Health advocates rejoice over upheld RH law

[jake]

MANILA, Philippines – It was a happy day for the so-called purple crowd, supporters of the controversial reproductive health (RH) law.

The Supreme Court (SC) declared the RH law constitutional on Tuesday, April 8, with a few provisions struck down either in full or partially. (READ: SC declares RH law constitutional)

Despite this, health advocates still consider the court decision "a big victory" for the Filipino people, especially for women and young people.

"We are happy that the constitutionality of RH law was upheld, as it sided with the youth and women," National Youth Commission (NYC) Chairman Leon Flores III told Rappler in a phone interview.

Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP) national chairperson Elizabeth Angsioco said she feels "pure, unadulterated joy" after Tuesday's decision, compared to when RH law was passed in 2012.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/54967-...-rh-law-upheld

[jake]

Its a start, however it seems to be a watered down version

[Terpe]

At least it got through the SC still in 'reasonable condition'.
Jake I read references to the fight to come, does this mean it's still possible to become meaningless? Or is it now pretty much done and dusted ??

[Jamesey]

This is great news.

The Catholic Church should be thoroughly ashamed of its stance on this.

[fred]

Personally,I don't believe this law will make any difference in population levels for years and years to come.

[gWaPito]

Not in our life times I've yet to meet a Pinay who enjoys taking birth prevention measures. I must look in a different part of the woods in future

[jake]

At least it got through the SC still in 'reasonable condition'.
Jake I read references to the fight to come, does this mean it's still possible to become meaningless? Or is it now pretty much done and dusted ??

My biggest fear is that it has already started to become meaningless.
Until recently I was all for the RH bill. I am now fairly certain it will not have any impact on population control and health issues in the near future. Hopefully I will be proven wrong.

As with most bills proposed by the government it will have to be amended again and again

[jake]

Personally,I don't believe this law will make any difference in population levels for years and years to come.

I agree.
Free contraceptives have been available for years at health centres. Doesn't mean the vast majority of folks use them to keep down the numbers!

[Terpe]

My biggest fear is that it has already started to become meaningless.
Until recently i was all for the RH bill. I am now fairly certain it will not have any impact on population control and health issues in the near future. Hopefully i will be proven wrong.

As with most bills proposed by the government it will have to be amended again and again

Oh dear...
Looks like there's going to be gradual 'dilution' then..........what a shame

Thanks for your reply Jake

[Doc Alan]

Thank you Jake for your update .


If only the RH Act was just about population control !


As for " Pro-Life " opposition to RHA ... even if the statistics vary according to the sources, there are preventable DEATHS occurring daily at an unacceptably high rate in the Philippines. Maternal mortality ( death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of delivery, spontaneous abortion or termination ) is between 8 – 16 times that of the UK.


Women should be able to look forward to the birth of their children, knowing that if things go wrong, medical teams can help them – for free – such that the vast majority will be safely delivered - as in the UK. Risk factors include social disadvantage ; minority ethnic groups ; poor/late attenders at antenatal clinics ; obesity, and age over 35. Only a handful in the UK ( less than 100 / year – obviously still too many ) - die from causes related to pregnancy.

At least 11 women are claimed to die EVERY DAY in the Philippines from PREVENTABLE complications arising from pregnancy and childbirth.


Mothers’ lives can’t be saved by any one intervention alone. It requires family planning information and means, then quality antenatal / obstetric care when and where it is needed. Otherwise they die from treatable complications – haemorrhage, infection and high blood pressure. Half of all pregnancies in the Philippines are said to be unintended.



Although women older than 35 have the highest maternal mortality ratios, there are relatively high risks with adolescent pregnancy, a third higher than those of women between 20-24. We’ve been reminded in another thread that " 1 in 10 Filipina teens is a mom ", according to one study. This is about ten times the rate in the UK ( where the number of teen pregnancies has dropped in recent years ). In 9/10 cases the pregnancy was unplanned, and 4/5 didn’t use contraceptives when first having sex. Risks include malnutrition ( teen mothers have poor eating habits ); inadequate antenatal care ; abortion ; low birth weight, and acquiring cervical cancer.


Infant and under 5 mortality ( deaths ) may have levelled off in the Philippines in recent years, but they’re still unacceptably high, and at least 5 times higher than in the UK. Up to half die as neonates. The main causes are pneumonia and diarrhoea ( for which vaccinations are available ), other infections, undernutrition and congenital abnormalities.



I respect and appreciate the opinions of Jake, Fred, gWaPito, Terpe, and Jamesey on this issue . However, it’s still to be hoped that a majority of Filipinos have less conservative views than the Catholic Church would have us believe, and are broadly “ in favour “ of the law.


How depressing, and worrying, therefore, that the Supreme Court has only ruled that the RHA is “ not unconstitutional “ : tempering that with a long list of provisions STILL declared “ unconstitutional “ , and opponents “ have 15 days to ask the Court to reconsider its rulings “.

[Arthur Little]

... correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Family Planning first practised in the Phils as part of the Marcos Programme of Martial Law? Moreover, it's my understanding it was even taught in State Secondary Schools back then - by being integrated into the Physical Education curriculum - much to the and vociferous opposition of the powerful Cardinal Sin, Head of the nation's Head of the Catholic Church at that time?

[Arthur Little]

-

... correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Family Planning first practised in the Phils as part of the Marcos Programme of Martial Law? Moreover, it's my understanding it was even taught in State Secondary Schools back then - by being integrated into the Physical Education curriculum - much to the and vociferous opposition of the powerful Cardinal Sin, Head of the nation's Head of the Catholic Church at that time?

Bear in mind, too ... ... that a sizeable majority of the population
- especially those living in the provinces - were correspondingly being denied the opportunity of an education beyond a basic Elementary (Primary) level, due to impoverished familial circumstances.

... conditions which, ashamedly (due to widespread governmental corruption ) remain significantly unchanged and - to an unacceptably LARGE extent - unchallenged, to the present day.

[fred]

I respect and appreciate the opinions of Jake, Fred, gWaPito, Terpe, and Jamesey on this issue . However, it’s still to be hoped that a majority of Filipinos have less conservative views than the Catholic Church would have us believe, and are broadly “ in favour “ of the law.

This is my take on it Doc..
The views of the poor massa are developed at home and within their communities.. Many of their parents are not educated in the ways of family planning at school..They are educated on Sundays in church and their kids that may or may not be at school are educated by their Catholic teachers or within their communities that have always been taught their whole life`s to fear God and abide by his scripture..
We have Bishops here on local TV explaining why the R.P has a healthy economy.. They say its because they have an abundance of Filipino OFW`s that work abroad sending back hard currency that is utilized here..The use of condoms of course would deplete that resource in the medium to long term. They tell their congregation that their faith is a blessing from God for which they will be rewarded.. Blah blah blah.. Here in Tagbilaran you cannot have a passenger tricycle registered without a painted/printed verse from the bible to be displayed clearly on the rear.
This scripture has been ingrained into their way of life for hundreds of years!!
I think that eventually these laws will begin to take effect as the R.P slowly attempts to take on the Bishops and modernize..
This will take decades to achieve IMO..
I hope I`m wrong.

[Doc Alan]

What an excellent local perspective on the situation Fred, thank you !


Arthur, thank you for your contribution also :-


It’s true that under Marcos, Presidential Decree 79 ( 1972 ) sought to establish the “ National Family Planning Program “ in an attempt to meet the “ grave social and economic challenge of high rate of population growth “, “ involving both public and private sectors which respect the religious beliefs and values of the individuals involved “.


Since then the focus on all issues around women’s reproductive health has varied from one administration to another, always heavily influenced by the Catholic Church, headed in the time of Marcos by Cardinal Sin. The general fertility rate ( births / 1000 women ) did, however, fall progressively from the Marcos era to that of Arroyo. Marcos also established the " National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women " ( now " Philippine Commission on Women ") in 1975.


It’s always – in my opinion - worthwhile looking at issues in a historical perspective, even if only to attempt not to repeat the same mistakes. But the Philippines does seem to have a long way still to go in improving the health of mums and kids.


http://www.lawphil.net/statutes/pres...d_79_1972.html

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story...-retrospective

[fred]

It’s always – in my opinion - worthwhile looking at issues in a historical perspective, even if only to attempt not to repeat the same mistakes. But the Philippines does seem to have a long way still to go in improving the health of mums and kids.

Very intelligent insight.. Well worth a Rep IMO!
Thanks for your rep BTW.
Fred!

[raynaputi]

This is my take on it Doc..
The views of the poor massa are developed at home and within their communities.. Many of their parents are not educated in the ways of family planning at school..They are educated on Sundays in church and their kids that may or may not be at school are educated by their Catholic teachers or within their communities that have always been taught their whole life`s to fear God and abide by his scripture..
We have Bishops here on local TV explaining why the R.P has a healthy economy.. They say its because they have an abundance of Filipino OFW`s that work abroad sending back hard currency that is utilized here..The use of condoms of course would deplete that resource in the medium to long term. They tell their congregation that their faith is a blessing from God for which they will be rewarded.. Blah blah blah.. Here in Tagbilaran you cannot have a passenger tricycle registered without a painted/printed verse from the bible to be displayed clearly on the rear.
This scripture has been ingrained into their way of life for hundreds of years!!
I think that eventually these laws will begin to take effect as the R.P slowly attempts to take on the Bishops and modernize..
This will take decades to achieve IMO..
I hope I`m wrong.

I'm a Catholic and I believe in God. But I don't rely on what the priests say. What Fred said is one of the reasons why I refused to study in a Catholic school and have nuns and priests teaching a subject. Their views might be intertwined with what the bible says. When I was in primary school (a public school), a nun would go to the class weekly to teach about Religion. I always hated the subject because she regularly told us that not going to Sunday school will have consequences for us and would prevent us to go to heaven eventhough my grandma and parents would take us to church to have a mass. Duh! I always wished that the nun will not attend the class weekly or the choir club will always call me and excuse me to attend the Religion class and practice with the choir instead.

[Arthur Little]

This is my take on it Doc ...

... I think that eventually these laws will begin to take effect as the R.P slowly attempts to take on the Bishops and modernize..
This will take decades to achieve IMO..

... but wouldn't it also help, to "exorcise" the superstitious beliefs (instilled throughout past centuries by cruel, "inquisition"-style tactics) that prevailed during the Spanish regime?

[fred]

... but wouldn't it also help, to exorcise the superstitious beliefs instilled throughout past centuries by the "inquisition"-style tactics that prevailed during the Spanish regime?

Now that is a far too complicated subject for me to comment on really as it is a part of Spanish history that I have not studied and one that I do not fully understand.
I have a feeling that the Spanish inquisition played no part in Philippine history or in Filipino society..
I could be wrong though.
I often am!

[Arthur Little]

Now that is a far too complicated subject for me to comment on really as it is a part of Spanish history that I have not studied and one that I do not fully understand.
I have a feeling that the Spanish inquisition played no part in Philippine history or in Filipino society..
I could be wrong though.
I often am!

Can't claim to be clued~up on any of it myself to be honest, Fred;
... I'm simply basing this theory of mine on an awareness of it being the Spanish who introduced Catholicism to the Philippines in the first instance, and from what I'd picked up in conversation with older Filipinos to the effect that the Spaniards were far from being the most docile occupants of these islands, historically.

[fred]

Can't claim to be clued~up on any of it myself to be honest, Fred;
... I'm simply basing this theory of mine on an awareness of it being the Spanish who introduced Catholicism to the Philippines in the first instance, and from what I'd picked up in conversation with older Filipinos to the effect that the Spaniards were far from being the most docile occupants of these islands, historically.

Yes thats correct Art.. I was told that the Barangay system was introduced by the Spanish in a way to control the whole of the country,town by town,province by province.. The Spanish friars were given the very first positions of Barangay captains throughout the country,with instructions to convert and control... As you well know..The barangay council system is still active until this day.
What chance did Filipino`s stand?
That said..If it wasn`t for the Spanish I reckon they would ALL be Muslim today..(a bit like the Dutch not speaking Deutsche today coz of the British and Yanks)
So its not all bad!!

[Terpe]

Sorry for the off-topic..............an interesting and educational read is "Chew the Bones: Maddog Essays on Philippine History" by Bob Couttie

Available from Amazon Kindle store for just £1.24

[jake]

Thanks for all of the replies and opinions on a subject that i wish more people here in the Philippines would take a greater interest.
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks. Of course nothing will happen next week, as its holy week!

[fred]

Thanks for all of the replies and opinions on a subject that i wish more people here in the Philippines would take a greater interest.
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks. Of course nothing will happen next week, as its holy week!

Mating season!!

[Terpe]

Mating season!!

I very nearly spit my beer out when I read that

Very good

[Arthur Little]

Mating season!!

... aren't devout Catholics supposed to eschew that caper for Lent?