Miriam wants passage of RH bill

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago reiterated her call for Congress to pass the proposed reproductive health (RH) bill in order to help address the rising number of maternity-related deaths, unwanted pregnancies and HIV cases in the country.

Senate Bill 2378 filed by Santiago is still being deliberated at the committee level and has faced an equal amount of support and opposition from various sectors.

The bill is the only version of the RH bill filed in the Senate and among its salient provisions are to provide emergency obstetric care in each province and city; a full range of modern family planning methods in all accredited health facilities; and the inclusion of family planning supplies as essential medicine.

It would also provide PhilHealth benefits for serious and life-threatening reproductive health conditions such as HIV and AIDS, breast and reproductive tract cancers, and obstetric complications.

The bill also provides for mandatory age-appropriate reproductive health and sexuality education starting at Grade 5, a multi-media campaign to raise the level of public awareness on reproductive health issues and management of abortion complications so that women are not left to die.

In a speech delivered yesterday at the University of the Philippines-Visayas campus in celebration of Women’s Month, Santiago emphasized that women are the ones most affected by the delayed passage of the bill into law.

“Access to reproductive health information and services are virtually denied to the poor, the less-educated, the adolescents, the rural, indigenous women, and women from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. By responding to the reproductive health needs of women, the RH bill affords women more employment, educational opportunities and ultimately, economic empowerment,” she said.

Santiago cited the 2010 UNFPA State of the World Population report on the Philippines, which claimed that more than half of the pregnancies in the Philippines are unattended by health professionals.

She said a significant number of child-birth related deaths could have been avoided if only more Filipino women had access to reproductive health information and health care services.

Santiago also noted that only three percent of the population does not use contraceptives because of religious belief.

“Unfortunately, the proposed law that could reduce the number of abortions is being opposed by fundamentalist groups. Increased access to information and services on modern contraceptive methods will reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, eliminate the need for abortion, and prevent maternal deaths,” the senator said.

The Catholic Church has voiced its opposition to the RH bill and the use of contraceptives regardless of its purpose.

In spite of this, Santiago said that more Filipinos want to see the passage of the RH bill based on previous surveys conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

She lamented that the poor suffer the most from the lack of reproductive health care services because they cannot afford to buy their own contraceptives and pay for the services of health care professionals.

“These poor women suffer because they cannot afford to buy their own contraceptives, do not have the money to pay for antibiotics to treat their reproductive tract infection, cannot afford to pay a P2,500 ligation procedure, are unable to get pre-natal and post-natal checkups, or even afford to pay for a simple pap smear procedure,” Santiago said.

“All these examples show why we need the necessary budgetary allocation to increase access to reproductive health care information and services,” she added.

Santiago said the first RH bill was filed in December 2001 and the delay in the passage of the RH bill is detrimental to the health and lives of Filipinos especially women and children.

“The Constitution guarantees full respect for human rights. Health is a fundamental human right indispensable for the exercise of other human rights and conducive to living a life in dignity,” Santiago said. –Marvin Sy (The Philippine Star)