Philippine Supreme Court Delays Introduction of Reproductive Health Law

The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Tuesday has delayed the introduction of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act, which was signed into law in December 2012 by the country’s lawmakers and the country’s President, Benigno Aquino III. The controversial law is meant to provide contraception and sex education classes, which would be government funded. The stumbling block is that about 80% of Filipinos are Catholics. The Supreme Court has delayed its implementation for 120 days to hear arguments from the several petitions submitted on the new law.

Quiet front

It had taken years of campaigning from women’s rights activists and the public health sector before this legislation, which had been tossed and set aside in Congress for 13 years was finally picked up by lawmakers. With its signing, it is foreseen that millions of Filipinos burdened with large families that continue to sink them into poverty and those thinking of becoming parents will largely benefit. The postponement by the Supreme Court will once again stir the temporary peace that surrounds the contentious issue. For one, the leaders of the Catholic Church are again raising their hopes. However, the Catholic bishops have quickly denied that they influenced the Supreme Court in its decision to delay the law’s implementation. They claim that those who filed the petitions to the court were groups of laymen.

Differing Views

The Catholic Church’s main opposition is that the law would undermine morality and marriage. A petition that was submitted earlier stated that the State could not invade the married couples’ privacy in exercising their marital rights and duties to their spouses. On the other hand, supporters of the legislation, such as Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, state that it is time for the people in the Philippines to get help and escape the cycle of poverty in the country that has become so vicious. She said the law would give people the options on family planning, controlling their procreative activities and managing their sexual lives.

The RH Bill

Also known as RA 10354, the Department of Health will be the lead agency in the implementation of the law. It is also their task to procure and distribute supplies for family planning to all its beneficiaries.

The RH Bill will provide its targeted beneficiaries, as defined by the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction of the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) access to quality and affordable health care services as well as devices, methods and supplies that are medically-safe, legal, effective and non-abortifacient, that would be approved and registered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

On the local and national level, the government workers are tasked with the implementation of the RH Bill with reproductive health education that would be appropriate on age and development of public school students between the ages of 10 and 19. According to Edcel Lagmay, representative from Albay, who is a main proponent of the said bill, there are about 7.5 million students in the public school system of the country that would be beneficiaries of the RH Bill’s education and awareness program. The law provides minors access to methods of artificial birth control from state-run hospitals and health centers provided they have already had miscarriages, have given birth or they could present a written parental consent.

The Philippines has a population of about 92.34 million, with the bottom 30% earning about 62 thousand pesos (about $1,560) annually. While the average family size in the Philippines is five, the poor tend to have more, from seven to nine family members.