4.6

• • reproductive Health Rights – refers to the rights of individuals and couples, to decide freely and responsibly whether or not to have children; the number, spacing and timing of their children; to make other decisions concerning reproduction, free of discrimination, coercion and violence; to have the information and means to do so; and to attain the highest standard of sexual health and reproductive health: Provided, however, that reproductive health rights do not include abortion, and access to abortifacients.
• • Reproductive Health Care – refers to the access to a full range of methods, facilities, services and supplies that contribute to reproductive health and well-being by addressing reproductive health-related problems. It also includes sexual health, the purpose of which is the enhancement of life and personal relations.
• • 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. This implies that people are able to have a responsible, safe, consensual and satisfying sex life, that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when, and how often to do so. This further implies that women and men attain equal relationships in matters related to sexual relations and reproduction.
• • Male Responsibility – refers to the involvement, commitment, accountability and responsibility of males in all areas of sexual health and reproductive health, as well as the care of reproductive health concerns specific to men.
• • Maternal Health – refers to the health of a woman of reproductive age including, but not limited to, during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.
• • Family Planning – refers to a program which enables couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and to have access to a full range of safe, affordable, effective, non-abortifacient modem natural and artificial methods of planning pregnancy.
• • Adolescent – refers to young people between the ages of ten (10) to nineteen (19) years who are in transition from childhood to adulthood.
• • Abortifacient – refers to any drug or device that induces abortion or the destruction of a fetus inside the mother’s womb or the prevention of the fertilized ovum to reach and be implanted in the mother’s womb upon determination of the FDAs.
• RATIONALE OF THE RH LAW

  • Pursuant to the declaration of State policies under Section 12, Article II of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, it is the duty of the State to protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution and equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The State shall protect and promote the right to health of women especially mothers in particular and of the people in general and instill health consciousness among them.
• “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012”

  • RA 10354, also known as the RH Law was primarily enacted on a vision that the poor will have access to Reproductive Health (RH) goods and services which they cannot afford.
• ELEMENTS OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

  • Family planning information and services which shall include as a first priority making women of reproductive age fully aware of their respective cycles to make them aware of when fertilization is highly probable, as well as highly improbable
  • Maternal, infant and child health and nutrition, including breastfeeding
  • Proscription of abortion and management of abortion complications
  • Adolescent and youth reproductive health guidance and counseling
• • Prevention of STDs:

  1. Abstinence
  2. Barrier Contraceptives
  3. Sexual Health Checks

  4. Vaccination
• • Treatment of STDs:

  1. Treatment will depend on the causative organism

  2. Antibiotics for bacterial infections

  3. Parasitic infections such as lice and scabies are treated with shampoos or creams that contain insecticides.
• ELEMENTS OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE

  • Elimination of violence against women and children and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence
  • Education and counseling on sexuality and reproductive health
  • Treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers and other gynecological conditions and disorders
  • Male responsibility and involvement and men’s reproductive health
  • Prevention, treatment and management of infertility and sexual dysfunction
  • Reproductive health education for the adolescents
  • Mental health aspect of reproductive health care
• 1. Midwives for Skilled Birth Attendance 

  • The law mandates every city/municipality to employ and adequate number of midwives and other skilled attendants
  • Skilled birth attendance: childbirth managed by health professional
  • Include equipment and support, transport, emergency obstetric care
• 1. Emergency Obstetric care

  • Each province and city shall ensure the establishment and operation of hospitals with adequate facilities and qualified personnel that provide emergency obstetric care
  • Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and newborn care (CEMONC): lifesaving services for emergency maternal and newborn condition/complications
• 1. Hospital-based family planning

  • The law requires family planning services like ligation, vasectomy, and intrauterine device (IUD) to be available in all government hospitals. 
  • Family planning: program that enable couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children and to have info and means to do so
• 1. Contraceptives as essential medicines

  • Reproductive health products shall be considered essential medicines and supplies and shall form part of the National Drug Formulary. 
  • Contraceptives: prevent unwanted pregnancy
• 1. Reproductive health education

  • RH education shall be taught by adequately trained teachers in age appropriate manner
  • Reproductive health and Sexuality Education: providing and acquiring complete, accurate and relevant age and development appropriate information and education on reproductive health
• 1. Employer’s responsibility

  • Employers shall respect the reproductive health rights of all their workers
• 1. Capability building of community-based volunteer workers

  • Community-based workers shall undergo additional training and updated training on the delivery of reproductive health care services and shall receive not less than 10% increase in honoraria upon successful completion of training. 
• Legislating RH

  • The main blockade of legislating the RH Law was the constitutional provision, particularly that provided in Article II, Section 12 of the 1987 constitution which mandates that:2 of the 1987 constitution which mandates that: “The State recognizes the sanctity of life… it shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception.”
  • Artificial family planning methods (IUDs, condoms, etc) are labeled as “anti-life” and against conception.
  • “Pro-life” groups strongly advocate the use of natural methods (abstinence, calendar methods)
• Knowingly withholding or impeding the dissemination of information about the programs and services provided for in this Act or intentionally giving out incorrect information
• Refusing to perform voluntary ligation and vasectomy and other legal and medically-safe reproductive health procedures on any person of legal age on the ground of lack of spousal consent or authorization
• Refusing to provide reproductive health care services to an abused minor and/or an abused pregnant minor, whose condition is certified to by an authorized DSWD official or personnel, even without parental consent particularly when the parent concerned is the perpetrator
• Refusing to extend reproductive health care services and information on account of the patient's civil status, gender or sexual orientation, age, religion, personal circumstances and nature of work
• Requiring a female applicant or employee, as a condition for employment or continued employment, to involuntarily undergo sterilization, tubal ligation, or any other form of contraceptive method
• Legislating RH

  • The main blockade of legislating the RH Law was the constitutional provision, particularly that provided in Article II, Section 12 of the 1987 constitution which mandates that:2 of the 1987 constitution which mandates that: “The State recognizes the sanctity of life… it shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception.”
  • Artificial family planning methods (IUDs, condoms, etc) are labeled as “anti-life” and against conception.
  • “Pro-life” groups strongly advocate the use of natural methods (abstinence, calendar methods)
• Political battle

  • Population Commission a measure of population control to manage high fertility rates and alleviate poverty
  • With this law, the backlash of the CBCP was unrelenting.

  The RH Law was a product of a 14-year struggle

  • March 2013, the law was challenged before the SC of the Philippines, delaying its full implementation
  • A year after, the law was held to be valid, except for clauses therein, that allowed minors to access reproductive health services without the written consent of a guardian and penal measures for government officials who did not implement the law. 
• RA 10354 (RH law)

  • Allows women, especially those who are poor to have a choice in their family planning methods
  • It is a given that the Catholic Church will vehemently oppose this move and will keep doing so because of what they believe in and what they fight for.
  • believe in and what they fight for. ✓ No matter the debates and the long winding journey, the RH Law is now implemented and it is expected that all actors must comply to the law