to reading this report, you can also explore support resources. 29. EngenderHealth, Changing policies and attitudes: postabortion care in the Philippines, Compass, New York: EngenderHealth, 2003, No. 1. The practice of unsafe clandestine abortions must stop, Hontiveros said. She also reiterated the importance of destigmatizing abortion as a national milestone for the country. Many groups in the Philippines that support anti-abortion laws and their criminalization cite religious reasons to say that the Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country and that it goes against their religious beliefs.
However, it should be noted here that many other predominantly Catholic countries such as Belgium, France and Italy allow abortion at the request of a woman, Poland allows abortion to protect a woman`s life and physical health, and in cases of rape, incest and fetal malformation, Hungary allows abortion up to the 12th week of pregnancy, even Spain has liberal abortion laws and allows abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy and beyond. for certain reasons. For this reason, various women`s rights activists and organizations in the Philippines have called for the repeal or revision of the Abortion Act, which was revised in 1930 (§ 25618-259 of the Revised Penal Code) as a restrictive, colonial and archaic law that continues to discriminate against women. Although abortion services are not readily available in the Philippines, Filipino women have the option of traveling to one of these neighboring countries for safe abortions: contrary to the trend toward liberalization of contraceptive policy, the Philippine abortion law is among the strictest in the world. Abortion remains illegal in the Philippines under all circumstances and is highly stigmatized. While a liberal interpretation of the law may exempt the abortion provision from criminal liability if it is done to save the woman`s life, there are no such explicit provisions.5,10–12 There are also no explicit exceptions that allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, or fetal malformation. The Penal Code considers abortion a criminal offense punishable by up to six years in prison for doctors and midwives who perform abortions and from 2 to 20126 years in prison for women who undergo the procedure, regardless of the reason. A separate set of laws under the Midwifery Act, the Medical Act, and the Pharmaceutical Act allows for the revocation or suspension of the licenses of practitioners who perform abortions or provide abortifacients. „We take great risks if we accept an abortion,“ said Miriam, who protects herself from prosecution in the Philippines under a pseudonym. She performed four abortions on women between the ages of 23 and 48, all in secret. Women can experience a number of complications as a result of unsafe abortion. More than 80% of Filipino women in the 2004 study who terminated their pregnancies experienced a complication, and 46% of these women (more than one-third of all women) experienced a serious complication.4 In general, the most common complications of unsafe abortion are incomplete abortion or withholding of products of conception.
excessive blood loss and infections.22,23 Less common, but more serious complications include septic shock, peritonitis, cervical or vaginal lacerations, and intestinal perforations. In the Philippines, certain methods and providers are at higher risk of serious complications: Seventy percent of women who had a massage or catheter insertion experienced a major complication, compared to 13% of those who had a D&C or motor vehicle accident.4 As mentioned earlier, A greater proportion of poor and rural women use unskilled providers or riskier interventions than non-poor and urban women. And so they experience disproportionately more serious complications. Finally, if post-abortion treatment is delayed, improperly administered, or not administered at all, mild complications can become more severe or acute, possibly affecting long-term health and well-being. Studies have shown that long-term problems can include anemia, chronic pain, pelvic inflammatory disease, and infertility.20,22,23 Opponents say it is time for the Philippines to repeal the „inhumane provisions“ of its abortion law and finally decriminalize abortion to save women`s lives. Attorney Clara Rita Padilla, spokesperson for the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN), said that while there are „progressive interpretations“ of abortion law in the Philippines, there are no clear exceptions that allow pregnancy to be terminated even in serious cases such as rape and incest, or to save the life of the pregnant woman. 1. Ericta CN, Household population of the Philippines reach 92.1 million, press release, Manila, Philippines: Household Statistics Department, National Statistics Office, 30. August 2012, , accessed September 5, 2012. Women`s access to reproductive health services faces challenges or open resistance from various – often powerful – segments of Philippine society. Although contraception is legal in the Philippines, the government had shown little support for access to modern contraceptives until pressure increased to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and fight poverty in the country in recent years.5 Since 1971, much of the free contraception has been funded by the United States.
The Agency for International Development (USAID) and other international donors, but in 2008, USAID stopped its support to encourage the Philippine government to become self-reliant.6 Local contraceptive bans — such as the Manila mayor`s 2000 order to remove contraceptives from public clinics and the Department of Health`s ban on the emergency contraceptive Postinor in 2001 — have created even more barriers to access. and particularly affected poor women who depend on public services.7 • Unsafe abortion poses significant risks to Filipino women: approximately 1,000 die each year from abortion complications, contributing to the country`s high maternal mortality rate. Tens of thousands of women are hospitalized each year for complications related to unsafe abortion. 19. Juarez F et al., The incidence of induced abortion in the Philippines: current level and recent trends, International Family Planning Perspectives, 2005, 31(3):140–149. The Responsible Parenting and Reproductive Health in Reproductive Health Act of 2012, enacted on December 18, 2012, aims to ensure that Filipinos have access to all reproductive health services to uphold the right to health. [9] The bill guarantees access to information on contraception and the prevention of sexual abuse and violence. Specifically, the bill allows for services that do not negatively impact pregnancy in order to provide for the family.
[10] In other words, abortions and procedures as such are not protected by the law, although the follow-up of people who have had an abortion is protected by this law. [11] Many of the hundreds of thousands of Filipino women who have unwanted pregnancies each year face a stark choice: either give birth to a child for whom they are unprepared or unable to care for, or undergo a clandestine and often unsafe abortion.