“A Synoptic Essay about Birth Control in the Philippines”

Dara Chesna M. ZaldivIa

BSBM 1-F

May 18, 2019

 I. INTRODUCTION

Family planning services are defined as "educational, comprehensive medical or social activities
which enable individuals, including minors, to determine freely the number and spacing of their children and
to select the means by which this may be achieved". Family planning may involve consideration of the
number of children a woman wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, as well as the age at
which she wishes to have them. These matters are influenced by external factors such as marital situation,
career considerations, financial position, any disabilities that may affect their ability to have children and
raise them, besides many other considerations. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of
contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction. Other techniques commonly used
include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception
counseling and management, and infertility management. Family planning as defined by the United Nations
and the World Health Organization encompasses services leading up to conception and does not promote
abortion as a family planning method, although levels of contraceptive use reduces the need for abortion.

In the Philippines, overpopulation is now a big problem. The Philippines has one of the fastest
growing populations in Southeast Asia. From having fifty million inhabitants in 1980, the Philippines today is
home to around ninety million people with 11 million living in Manila only. Living place is becoming
increasingly saturated. This overcrowding is causing a range of problems such as lack of education, lack of
healthcare, unemployment and general poverty.

With every passing second, there are more and more of us. By the year 2050, the global
population is expected to pass nine billion people, a significant increase from the six-and-a-half billion
today. In the Philippines, they are already running out of space. The capital of Manila is one of the largest
and most densely populated cities in the world. That's why the government took its move to solve this
problem; the birth of RH Law.

What is RH Law? What services do RH Law offer? What will be the effects? What will be the
advantages? Will there be negative effects? How does the church react to this law? Will this law really be
the answer to the growing problem of overpopulation in the Philippines?
 I. CONTENT

WHAT IS RH LAW?

The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 (Republic Act No. 10354),
informally known as the Reproductive Health Law or RH Law, is a law in the Philippines, which guarantees
universal access to methods on contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. 1

It was a long and rough road to the passage of the RH bill. It's a culmination of the hard work of a
battalion of RH advocates - inside and outside Congress - and a President who stepped up to complete the
job Passage of the legislation was controversial and highly divisive, with academics, religious institutions,
and major political figures declaring their support or opposition while it was pending in the legislature.
Heated debates and rallies both supporting and opposing the RH Bill took place nationwide.

The Supreme Court delayed implementation of the law in March 2013 in response to challenges.
On April 3,2014, the Court ruled that the law was "not unconstitutional" but struck down eight provisions
partially or in full. The Senate Policy Brief titled "Promoting Reproductive Health", the history of
reproductive health in the Philippines dates back to 1967 when leaders of 12 countries including the
Philippines' Ferdinand Marcos signed the Declaration on Population. The Philippines agreed that the
population problem should be considered as the principal element for long-term economic development.
Thus, the Population Commission was created to push for a lower family size norm and provide information
and services to lower fertility rates.

Starting 1967, the USAID began shouldering 80% of the total family planning commodities
(contraceptives) of the country, which amounted to $3 million annually. In 1975, the United States adopted
as its policy the National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of Worldwide Population Growth
for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (NSSM200).

1
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsible_Parenthood_and_Reproductive_Health_Act_of_2012?
fbclid=IwAR3lTBYA7tUwV2fFU21rFAX4No6hpP_0hnjTVn_A8YVCLWn6r2ztzpLpBL4
 The policy gives "paramount importance" to population control measures and the promotion of
contraception among 13 populous countries, including the Philippines to control rapid population growth
which they deem to be inimical to the sociopolitical national interests of the United States, since the "U.S.
economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad", and these countries can
produce destabilizing opposition forces against the United States. It recommends the U.S. leadership to
"influence national leaders" and that "improved world-wide support for population-related efforts should be
sought through increased emphasis on mass media and other population education and motivation
programs by the UN, USIA, and USAID.2

Different presidents had different points of emphasis. President Ferdinand Marcos pushed for a
systematic distribution of contraceptives all over the country, a policy that was called "coercive", by its
leading administrator. The Corazon Aquino administration focused on giving couples the right to have the
number of children they prefer, while Fidel V. Ramos shifted from population control to population
management. Joseph Estrada used mixed methods of reducing fertility rates, while Rvee Jude A. Olandsca
focused on mainstreaming natural family planning, while stating that contraceptives are openly sold in the
country.

In 1989, the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development (PLCPD) was
established, dedicated to the formulation of viable public policies requiring legislation on population
management and socio-economic development. In 2000, the Philippines signed the Millennium Declaration
and committed to attain the MDGs by 2015, including promoting gender equality and health. In 2003 USAID
started its phase out of a 33-year-old program by which free contraceptives were given to the country. Aid
recipients such as the Philippines faced the challenge to fund its own contraception program. In 2004 the
Department of Health introduced the Philippines Contraceptive Self-Reliance Strategy, arranging for the
replacement of these donations with domestically provided contraceptives. 3

In August 2010, the government announced a collaborative work with the USAID in implementing a
comprehensive marketing and communications strategy in favor of family planning called May Plano Sila.

WHAT DO RH LAW OFFER?

2
US Department of National Security (1974). "National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of
Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (NSSM 200)" (PDF). USAID.
3
"Promoting Reproductive Health: A Unified Strategy to Achieve the MDGs" (PDF). Senate of the Philippines
Economic Planning Office. July 2009. PB-09-03.
 The bill mandates the government to "promote, without biases, all effective natural and modern
methods of family planning that are medically safe and legal."

Although abortion is recognized as illegal and punishable by law, the bill states that “the government shall
ensure that all women needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counseled in a
humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner”.

The bill calls for a "multi-dimensional approach" integrates a component of family planning and
responsible parenthood into all government anti-poverty programs. Age-appropriate reproductive health
and sexuality education is required from grade five to fourth year high school using "life-skills and other
approaches."

The bill also mandates the Department of Labor and Employment to guarantee the reproductive
health rights of its female employees. Companies with fewer than 200 workers are required to enter into
partnership with health care providers in their area for the delivery of reproductive health services.

Employers with more than 200 employees shall provide reproductive health services to all
employees in their own respective health facilities. Those with fewer than 200 workers shall enter into
partnerships with health professionals for the delivery of reproductive health services. Employers shall
inform employees of the availability of family planning. They are also obliged to monitor pregnant working
employees among their workforce and ensure they are provided paid half-day prenatal medical leaves for
each month of the pregnancy period that they are employed.

The national government and local governments will ensure the availability of reproductive health
care services like family planning and prenatal care.

Any person or public official who prohibits or restricts the delivery of legal and medically safe
reproductive health care services will be meted penalty by imprisonment or a fine. 4

WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF RH LAW?

4
Dalangin-Fernandez, Lira (1 February 2011). "RH bill OK'd at House committee level". politics.inquirer.net.
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February2011.
 First, overpopulation causes poverty in the economy. It's very obvious that the major economic
issue that our country has never been able to resolve is poverty. If we dig deeper and reach to the roots of
poverty which I can only think of two factors is illiteracy and overpopulation. In relations to literacy, it’s a
good thing that there have been tons of movements with regards to education in helping the economy rise
from fallen rocks. Whilst overpopulation hangs further and further down making it improbable to resolve.
So, the government introduced RH bill. Birth control is sought after by the government to help not only our
country rise but by each family there is. See, in the Philippines sexual intercourse is not something sacred.
Premarital sex is one of the main the reason of many unexpected pregnancy which will lead to
overpopulation. The induction of the Rh will simply plays a role as family planning. In our churches, family
planning with the use of contraceptives is disregarded, we should plan naturally with the method of
abstinence. But you can see that Filipinos are careless and abstinence is rarely found in our mental
dictionaries.

Another reason why implementing the RH bill is a pro to our society is that the use of
contraceptives can not only be of assistance in birth control but can also serve as protection. By the use of
condom, it can help prevent sexually transmitted diseases. By using birth control pills not only can it lower
the risk of unwanted pregnancy and can even improve specific types of hormones. With birth control,
mothers actually help sustain their healthy disposition. It is medically said that the healthiest age gap kids
should have is with the minimum of 3 years. Lower than 3 years slowly degrades and exhaust a woman’s’
body that has a small probability to lead to many complications and illnesses. The best way to prevent such
happening is contraceptives, well abstinence is another method but an undeniable fact is that in the
generation today abstinence is seldom practiced. 5

WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES?

5
Darroch JE et al., Meeting women’s contraceptive needs in the Philippines, In Brief, 2009, New York: Guttmacher
Institute, No. 1.
 The Rh bill being rational and practical, the Catholic Church on the other hand is fixated with its
immorality. The Catholic Church strong disapproves and argues the implementation of the RH bill because
of its mere idea of contraceptives. They, the Catholic Church, believe that the use of contraceptives is
completely immoral. It’s like disrupting the balance of nature. They strongly insist that “natural” family
planning should be carry out by families, that there should be no control over it. They also said that
contraception is akin to abortion. They claim the bill is an elitist and foreign conspiracy to corrupt a country
in which 80 percent of the population is Catholic. They fear the erosion of family values, state intrusion on
religious freedom, tacit approval of promiscuity and side effects of oral contraceptives. 6

II. ANALYSIS

6
Roberto de Ocampo (2009-11-27). "Kill 'Bill'?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2009-
12-01. Retrieved 2010-09-28.
 Some of arguments for and in opposition to the Reproductive health bill had been posited and the
debates had been frequently emotional, with the Senate seemingly succeeding in derailing the passage of
the measure. The Catholic Church has taken the lead in opposing the passage of the invoice into law,
claiming that sure provisions are towards Church teachings. The Church has even extensively defined
abortion to consist of the usage of condoms and other common contraceptives. It has mislabeled the RH
bill as promoting abortion not withstanding unique provisions to the opposite.

The ones opposed to the RH invoice argue that we do no longer want measures to curtail populace
increase due to the fact we aren't absolutely overpopulated. In truth, a number of international economists
look favorably at the Philippines due to its younger and developing population. They claim that the demand
for items that those younger Filipinos need will spur the boom of the Philippine economic system. The
warring parties also point out the situation in Japan and other advanced western international locations
which have had low population growth for decades now and thus face a graying population which the
running elegance may also in the end have difficulty helping.

III. CONCLUSION
 The Philippines is a small a country but with a very large population that results to poverty that's
why the government of the Philippines has decided to pass a law regarding the Reproductive Health Law or
also known as RH Bill.

The importance of RH Bill is that to educate people on how to use all kinds of contraceptives like
injectables, pills, and the most popular to all, condoms. Also, this educates people about family planning
and birth control. This just simply says that RH Bill is to prevent to have a larger population or to have
population control.

RH Bill assures the availability and access to a full range of methods, techniques, supplies and
services that contribute to reproductive and sexual health and well-being. With these, our number will
become manageable and eventually, our country will be in progress.

We can prevent abortion and post abortion complications will be managed. We can free ourselves
from sexually transmitted diseases and more importantly the education and counseling on sexuality and
sexual reproductive health will be disseminated by the different government agencies.

IV. REFERENCES
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Responsible_Parenthood_and_Reproductive_Health_Act_of_2012?
fbclid=IwAR3lTBYA7tUwV2fFU21rFAX4No6hpP_0hnjTVn_A8YVCLWn6r2ztzpLpBL4

US Department of National Security (1974). "National Security Study Memorandum 200: Implications of
Worldwide Population Growth for U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (NSSM 200)" (PDF). USAID.

"Promoting Reproductive Health: A Unified Strategy to Achieve the MDGs" (PDF). Senate of the
Philippines Economic Planning Office. July 2009. PB-09-03.

Dalangin-Fernandez, Lira (1 February 2011). "RH bill OK'd at House committee level". politics.inquirer.net.
Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 7 February 2011. Retrieved 1 February2011.

Darroch JE et al., Meeting women’s contraceptive needs in the Philippines, In Brief, 2009, New York:
Guttmacher Institute, No. 1.

Roberto de Ocampo (2009-11-27). "Kill 'Bill'?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2009-
12-01. Retrieved 2010-09-28.