a vaccine while sleeping—she claims she was uninformed of the procedure and was not consulted in the process. In Malaybalay, a woman with mobility impairment complained of being forced to breastfeed her newborn, despite her inability to produce breast milk. The nurses forcibly pumped her breasts, verbally accosted her, and confiscated her feeding bottle. She lamented that ‘Nag sige na ug hilak akong anak kai gutom na kaayo. Kung ako lang pabut-on ipa-breastfeed gyud nako akong anak kay mahal kaayo ang gatas karon. Unsaun ta man wala jud gagawas. Nag-ingon dayon akong ate, “Nganong pugson man ninyo paggawawas nga wala jud gatas akong manghod, kay tungod tingali na sa sige ug inom ug tambal [as person with disability]?’ (My newborn kept on crying because of hunger. If it were up to me, I’d also want to breastfeed my child since baby milk is very expensive. But I couldn’t do anything; there was no milk. My sister told them, “Why do you need to force it? My sister can’t produce milk—maybe it is because of the many medicines she takes as a person with disability.) 3.2. Intersecting vulnerabilities as women and as persons with disabilities manifesting in limited awareness on RPRH; control over sexuality and reproductive health, and constrained access to justice in cases of Gender Based Violence against women; The inquiry also surfaced how women with disabilities suffer overlapping barriers, brought about by their intersecting vulnerabilities as persons with disabilities and as Filipino women in marginalized sectors. These manifest in their lack of, or limited, awareness of RPRH and RH rights, and the legal remedies available in cases of gender-based violence against women. This is also manifested in how men and family members exercise control over women with disabilities’ sexuality and reproductive health, and in the many challenges they experience in accessing justice in cases of GBV. Several barriers previously identified in the 2016 “National Inquiry on Reproductive Health and Rights” were also documented in the “National Inquiry on the Reproductive Health and Rights of women with disabilities”. This time, however, issues specific to women with disabilities were captured. 3.2.1. Lack of, or limited, awareness on RPRH, RH rights, and remedies in cases of GBV Across target locales, women with disabilities showed limited awareness of the RPRH Law and existing relevant policies and programs, as well as legal remedies in cases of gender-based violence. Among the 12 elements of RH identified in the RPRH Law, a high level of familiarity was recorded in only two areas: (1) family planning and (2) maternal, infant, and child health and nutrition. While little awareness was noted in the areas of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), reproductive tract infections (RTI) and sexually transmitted infections (STI), abortion prevention, and RH education and counseling. These indicate the limited availability and limited reach of RH information among women with disabilities. It also indicates the gap in terms of available 15

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