Philippines Media Statement for Sept. 28 International Safe Abortion Day: Uphold reproductive justice, fulfill the right to safe abortion!
On the occasion of September 28 – International Safe Abortion Day, the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) and partners urge the Philippine government to fulfill its human rights obligations and uphold the rights of women, girls, and gender diverse individuals to sexual and reproductive health and bodily autonomy.
Last week, Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. addressed the United Nations General Assembly during the High-Level General Debate describing our context as a “time of crisis and opportunity”, committing to solidarity and “upholding justice, respecting human rights, and maintaining international peace and security.” [1]
Glaringly absent, however, is the purview on gender and how women, girls, and gender-diverse people are most likely to suffer the impacts of multiple crises. Promises of solidarity, justice, and a respect for human rights are nothing but empty promises if women and girls continue to unjustly face barriers to achieving human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) particularly the inability to access safe abortion rights. It remains a huge irony that even though the Philippines enjoys its rank as the most gender-inclusive nation in Asia, up to date the country has among the highest in number of maternal mortality and adolescent pregnancies. It is also has one of the most restrictive laws against abortion in the world. Abortion is restricted in the country, without clear exceptions on any grounds, not even to save the life or protect the health of a pregnant woman, when pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, or in cases of serious fetal deformity. The Philippine abortion law directly derives from an antiquated law that dates back to the time when the Filipino people were ruled by the Crown of Spain. The Revised Penal Code of 1930, patterned after the Spanish Penal Code of 1870, punishes the pregnant woman, as well as the providers or supporters of the abortion, including physicians, midwives, and even parents.
Despite legal restrictions, however, abortions have happened, and no severity of the law can stop them from happening. Every year, 1.1 million people induce abortions; accounting for the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the number rises to 1.26 million [2]. On the contrary, abortion restrictions only open greater risks on and violations of bodily autonomy, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Abortion restrictions put women, girls, and gender-diverse people, especially those who are poor, in danger because it forces them to seek unsafe, riskier methods. 100,000 people are hospitalized annually due to abortion-related complications. A thousand die each year attributed to clandestine abortions; this translates to three lives lost every day. Deaths from unsafe abortion complications are one of the leading factors to the country’s high mortality rate. For as long as the proper legal and policy guarantees are not institutionalized, more people will be put to danger.
Restrictions like ours are touted to protect the “sanctity of life,” but conveniently ignore the lives behind these numbers, many of which are the most vulnerable communities in society. Young people, those in rural areas, and people living in poverty are more likely to experience unintended pregnancies, and thus would seek abortions in unsafe conditions. Evidence shows that denying access to safe abortion exacerbates socioeconomic inequities from the financial burden of associated health services [3]. These are the same inequities that make abortions – health care for that matter – grossly inaccessible to many Filipinos. The Philippines’ abortion restriction is trapping people in a cycle of physical, mental, and financial distress. These are clear violations of people’s human rights.
Legal restrictions to abortion becomes a conduit for stigma to grow and harm those who seek and provide care, including their friends, families, and the people who advocate for the right to access safe abortion. Stigma causes fear, isolation, and discrimination. Abortion stigma shapes the way care is delivered and access [4]. Even if post-abortion care is legally mandated by the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law (RPRH Law), and enshrined in the Magna Carta of Women, stigma still bears serious implications on post-abortion care. It causes this life-saving treatment to often be delayed, outright denied, or granted at exorbitant costs. It worsens reproductive health care-seeking behaviors due to the fear of maltreatment and arrest.
Just as legal and policy restrictions aid in reinforcing stigma, existing policies on post-abortion care exhibit how stigma can be codified in laws. The DOH AO 2018-0003, the result of a rescission of AO 2016-0041, leads with a focus on the illegal status of abortion, taking away from a compassionate and woman-centered approach to post-abortion care.
We are reminding the Philippine Government that the country is signatory to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and major international human rights treaties including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). These human rights treaties and conventions declared our commitments to women’s SRHR, access to justice, and access to safe abortion among many human rights.
Efforts towards combating crises cannot be without the recognition that SRHR is central and essential to response and recovery. Beyond so, through a statement in light of the International Safe Abortion Day and World Contraceptive Day, the UN Office of the High Commissioner affirmed that SRHR is an integral part of sustainable development goals and human rights obligations and “if a decisive step is to be made towards the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals on gender equality and health and well-being, in particular those aimed at ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health rights and reducing maternal mortality, it is of paramount importance to prevent unwanted pregnancies through access to contraception, safe abortion services and quality post-abortion care.” [5]
Accessing essential reproductive health care should not be a crime. No one should be punished for deciding for their own lives, nor should any care providers be punished for supporting people in making the best choice for their health and well-being.
#DecriminalizeAbortionNOW #SafeAbortionRegardless #SRHRisEssential
Each year, on September 28 – International Safe Abortion Day campaigners around the world take action and speak out for access to safe and legal abortions. This year, with a focus on “Abortion in Uncertain Times,” activists globally are taking diverse, collective action on many fronts to persist for #SafeAbortionRegardless of crises and injustices.
WGNRR mobilizes campaigns around key dates in the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights field such as September 28 – International Safe Abortion Day, as well as May 28 – International Day of Action for Women’s Health.