• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • 4
    CommentGo Back
Download
 
Aileen Grace Delima January 18, 2008BIO 199
Abortion in the Philippines: Reasons and Responsibilities
Abortion is a controversial issue but it should be discussed because it is happening, and ismore widespread than we care to admit. If we truly care about life, then we must understandwhat is going on (Tan 2008). Ideally, pregnancy is a wanted and happy event for women, their  partners and their families. Unfortunately, this is not always so. Around the world, millions of women every year become pregnant unintentionally. In the Philippines, as in other countries,some of these women are faced with a difficult choice: to give birth to a child that they are not prepared or able to care for, or to obtain an illegal, and often unsafe, abortion (Singh et al. 2006).
 Abortion and Philippines Laws
Abortion is illegal in the Philippines and is not permitted under any circumstance. The actis criminalized by the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines, which was enacted in 1930 butremains in effect to day. Articles 256, 258 and 259 of the Code mandate imprisonment for thewoman who undergoes the abortion, as well as for any person who assists in the procedure, evenif they be the woman's parents, a physician or midwife. Article 258 further imposes a higher  prison term on the woman or her parents if the abortion is undertaken "in order to conceal [thewoman's] dishonor" (Tan 2008 and Wikipedia 2008).The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines effectively any amendments to the Penal Code’s provisions on abortion because of Article II, Section 12, which states:
“The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as abasic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the Government.”
In the principle, legalizing abortion would require a referendum to amend theconstitution, although the enactment of a more definitive provision sanctioning the ban was notsuccessful. In 1999, Congressman Roy Padilla Jr. of Camarines Norte filed House Bill 6343seeking to allow abortion in special cases (e.g., rape, congenital defects in the fetus or caseswhere the mother’s life is endangered). It is unlikely that the bill will be passed but it hasstimulated discussion on abortion. The passage of HB 6343 will require amendment because theBill as it presently stands is inherently unconstitutional (Wikipedia 2008 and Tan 2008).The United Nations recognizes that abortion in the Philippines is permitted only ininstances in which the pregnant woman's life is endangered. However, there is no law in thePhilippines that expressly authorizes abortions in order to save the woman's life; and the general provisions which do penalize abortion make no qualifications if the woman's life is endangered.It may be argued that an abortion to save the mother's life could be classified as a justifyingcircumstance (duress as opposed to self-defense) that would bar criminal prosecution under theRevised Penal Code. However, this position has yet to be adopted or debunked by the PhilippineSupreme Court. Proposals to liberalize Philippine abortion laws have been opposed by the
 
Catholic Church, and its opposition has considerable influence in the predominantly Catholiccountry (Wikipedia 2008).
 Prevalence of Abortion in the Philippines
Accurate measurement of induced abortion levels has proven difficult in many parts of the world. Health care workers and policymakers need information on the incidence of both legaland illegal induced abortion to provide the needed services and to reduce the negative impact of unsafe abortion on women's health (Henshaw et al. 1999). Information on the current level of unintended pregnancy and abortion is essential for understanding the extent to which womenface barriers in planning pregnancies and preventing unintended ones. Evidence on recent trendsin these important indicators is also crucial in assessing whether changes in policies and programs are necessary (Singh et al. 2006).Abortions cut across class, age, and marital status, and occur in both urban and ruralareas. The UP Population Institute (UPPI) 1994 study estimates that between 300,000 and500,000 women obtain induced abortions annually in the Philippines. Put another way, there may be 16 induced abortions for every 100 pregnancies (Tan 2008).According to Singh et al. (2006), induced abortion in the Philippines is widespread and practice takes many forms.Figure 1. Nearly half of pregnancies each year end in an induced abortion or an unplanned birth.Unintended pregnancy is the root cause of abortion. Some 3.1 million pregnancies occur each year in the Philippines. Of these, 15% result in induced abortions, 31% in unplanned births,39% in planned births and 15% in spontaneous abortions. An estimated 473,000 abortions occur annually. One-third of women who experience an unintended pregnancy end it in abortion. Thus,about 1.43 million pregnancies each year—nearly half of all pregnancies— are unintended. Theannual rate of unintended pregnancy is 81 per 1,000 women of reproductive age, meaning thatabout 8% of Filipino women aged 15–44 conceive every year without intending to do so.Women from all segments of society experience abortion. Women who have had anabortion resemble average Filipino women: The majority are married, Catholic and poor. Theyhave some high school education and have already had several children. In 2000, women in thePhilippines had more than 473,000 induced abortions—compared with an estimated 400,000 in
 
1994. Because the population also grew during this period, the rate of induced abortion remainedessentially constant—25 abortions per 1,000 women in 1994 and 27 per 1,000 in 2000.Figure 2. Estimated abortion rate, by survey year and region.At the national level, little change occurred between 1994 and 2000 in the proportion of all pregnancies that were unintended or the rate of unintended pregnancy. However, bothindicators increased substantially in Metro Manila. By 2000, more than half (56%) of  pregnancies in this area were unintended than in any other major geographic region, a substantialincrease from 1994 (46%), and the unintended pregnancy rate was 97 per 1,000 women, up from68 in 1998. The situation differed in the other major areas of the country.In Rest of Luzon and in Mindanao, the proportion of pregnancies that were unintendedchanged little during this period, but the unintended pregnancy rate declined somewhat, from 85to 78 per 1,000 women in Luzon and from 84 to 80 per 1,000 women in Mindanao, probably because the overall pregnancy rate fell in these regions. Visayas, the area with the highestunintended pregnancy rate in 1994, showed the most improvement, achieving an unintended pregnancy rate of 78 per 1,000 women by 2000 (down from 91 per 1,000 in 1994) and
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
ravenxquest

abortion in the philippines

reply02 / 01 / 2010
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...