Miriam champions Reproductive Health bill in Senate

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.

Several versions of the RH bill have been filed in the past but failed to take off because of strong opposition from the Catholic Church and other sectors.

Santiago said her bill would be compliant with the Philippines’ commitment to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), International Conference on Population and Development Program of Action (ICPD-POA), Beijing Platform of Action (BPA), and Millennium Development Goals, specifically Goal 5 (MDG 5), among others.

Santiago said Article 12 of the ICESCR recognizes the right of everyone to “the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”

“The right to health is understood not just as a right to be healthy, but as a right to control one’s own health and body, including sexual and reproductive freedom,” she said.

In the case of the ICPD-POA, Santiago noted that “reproductive health is a 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 health system and to its functions and processes.”

“Reproductive health therefore implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capacity to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how to do so,” she said.

The CEDAW, in particular, mandates state parties to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care.

Specifically, it calls upon state parties to prioritize the prevention of unwanted pregnancies through family planning and sex education, and to reduce maternal mortality rates.

“Within the context of the constitutional provisions on women’s right to health and the state’s international commitments as embodied in various human rights instruments, the state is bound to address reproductive health issues,” Santiago said.?She said that a significant portion of maternal deaths could be prevented with appropriate care for the pregnant woman. ?She cited the 2006 Family Planning Survey conducted by the National Statistics Office, which showed that for every 100,000 live births in the Philippines, 162 women die during pregnancy and childbirth or shortly after childbirth. ?It was also reported that even though there was a 22 percent decrease from the 1990 baseline, the current maternal mortality ratio is still far from the MDG target of 53 deaths per 100,000 live births for 2015.

“In the Philippines today, less than half of all deliveries take place with the assistance of a skilled birth attendant,” Santiago said.?In her proposed bill, Santiago said that the state would be compelled to guarantee universal access to medically safe, legal, affordable, and quality reproductive health services, methods, devices, supplies, and relevant information on the matter.

“If we are seriously committed to eradicate poverty, pursue sustainable development and improve our quality of life, then the issue of population cannot be ignored,” Santiago said.

The bill does not specify any form of population control because Santiago said “parents should be free to choose which form of family planning best suits them.”

She said this conforms to the BPA, which states that “reproductive rights embrace certain human rights that are already recognized in national laws, international human rights documents” and that “these rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so.”

Santiago said she is not concerned about opposition to the RH bill, particularly those who describe the measure as “promoted abortion.”

“Read the bill first. The bill is not pro-abortion; it is pro-life. It ensures that women who need care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and not left to die,” she said.