Postinor fights for life (Part 2)

Former Health Secretary Alberto G. Romualdez set forth the position that the use of emergency contracepive pills "is not included among the methods recommended for family planning. Only the following methods are identified by the department as acceptable modern family planning methods: pills, condoms, IUDs, injectable contracep-tives, voluntary surgical sterilization, lactation amenorrhea method and natural family planning. These family planning methods shall be promoted in the context of responsible parenthood and the exercise of individual reproductive rights towards reproductive health at all stages of the life course."

As this columnist wrote Saturday, Dr. Romualdez’s successor as health secretary, Dr. Manuel Dayrit, had the emergency contraceptive, Postinor, or Levonorgestrel 750, delifted, meaning the pill could not be brought in any longer by the pharmaceutical company that had it registered, upon the recommendation of then Bureau of Food and Drugs head William Torres.

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Dr. Romualdez, who is now president of Friendly Care, has been quite bold in castigating Roman Catholic "zealots" for the ban. He calls them "extremists" who had derailed the Department of Health’s immunization program in 1995, "ridiculously claiming that the program to immunize women of child-bearing age against tetanus was part of a global plot to induce abortions through the secret immunization of women against chronic gonaddotropin, the hormone that supports pregnancy in its early stages."

As a result, Dr. Romualdez says tetanus neonatorum, a disease of the newborn today, still kills an estimated 400 Filipino babies each year. "Although they were never able to ban the use of tetanus toxoid, the fear generated by their false claims discouraged women and local governments from cooperating with the expanded program on immunization."

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In the case of Postinor, he says "uninformed and scientifically discredited opinions have succeeded in overturning the registration of a drug that can potentially save the lives of thousands of Filipino women. Science has been replaced by extremist politics in the decision-making process of the country’s technical health guardians, the Department of Health and its regulatory arm, the Bureau of Food and Drugs.

"As a result, thousands of women who have had involuntary or unprotected sex, including rape and incest, will be deprived of a means to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Undoubtedly, they will join the 450,000 women who have induced unsafe and illegal abortions each year because of lack of access to information and technology for emergency contraception."

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The non-governmental organization Likhaan (Linangan ng Kababihan, Inc) which undertakes basic health care, education and advocacy among women in poor communities in Metro Manila, in its letter to Mr. Torres, argues that Postinor is not an abortifacient.

Current authoritative medical usage, writes Likhaan, "delineates fertilization from implantation – the accepted starting point of pregnancy. The FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) Committee of the Ethical Aspects of Human Reproduction and Women’s Health defined pregancy thus:

"Natural human reproduction is a process which involve the production of male and female gametes and their union at fertilization. Pregnancy is that part of the process that commences with the implantation of the conceptus in a woman, and ends with the birth or an abaortion."

Likhaan notes that "Verification (of pregnancy) is only possible at the present time at three weeks or more after implantation.

As for Philippine laws abortion – Revised Penal Code Section 2, Articles 256-259 – "none defines abortion or even implies that abortion includes the prevention of implantation. In fact, the common or ‘lay’ understanding of abortion equates it with the termination of a pregnancy that has been confirmed, usually by a pregnancy test. For example, the SSS regulation on maternity benefit does not rely on an account of fertilization, but requires a pregnancy text for claims relating to miscarriage or abortion.

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The Pacific Institute for Women’s Health notes that emergency contraception pills "can not dislodge or interrupt pregnancy. ECPs take effect before pregnancy. Pregnancy begins when a pre-embryo completes implantation into the lining of the uterus. ECPs inhibit or delay ovulation, have effect on the ovulation that interferes with the migration of spermatozoids from the uterine cervic to the tube, and prevents the implantation of a fertilized egg in the uterus.

"All the processes take place before pregnancy. Implantation of a fertilized egg (zygote) takes 5 to 7 days. ECPs are taken within 3 days from sexual intercourse. It should be noted that even without any intervention of ECP, not all sexual intercourse results in fertilization of an egg. However, to ensure that pregnancy is prevented after unprotectd sex and to allay one’s anxiety over unwanted pregnancy, women should take the ECPs.

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ON ANOTHER FRONT. Today, McDonald’s World Children’s Day, several countries will simultaneously host World Children’s Day. This event will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and children’s causes around the world. Today, the restaurant and Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Philippines will host a Fun Run at Star City. Children from ages 8-13 are invited to participate. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. After the fun run, they can enjoy rides at the Grand Carnival, at an entrance fee of P100, the other P100 to be subsidized by McDonald’s.

In the Philippines, a total of P30-million of RMHC’s grant has been given to different childcare initiatives. These include St.Luke’s Medical Center Expanded Program of Immunization, the Leukemic Endowment Fund, the Welcome Home Foundation for Deaf Children, Operation Smile and Interplast, among others.

To continue its program of grant-giving to institutions espousing children’s causes, RMHC Philippines will host the McDonald’s World Children’s Day Charity Ball, which will feature a charity auction, a live band to dance the night away, and performances by Boy Abunda, Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez, the Mandaluyong Children’s Choir, the Whiplash, and Lyn Sherman with the Ugoy-Ugoy Band. The World Children’s Day song composed by David Foster will be sung by Ms. Cuneta.

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My e-mail: [email protected]