RH bill passage 'a massive step' for women's health, lives - group

MANILA, Philippines - International advocacy group Human Rights Watch on Monday said the expected passage of the controversial Reproductive Health Bill is "a massive step forward to promote women's health and lives."

“The Reproductive Health Bill will have profound implications for improving the health and lives of women throughout the country,” Carlos Conde, Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch said. 

He added that the administration of President Benigno Aquino III “should be credited for having the political will to muster support for the bill in Congress despite the threat of a political backlash.”

Conde added that the administration should be quick in implementing population and reproductive health programs once the bill passes into law.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill on third reading on Monday, while the Senate will vote on second and third reading on the same day.

Aquino certified the bill as urgent last Dec. 13.

"The Population Fund estimates that there are 11 deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes every day in the Philippines and that 'most of them could have been avoided in a well-functioning health care delivery system.' It said 'maternal health conditions are the leading causes of burden of disease' among Filipino women," the group said.

Conde added that many Filipino women have suffered and died because of a lack of a comprehensive and consistent reproductive health policy.

"Contraception use in the Philippines is low because of erratic implementation of reproductive and population programs over the decades. The United Nations Population Fund has said that only 21 percent of women in the Philippines use any modern method of contraception while nearly 70 percent use no contraception at all. A 2008 demographic and health survey found that 22 percent of married women in the Philippines have an unmet need for family planning," the group said.