Reproductive Health

Asia has one of the fastest rates of spread of HIV/AIDS infection in the world. At present, HIV/AIDS infection is still virtually nonexistent amongst most of these populations in Bangladesh. But it is extremely likely that once it is initiated, it will spread rapidly through these extended networks of risk. Prostitutes exist at significant levels…

The discovery on Sunday (September 12) of a newborn boy inside a trash bag in the toilet of a Manila-bound flight from Bahrain has drawn attention to the crisis of unwanted pregnancies in the Philippines.

CEBU, Philippines – Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III is alarmed by the program implemented by the Department of Health (DOH) providing syringes to drug users hoping to pre-vent the spread of the dreaded HIV-AIDS.

When a very pregnant Jean Cruz (name changed) told her neighbour that she had not visited a doctor during her entire pregnancy, she was shocked. “What! Not even now – in your eighth month?” the neighbour had exclaimed, before frantically referring her to the nearby Community Health Care Clinic that charged only a nominal fee…

Kiko, not his real name, openly admitted that at the age of 13, he already had sex with 8 out of 11 of his girlfriends. He said it all started when he occasionally saw his cousin do it with a boarder of theirs in their apartment. He grew curious.

AROUND 105 leaders of informal sector, including women’s group in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental, gathered Friday to support the passage of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

Every Congress opening, the RH bill is re-filed and its proponents and supporters always come out with statements that it will surely be enacted into law this time around because more and more legislators are supporting it, particularly the leadership in both Houses. Yet at the closing of every Congress, said bill still remains un-enacted.…

As of July 2010, the Philippines is the 12th most populated nation in the world with an estimate of 99,900,177 next to Mexico, according to the CIA World Factbook.

MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Enrique Ona has expressed support for a provision in the reproductive health bill that calls for giving couples access to information on all forms of contraception and the right to choose which of these contraceptive methods would be most appropriate for them.

MANILA, Philippines – Couples should be free to choose modern family planning methods such as condoms and other artificial means to prevent pregnancies, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona said on Wednesday.

MANILA, September 2, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Philippine government is implementing a new marketing scheme developed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to push contraceptives on the largely Catholic population of the country.

The Cagayan de Oro (CDO) archdiocese in Mindanao has launched two books on natural family planning (NFP). CDO Archbishop Antonio Ledesma said this is part of the Catholic church’s promotion of NFP as an alternative to the artificial contraceptive methods.

This is a bright new day for reproductive health advocates. After years of pushing for the passage of a comprehensive and nationwide reproductive health policy, legislators, principally led by Rep. Edcel C. Lagman of the First District of Albay, are optimistic that the 15th Congress will finally pass a reproductive health law.

MANILA, Philippines—The government has started implementing a new family planning marketing strategy designed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

“Natural Family Planning.” This is a rather known phrase that the Catholic Church claims and proclaims as a cardinal truth and mandate in the sphere of family and life, in the context of birth and population.

Menopause symptoms vary significantly by ethnic group, based on data emerging from a longitudinal study.

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.

Successful family planning led by women is among keys to increasing the poor’s share in economic growth MANILA, Philippines—Backers of the long-unsettled Reproductive Health Bill now pending in the 15th Congress has found a supporter in the World Bank.

For a start, what on earth is wrong with Sex Education? Answer: Truth to say, there are certain major things wrong with it. Strictly speaking, to put “Sex” and “Education” together neither jibes, clicks nor sticks — so to speak. For one thing, animals do not get “education” but they do “sex” — naturally and…

A report released by the Center for Reproductive Rights revived an ongoing debate about reproductive health, particularly abortion. Now the Philippines whirls in a Roe-v-Wade-type of environment: to ban or to decriminalize? Pro-life advocates bill abortion as a desecration of the human dignity of life. The CRR report bills the ban on abortion as an…

SOME MAY deride the “affluent” business sector as just thinking of themselves and of profit. This time, a business initiative may be crafting the most acceptable consensus bill on population, family planning and development. Led by respected leaders of the Management Association of the Philippines, Makati Business Club, Bishops-Businessmen Conference and the Philippine Center for…

The Reproductive Health Bill in the 15 th Congress Part 1: Sexuality and Reproductive Health Rights: A Situationer in the Philippines The Reproductive Health (RH) Bill – declared “dead” in the final days of the 14th Congress – has already seen a revival within the first 100 days of the new administration. Minority Floor Leader…

It’s the same old dog with a different collar. This can be said of Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s version of the RH bill. The old version of the bill is also compliant with the Philippines’ commitment to several international treaties. And it is precisely because of such feature in the bill which makes it inherently wrong.

This is the context I’m a Filipino and a law student, and here, abortion is a crime. According to Articles 256-259 of our Revised Penal Code, whether you’re the woman getting the abortion, the abortionist, or someone assisting or encouraging the abortion, if you commit the act on purpose, you could get sent to jail…

1. To respond to the clamor of the Philippine population who want the Reproductive Health Care Bill passed into law Filipinos are clamoring for the passage of the Reproductive Health Care Bill (RH bill) into law. The 2008 national and Manila City surveys of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) both confirm that majority of Filipinos…

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed her own version of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill, which would be part of the country’s commitment to several international treaties and agreements when approved.

The quickest way to kill support for reproductive health initiatives, we told RH advocates recently, was to mention abortion. Sure enough, even supporters of the RH bill in Congress have found themselves in agreement with opponents of the measure in rejecting calls for the legalization of abortion.

MANILA, Philippines – Education Secretary Armin Luistro said Tuesday that he is amenable to non-compulsory sex education in public schools, based on parents’ approval.

The world celebrates this year’s Breastfeeding Month by recognizing the vital role health facilities play to help improve the rate of breastfeeding in the community. Research shows that hospitals and maternity units can greatly influence a mother’s decision on whether or not to breastfeed her child.

MANILA, Philippines – Although risky sexual behavior is high among professionals in general, a study showed that the levels are slightly higher among call center workers compared to those who work for different industries.