GROWING NEED FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES
The population of the Philippines is projected to reach over 107 million by the end of 2018. Almost 28
million of these Filipinos are women of reproductive age (aged 15-49) who are the intended beneficiaries
of reproductive health services under the country’s national reproductive health law.16 However, with
the increasing trend of pregnancies among girls 10 to 14 years old, government estimates show that
the number of women and girls of reproductive age could reach over 33 million by the end of the year,
comprising almost 31% of the population.17
4. Provisions Intended to Restrict Abortion Lead to Stigma and
Barriers for Other Legal Health Services
Laws aimed at restricting access to abortion undermine access to other reproductive health
services in the Philippines, including the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood
and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (RPRHA). This law guarantees Filipinos’ access to
reproductive health services, including modern contraceptives and post-abortion care.29
However, given the stigma of abortion, RPRHA has not been widely accepted in practice. For
example, a legal challenge filed before the Supreme Court by anti-choice groups improperly
claimed that certain registered contraceptives are abortifacients—access to which is excluded
under the law’s definition of reproductive health rights.30 In response to the case, the Court
issued a restraining order in 2015 that remained in effect for over two years which
prevented the use of certain hormonal contraceptives.31 In 2017, the Court issued a
ruling requiring all modern contraceptives, after due notice and hearing, to be certified
by the Food and Drug Administration as non-abortifacients before they could be made
publicly available.32 The Court’s order has undermined the implementation of RPRHA by
limiting access to modern contraceptives, which has consequently increased the number
of unintended pregnancies and negatively impacted development efforts.33 The right to
sexual and reproductive health care, including contraceptive information and services,
have long been recognized as essential elements of development efforts. In fact, these
rights are included under the Sustainable Development Goals and 2017-2022 Philippine
Development Plan (PDP).34 The PDP pledges that the government will provide sexual and
reproductive health services from adolescence to adulthood to “promote the long and
healthy lives of Filipinos” and accelerate full implementation of the RPRHA.35
By criminalizing abortion with no clear exceptions, the RPC has caused harmful stigma
for women needing care for miscarriages or complications from unsafe abortions. This
stigma has also led to significant barriers in access to post-abortion care. While national
laws guarantee women the right to access quality, compassionate and nonjudgmental
post-abortion care, in reality this does not hold true.36 The criminalization of abortion has
resulted in many women being physically and verbally abused, harassed, threatened,
intimidated, and discriminated against when seeking medical treatment for abortionrelated complications, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the abortion.37 These
forms of abuse, which may include outright denial of life-saving treatment, stem from a
misconception among health care providers that post-abortion care is aiding or abetting
a crime (i.e. abortion). Many health care providers in such situations also feel the need
to assert their moral authority and “teach a lesson” to women who have had abortions
and are therefore perceived as criminals.38 The U.N. Human Rights Committee has
6 REALIZING A HEALTHY, EQUAL, AND THRIVING PHILIPPINES