‘Maternal deaths declining in past 3 decades, no need for RH law’

MANILA, Philippines – The significant decline in maternal deaths in the country as shown by the results of a study by an American University shows there is no need to pass into law the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said yesterday.

Fr. Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, was referring to the study conducted by the University of Washington in Seattle that showed that the maternal mortality rate in the Philippines has dropped by 81 percent from 1980 to 2008. The study was undertaken in 181 countries.

He also cited the findings in the 2010 “Trends in Maternal Mortality: 1990 to 2008” done by foreign agencies that also showed a significant decline in maternal deaths in the country.

The study conducted by the World Health Organization, United Nations Children’s Fund, the UN Population Fund, and the World Bank, placed the maternal mortality ratio in the Philippines as 94 per 100,000 live births in 2008, equivalent to 4.6 deaths in a day. Castro noted that the 2004 report placed maternal deaths in the country in the year 2000 at 4,100 per 100,000 live births, equivalent to 11.2 in a day. He said these studies confirm the Catholic Church’s position that the RH bill need not be passed into law because the government only needs to improve the existing reproductive health services for women. –Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)