Women's rights group hits bill against abortive drugs

A women's rights advocate group has called on the House of Representatives to junk immediately House Bill 4643, or "The Anti-Abortive Drugs and Devices Act," which bans abortive devices and regulates "abortive" drugs for therapeutic purposes only.

Buhay partylist Rep. Rene Velarde is the principal author of HB 4643, which is now pending at the committee on revision of laws for a hearing schedule.

EnGendeRights Inc. executive director, lawyer Clara Rita Padilla, assailed the bill as outrageous. "It seeks to restrict access to safe methods of contraception such as emergency contraceptive pills, Depo Provera, and IUDs, among others."

Padilla said Velarde and the supporters of the bill have been trying to mislead the committee into believing that all contraceptives are abortifacients, a misinformation intended to deny Filipinos access to safe and legal methods of contraception.

"Their misguided claims on IUDs, contraceptives, emergency contraceptive pills, and injectables are clearly contrary to the findings of...the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics," Padilla said.

Padilla emphasized that contraceptives include emergency contraceptive pills that do not have any effect on an implanted fertilized egg thus these could not be deemed abortifacient drugs.

She also pointed out the country's constitutional provision protecting the life of woman and the unborn from conception through access to information and services to contraception and even abortion.

The bill is "ignorance of medicine, science and the law, Padilla said as she contended that the Catholic religion does not restrict access to contraception and even safe and legal abortion.

Chile and Peru countries have similar constitutional provision protecting the life of the woman and the unborn by allowing access to emergency contraceptive pills, which are also available in Argentina and Belgium without prescription, said Padilla.

Spain and Colombia allow abortion on the grounds of rape and fetal impairment while Belgium, France, and Italy allow it on demand, Padilla said, adding that these countries are predominantly Catholic.

Catholic women around the world-more than 60 percent in Trinidad and Tobago, and Botswana; and 28 percent in the Philippines-have used contraceptive methods, said Padilla.

The Philippine government, as cited in the recent UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, has an obligation to put up measures for the prevention of unwanted pregnancies, and to make contraceptives "more widely available and without any restriction."

Padilla said, "Access to the full range of contraceptive methods is effective to prevent unintended pregnancy, abortion and maternal mortality and morbidity."

EnGendeRights, founded by Padilla on December 2003, has been an advocate for women's right to sexual and reproductive self-determination without discrimination, coercion, and violence; access to contraceptives and to safe and legal abortion.

It is a non-government organization that also pushes for equality of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders. - Gregg M. Rubio/RAE