PopCom lauds Negros Oriental for passing first provincial RH ordinance in Central Visayas

Dumaguete City (27 August) — Negros Oriental is the first province in Central Visayas that has passed the Reproductive Health Ordinance that supports the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to reduce maternal and infant mortality rate.

This was announced in a Kapihan sa PIA forum by Population Commission (PopCom) Regional Director Leo Rama as he lauded the local government unit of Negros Oriental for responding the need to protect the lives and health rights of women and infants.

Survey shows according to Director Rama in 2008, 31 babies died before their first birthday; 22 infants died within a month after birth in Central Visayas; while in the Philippines 3,700 women died due to births and miscarriages and some 1,600 of these women had not wanted to become pregnant.

PopCom Director said although abortion is illegal in the Philippines, many women resort to abortion to meet their family-size goals or due to unwanted pregnancy. He said abortion rate in Central Visayas increased a lot from 6 in 1994 to 24 in 2000.

With these, the PopCom official pointed out the lack of approve education and low practice of family planning methods both natural and contraceptives among women.

Rama said among the reasons cited by women why they are not using any contraceptives because the husband object, health concerns on side effects, and bahala na attitudes.

The PopCom in partnership with Department of Health and service providers continue to influence couples to adopt natural family planning through responsible parenting.

The National Family Planning (NFP) program of the government refers to the practice of achieving or avoiding pregnancies according to an informed awareness of a woman’s fertility.

It provides a medically safe, healthy, highly effective and very low cost method of family planning. It is convenient because no birth control devices are used and it is morally acceptable.

The accepted NFP methods such as Sympto-Thermal Method, Standard Days Method (SDM) Two-Day Method, Ovulation Method or Cervical Mucus Method, Basal Body Temperature (BBT) and Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM).

Reproductive Health is not just about a simple contraceptive issue but it is more about giving the people, both men and women, the right to choose a way on how to protect themselves, their health and on how to plan their family by providing them access to wider health care services. (PIA/JCT)