As expounded earlier, the use of contraceptives and family planning methods in the Philippines is

not of recent vintage. From the enactment of R.A. No. 4729, entitled "An Act To Regulate The Sale,
Dispensation, and/or Distribution of Contraceptive Drugs and Devices "on June 18, 1966, prescribing
rules on contraceptive drugs and devices which prevent fertilization,  to the promotion of male
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vasectomy and tubal ligation,  and the ratification of numerous international agreements, the
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country has long recognized the need to promote population control through the use of
contraceptives in order to achieve long-term economic development. Through the years, however,
the use of contraceptives and other family planning methods evolved from being a component of
demographic management, to one centered on the promotion of public health, particularly,
reproductive health.140

This has resulted in the enactment of various measures promoting women's rights and health and
the overall promotion of the family's well-being. Thus, aside from R.A. No. 4729, R.A. No. 6365 or
"The Population Act of the Philippines" and R.A. No. 9710, otherwise known as the "The Magna
Carta of Women" were legislated. Notwithstanding this paradigm shift, the Philippine national
population program has always been grounded two cornerstone principles: "principle of no-abortion"
and the "principle of non-coercion."  As will be discussed later, these principles are not merely
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grounded on administrative policy, but rather, originates from the constitutional protection expressly
provided to afford protection to life and guarantee religious freedom.

When Life Begins*

Majority of the Members of the Court are of the position that the question of when life begins is a
scientific and medical issue that should not be decided, at this stage, without proper hearing and
evidence. During the deliberation, however, it was agreed upon that the individual members of the
Court could express their own views on this matter.