In the Philippines, one of the most divisive issues is abortion.

They have a wide range of

perspectives on this subject as a nation with a wide variety of cultures and ethnicities. Abortion

is still illegal and highly stigmatized in the Philippines under any circumstances. Although there

are no such explicit provisions, a liberal interpretation of the law might exclude abortion laws

from criminal culpability when used to save the woman's life. (Finer, L. & Hussain, R., 2013)

The Philippines should think about legalizing abortion for the sake of women's rights and

freedom of choice, as well as for the country's citizens and government, who are having trouble

keeping up with population growth.

The United Nations (UN) Committee (2016) recommended that the Philippines adopt

abortion legalization. The Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR) urged

the government to take all necessary measures to reduce the prevalence of unlicensed abortions

and maternal deaths, including by amending the abortion laws already in place and improving

access to both contraception and emergency contraceptives. Women in the Philippines have been

waiting far too long for the reproductive health treatments they require to live with dignity, as

Melissa Upreti, Regional Director for Asia at the Center for Reproductive Rights, put it. We

support the Committee's recommendation that the government modify its stringent abortion law

and widen access to reproductive health care. Women need to be able to make their own

reproductive health decisions once and for all, so it's time for the Philippine government to

implement the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act and amend the criminal ban

on abortion. As suggested by the U.N., the ESCR Committee also recommended that the state

"expand and strengthen comprehensive, age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health

education."
Similar to other countries, the Philippines' prohibition on abortion did not put an end to the

practice; rather, it just made it riskier for women who wanted to end their pregnancies.

Around 600,000 Filipino women have abortions each year, and many turned to

unlicensed doctors, traditional remedies, or even self-induction. In the Philippines, those who

seek abortions risk not just imprisonment but also the continual threat of death because free and

accessible clinics are out of reach. According to Tinay Palabay, co-convener of the women's

human rights organization Tanggol Bayi and Secretary-General of the rights group coalition

Karapatan, "Information and information on obtaining safe abortions are mainly unavailable.

Facilities for safe abortions are extremely rare, even when they are accessible. Some qualified

physicians in the Philippines risk their careers by covertly offering safe abortions in hospitals

because they believe that women should have the freedom to safeguard their own well-being

(Nick Aspinwall, 2019).

The sole justification for legalizing abortion in the Philippines is that doing so will

liberate us from prejudice and self-righteousness. If this happens, stringent regulatory and control

measures should also be put in place. Let it be a right, but it needs to be linked to it once a

legitimate responsibility arises. We can be confident that maternal deaths caused by unsafe

practices will significantly decrease, and that our society, which has been growing for years,

would eventually be reduced, if we can establish a new ground where disagreements can be

resolved and consensus between the parties is a possibility. Finally, we will be aware that every

person counts and that raising responsible children is not a right but a duty. Citizens may realize

that freedom isn't actual freedom if abortion is permitted coupled with controls to avoid its abuse

and unless they learn to take responsibility for their own choices.
 Bibliography

Aspinwall, Nick (2019, may 29). Manila’s abortion ban is killing women

https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/29/manilas-abortion-ban-is-killing-women/

ESCR Committee. (2016, October 14). U.N. Committee: Philippines Must Allow

Legal Abortion, Improve Access to Contraceptives

https://reproductiverights.org/press-room/un-committee-philippines-must-allow-legal-

abortion- improve-access-to-contraceptives\

Finer, L. & Hussain, R. (2013, August). Unintended Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion in the

Philippines: Context and Consequence.

https://www.guttmacher.org/report/unintended-pregnancy-and-unsafe-abortion-

philippines-c o ntext-and-consequences/
 Position Paper

Abortion: Legalizing the Procedure in the Philippines

Jehan Revilla

Grade 12 Gemini
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killing women
https://foreignpolicy.com/
2019/05/29/manilas-abortion-
ban-is-killing-women/
ESCR Committee. (2016,
October 14). U.N.
Committee: Philippines Must
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https://reproductiverights.org/
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aborti
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in the
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pregnancy-and-unsafe-abortion-
philippines-c o ntext-and-
consequences
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killing women
https://foreignpolicy.com/
2019/05/29/manilas-abortion-
ban-is-killing-women/
ESCR Committee. (2016,
October 14). U.N.
Committee: Philippines Must
Allow Legal
Abortion, Improve Access to
Contraceptives
https://reproductiverights.org/
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philippines-must-allow-legal-
aborti
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contraceptives\
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(2013,August). Unintended
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in the
Philippines: Context and
Consequence.
https://www.guttmacher.org/rep
ort/unintended-
pregnancy-and-unsafe-abortion-
philippines-c o ntext-and-
consequenceshttps://foreignpoli
cy.com/2019/05/29/manilas-
abortion-ban-is-killing-women/
ESCR Committee. (2016,
October 14). U.N.
Committee: Philippines Must
Allow Legal
Abortion, Improve Access to
Contraceptives
https://reproductiverights.org/
press-room/un-committee-
philippines-must-allow-legal-
aborti
on- improve-access-to-
contraceptives\
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(2013,August). Unintended
Pregnancy and Unsafe Abortion
in the
Philippines: Context and
Consequence.
https://www.guttmacher.org/rep
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pregnancy-and-unsafe-abortion-
philippines-