The proponents state that the passage of the RH Bill would mean:
- Access to information on natural and modern family planning
- Improvement of maternal, infant, and child health and nutrition
- Promotion of breast feeding
- Prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications
- Improvement of adolescent and youth health
- Prevention and management of reproductive tract infections, HIV/AIDS and other STDs
What is RH Law in the Philippines?
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, also known as the Reproductive Health Law or RH Law, and officially designated as Republic Act No. 10354, is a law in the Philippines, which guarantees universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care.
What is the importance of RH Bill?
The Reproductive Health bills, or popularly known as RH bill, are Philippine Bills aiming to guarantee universal access to methods and information on birth control and maternal care. It is a way of helping people to be more advance, well prepared, and to widen up each and every individuals mind setting about our society...
What is the Reproductive Health Act of 2012?
Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012. The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10354), informally known as the Reproductive Health Law or RH Law, is a law in the Philippines, which guarantees universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education,...
What does the Supreme Court’s RH decision mean for You?
In today’s decision the Supreme Court struck down a number of provisions in the RH Law. Health care providers will be able to deny reproductive health services to patients based on their personal or religious beliefs in non-emergency situations.
What is the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012?
10354, is a Philippine law that provided universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care in the Philippines.
What is House Bill 96?
"House Bill No. 96: An Act Providing For a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood and Population and Development and Other Purposes" (PDF). Philippine NGO Council on Population, Health and Welfare Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
Why is Aquino's reproductive health bill jarring?
The Wall Street Journal in July 2012 said that Aquino's "promotion of a 'reproductive health' bill is jarring" since it could lead to "a demographic trap of too few workers. The Philippines doesn't have too many people, it has too few pro-growth policies".
How many employees are required to provide reproductive health services?
Employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health services to all employees in their own respective health facilities.
Why is free choice important in reproductive health?
Free choice regarding reproductive health enables people, especially the poor, to have the number of children they want and can feasibly care and provide for . There are several studies cited by those who support the bill:
When did the Philippines start reproductive health?
The Senate Policy Brief titled "Promoting Reproductive Health", the history of reproductive health in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when leaders of 12 countries including the Philippines' Ferdinand Marcos signed the Declaration on Population.
When was the Republic Act 10354 enacted?
Citation. Republic Act No. 10354. Enacted by. House of Representatives of the Philippines. Enacted. December 23, 2012. Enacted by. Senate of the Philippines.
What is the RH law?
RH Law revisited. ONE of the landmark legislation approved into law by the late President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino 3rd was the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, or the RH Law. After 13 years of arduous advocacy and steadfast crusade of RH champions, the controversial Reproductive Health bill was enacted as Republic Act ...
When was the reproductive health bill passed?
After 13 years of arduous advocacy and steadfast crusade of RH champions, the controversial Reproductive Health bill was enacted as Republic Act 10354 on Dec. 21, 2012 when President Aquino approved it.
What are the legal obstacles to the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act?
The only remaining barriers are the ambivalence of some implementers and the inadequacy of appropriations from the Congress.
What is HB 96?
25, 2011 that the title of the then pending HB 96 was "An Act Providing a National Policy on Reproductive Health, Responsible Parenthood, and Population and Development.".
Is the RH law constitutional?
It took almost a year and a half before the high court on April 8, 2014 unanimously ruled that the controversial measure generally is "not unconstitutional" or on the whole constitutional. Nevertheless, seven provisions of the RH Law were declared unconstitutional for supposedly offending parental authority and conscientious objectors' religious beliefs. However, five justices strongly dissented. They sustained the constitutionality of the voided provisions.
Did the stroke of the presidential pen end the RH crusade?
The stroke of the presidential pen did not end the controversy and saga of the RH crusade. Even before the ink on the statute's parchment had dried, expected petitions to declare the RH Law unconstitutional swamped the Supreme Court. Consequently, the enforcement of the law was delayed.
Was the RH bill a population control measure?
These concerns of President Aquino further strengthened the provisions in the RH bill, which paralleled his positions, except that it was never a population control measure since there was no demographic target.
What does RH mean?
p) Reproductive Health (RH) refers to the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. . .
What is the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 201?
SEC. 1. Title. [Not reproduced here] SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. The State recognizes and guarantees the human rights of all persons, 1 including their right to equality and nondiscrimination of these rights, the right to sustainable human development, ...
What is the definition of reproductive rights?
b) Respect for protection and fulfillment of reproductive health and rights which seek to promote the rights and welfare of every person, particularly couples, adult individuals, women and adolescents;
What is the advancement and protection of women's human rights?
The advancement and protection of women's human rights shall be central to the efforts of the State to address reproductive health care. [ Comment] The State recognizes marriage as an inviolable social institution and the foundation of the family which in turn is the foundation of the nation.
What are the rights of all people?
The State recognizes and guarantees the human rights of all persons, 1 including their right to equality and nondiscrimination of these rights, the right to sustainable human development, the right to health which includes reproductive health, 2 the right to education and information, and the right to choose and make decisions 3 for themselves in accordance with their religious convictions, ethics, cultural beliefs and the demands of responsible parenthood. 4 [ Comment]
What is the right to make free and informed decisions?
a) The right to make free and informed decisions, which is central to the exercise of any right, shall not be subjected to any form of coercion and must be fully guaranteed by the State like the right itself;
When was the RH law signed?
President Benigno S. Aquino III signed the RH Law in December 2012, which was immediately challenged in court by various conservative Catholic groups. On March 19, the Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order for 120 days that was later extended indefinitely, halting the RH Law from going into effect. Fourteen petitions questioning the constitutionality of the law on the grounds that it violated a range of rights, including freedom of religion and speech, were consolidated for oral arguments that began on July 9, 2013 that continued through August 2013.
How many petitions were filed in the RH case?
Fourteen petitions questioning the constitutionality of the law on the grounds that it violated a range of rights, including freedom of religion and speech, were consolidated for oral arguments that began on July 9, 2013 that continued through August 2013. In today’s decision the Supreme Court struck down a number of provisions in the RH Law.
What is the Center for Reproductive Rights?
The Center for Reproductive Rights has worked on reproductive health issues throughout Asia, with major campaigns addressing issues ranging from maternal mortality in India to access to modern contraception in the Philippines.
What is the human rights violation in Manila?
In Manila, the Center has documented the human rights violations that stem from an executive order that effectively bans access to modern contraceptives and that prevents women from protecting their health and exercising reproductive autonomy.
What is the right to contraceptive information and services for women and adolescents?
In March 2011, the Center and UNFPA released the joint briefing paper, The Right to Contraceptive Information and Services for Women and Adolescents, demonstrating how access to family planning information and services is a fundamental human right that States are obligated to actively respect, protect, and fulfill. Related Posts.
Does the law mandate reproductive health education?
The law also mandates reproduc tive health education in government schools and recognizes a woman’s right to post-abortion care as part of the right to reproductive healthcare.
Can a doctor deny a patient's reproductive health?
In today’s decision the Supreme Court struck down a number of provisions in the RH Law. Health care providers will be able to deny reproductive health services to patients based on their personal or religious beliefs in non-emergency situations. Spousal consent for women in non life-threatening circumstances will be required to access reproductive health care. Parental consent will also be required for minors seeking medical attention who have been pregnant or had a miscarriage. Petitioners in the case will now have 15 days to appeal the Supreme Court decision.
Overview
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, also known as the Reproductive Health Law or RH Law, and officially designated as Republic Act No. 10354, is a Philippine law that provided universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care in the Philippines.
Content
The basic content of the Consolidated Reproductive Health Bill is divided into the following sections.
The bill mandates the government to "promote, without biases, all effective natural and modern methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal."
Support
Free choice regarding reproductive health enables people, especially the poor, to have the number of children they want and can feasibly care and provide for. There are several studies cited by those who support the bill:
• Economic studies, especially the experience in Asia, show that rapid population growth and high fertility rates, especially among the poor, exacerbate poverty and make it harder for the governm…
Criticism
Opponents of the bill argue that:
• People's freedom to access contraceptives is not restricted by any opposing law, being available in family planning NGOs, stores, etc. The country is not a welfare state: taxpayer's money should not be used for personal practices that are harmful and immoral; it can be used to inform people of the harm of BCPs.
Economic and demographic premises
The Philippines is the 39th most densely populated country, with a density over 335 per square kilometer, and the population growth rate is 1.9% (2010 Census), 1.957% (2010 est. by CIA World Factbook), or 1.85% (2005–2010 high variant estimate by the UN Population Division, World Population Prospects: The 2008 Revision) coming from 3.1 in 1960.
Maternal health and deaths
Maternal deaths in the Philippines, according to the World Health Organization, is at 5.7 per day, not 10–11 deaths a day, as per the proponents who repeated these numbers "to drive home the point".
The proponents state that the passage of the RH Bill would mean:
• Access to information on natural and modern family planning
Abortion
According to the RH bill, one of its components is "prevention of abortion and management of post-abortion complications". It provides that "the government shall ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner". It also states that "abortion remains a crime and is punishable", as th…
Contraceptives
Fourteen professors from Ateneo de Manila University, a prominent Catholic University, considering the empirical evidence of the dire socioeconomic conditions of the Filipino poor, urged that the bill be passed to help them. They argued: "As Catholics and Filipinos, we share the hope and mission of building a Church of the Poor. We are thus deeply disturbed and saddened by calls mad…