| PARENTHOOD AND REPROD! ‘ACT OF 2012, REPUBLIC ACT NO. If ; known as RH LAW sant LESSON 24 Lesson Objectives: rovisions, and potential impacts Act of 2012” or RA 10354, also the said law. At the end This nfodule discusses background, rationale, salient p? of the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health known as RH Law. This module also discusses the pros and cons of of this module, you should be able to: 1. understand fully the background, rationale, impacts of the “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012” or salient provisions and potential RA 10354; and 2. _ havea stand/position on whether helshe agrees/disagrees on the existence and legality of the said law. Introduction As you will notice, it is quite common for your grandparents have seven (7) or eight (8) siblings. Some event have more. This is not the commonplace nowadays, as most couples settle for two (2) or three (3) kids, that is why most of you have few siblings unlike previous times. This phenomenon is very simple-rearing children became costly in terms of time and resources. CONTEMPLATE. Do the activity and reflect on the question posed to you. How much is your weekly allowance? What are your personal expenses that you spend your money with? L 2. 3 + BEER 4 course module for Gender and Society: A Human Ecological ‘Approachow 60 OUt OF Your classroom ai ind visit you: st sari-sari : rere 28k £0r the costs of the foll See acca cart a OTe, BPOCEEY, sCGTE lowing products in the table below: How much would be the minimum cost for raising a baby? What are your insights from this activity? The items mentioned are the essentials that babies must use during their early months. ing the costs of these items will enable you to assess whether you are prepared to me a parent or not. Rationale of the RH Law ‘The “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Actof2012" or RA10354,als0 known | the RI Taw” was primarily enacted on a vision thatthe poor will have access to Reproductive | Health, (RH) ie 1d vices which they cannot afford. With this lav the poor will likely have ent access a sapombatioa about the proper use and effectiveness of these RH products. Unit IV: Political-Legal Perspective in Gender and SexualitySacro et of RH goods and services to reach marginal Apparently, the failure of the mark Haig parently, vt to step in and initiate MEAsues £0 addr, women compelled the Philippine Govern! this occurrence. r However, RH Law was depicted by paintings of promoting abortion and abortifacien, products thus, sinful and frowned upon by the Catholic Church. ‘ Elements of RH Law ‘The elements of the recently enacted RH Law are as follows: () _ family planning information and services: (2) maternal, infant, and child health and nutrition, post-abortion complications; including breast feeding; ) prevention of abortion and management of (4) adolescent and youth reproductive health guidance and counseling; (5) _ prevention and management of reproductive tract infections (RTIs), HIV/AIDS, and STIs; : (6 elimination of VAWC and other forms of sexual and GBVs (education and counselling on sexuality and reproductive health; (@) treatment of breast and reproductive tract cancers and other gynecologic conditions and disorders; (9) _ male responsibility and involvement and men’s RH; (00) prevention, treatment, and management of infertility and sexual dysfunction; (1) RH education for the adolescents; and (12) mental health aspect of reproductive health care. Salient provisions Midwives for skilled birth attendance: The law mandates every city and municipality to employ an adequate number of midwives and other skilled attendants. Emergency obstetric care: Each province and city shall ensure the establishment and operation of hospitals with adequate facilities and qualified personnel that'provide emergency obstetric care. Hospital-based family planning: The law requires family planning services lilt ligation, vasectomy, and intrauterine device (IUD) placementto be available in all governme"* hospitals. Conteris as essential medicines: Reproductive health products shall be: considers essential medicines and supplies and shall form part of the National Drug Formulary. ‘ACourse Module for Gender and Society: A Human Ecological Approachpeproductive health education; RH i jersin 2 48€-appropriate manner education shall be taught by adequately trained gmployers’ responsibilities: E | gage WERE. Women shal eae shell respect the reproductive health rights of zation of employment stats, e eee against in the matter of hiring, : ;, Or selection for retrenchi i he 7 enchment. Empl reproductive health services and education to workers. A nt re ility building of; batt Sitar toate volunteer workers: Community-based workers onl eich lad tah ea training on the delivery of reproductive health care services wd increase in honoraria upon successful completion of training. prohibited Acts ‘The law also provides fc ach the following les for penalties for persons who perform certain prohibited acts ; eee (with malicious intent) withholding or impeding the dissemination ofin formation about the programs and services provided for in this Act or intentionally giving out incorrect information; + refusing to perform voluntary ligation and vasectomy and other legal and medically-safe reproductive health care services on any person of legal age on the ground of lack of spousal consent or authorization; «refusing to provide reproductive health care services to an abused minor and/ or an abused pregnant minor, whose condition is certified to by an authorized DSWD official or personnel, even without parental consent particularly when the parent concerned is the perpetrator; lth care services and information on account + refusing to extend reproductive he of the patient’ civil status, gender or sexual orientation, age, religion, personal wvided that all conscientious objections circumstances, and nature of work: Pro of health care service providers based on religious grounds shall be respected: Provided, further, that the conscientious objector shall immediately refer the person seeking such care and services to another health care service provider tly accessible: Provided, finally, ve thin the same facility or one who is convenient that the patient is not in an emergency OF serious case, as defined in RA 8344, penalizing the refusal of hospitals ‘and medical clinics to administer appropriate Jnitial medical treatment and support in emergency and serious cases; and + requiring a female applicant or employee, as condition for employment or continued employment, to involuntarily undergo sterilization, tubal ligation, or any other form of contraceptive method. uly ED Unit IV: Political-Legal Perspective 2 Gender and S«Legislating RH The road to the enactment of the RH Law wa was the constitutional provision, particular Constitution which mandates that: a painstaking path. The main blockade y that provided in Article Il, Section 12 ofthergs, “The State recognizes the sancti ty of life...tt shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from cone: eption.” In this regard, the 1987 Constitution itself mandates that the Philippine Governmeny must recognize the importance of life and protect the life of the mother and unborn, Inasmuch as artificial family planning methods (ie, IUDs, condoms) are labeled as “anti-life” and against conception, these are interpreted to be against the sanctity of life. making them contrary to the said fundamental law of the land. In addition, these “pro-life Sroups strongly advocate the use of natural methods (ie., abstinence, calendar methods), On the other hand, advocates of thé RH Law counter this concept of proliferating abortion or abortifacient products by scientific findings which claimed otherwise. ‘What these debates are missing out is clearly the spirit of the law-to allow women to choose freely whatever method of family planning is fit and appropriate to them. Claiming that one is better as compared tothe other delimits these supposedly “free choice” that women truly deserve. COMMUNICATE: Group yourselves into two. Asa group, do the following: 1 Each group shall chooseastand (Pro or Against) inthe enactment ofthe “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012” or RA 10354, 2, The group shall search the Internet for all issues, concerns, and relevant matters about the law to support their stance/position. Write your stand (Pro/Against) and all your reasons below. Stand: Reasons: - Present your stand and reasons in class. ‘A.Course Module for Gender and Society: A Human Ecological Approachqnelons political battle Talks about a unified reproductive health policy had been roaming the spheres of the prilippine Government way back the 1960s with the crea a measure Of population control to enceforth, the backlash of the CBCP tion of a Population Commission manage high fertility rates and alleviate poverty. was unrelenting. The RH Law, which was finally enacted in 2012, after its enactment, lobbyists of this law However in March 2013, was a product of a 14-year struggle. thought that victory was already achieved. 013; the law was challenged before the SC of the Philippines, delaying its full implementation, Ayear after, the law was held to be valid, except for clauses therein, thatallowed minors to accéss reproductive health services without the written consent of a guardian and penal measures for government officials who did not implement the law. In 2015, a further temporary restraining order (TRO) issued again by the nation’s SC prevented the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Philippines from procuring, distributing, or issuing new certificates of product registration on more than 50 different contraceptives, allowing many licenses to eventually expire, ‘The TRO was launched after the FDA registered a contraceptive implant called Implanon, which accordingly, could be used to induce abortion. Two (2) years after the said TRO, the FDA then certified that Implanon and Implanon NXT are not abortifacients. With the TRO finally lifted, the Department of Health ‘now freely distributes contraceptives to their regional offices and to various NGOs. COLLABORATE. Find a pair. Each pair will do the following: 1 Interview a woman from your community who has availed of the products and services brought about by the implementation of the RH Law. 2 Ask her the following and write her answers in the spaces provided: a Name: b. Age: No. of children, if any: ———~—$_$_______ Occupation, ifany:__——_————————— © What RH products and services were used? Unit IV: Political-Legal Perspective in Gender and Sexuality [REY] eeYY : ined? £ Where were these RH products and services obtaine eee a Lp Ro TEA BIP EE ag 4 i Be oe pes ices? g. How long have you been using these RH products and services! ne animes Mane ck pel a ee fy any es eer el WE re oT s, distribution, and availability of these h. Were there differences in the access pane RH products and services from the time the RH Law was “i. Did these differences affect your life positively? How? Report the output of the interview in class. Summary ‘The “Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012”, or RA 10354, was truly a landmark legislation which has the noblest intention of allowing women, especially those who are poor, to have a choice on their family planning methods. Itis a given that the Catholic Church will vehemently oppose this move and will keep doing so because of what they believe in and what they fight for. This exercise of arguments only strengthens our democratic institutions and citizenry as more people become aware of what the law is all about and what it provides. No matter the debates and the long winding journey, the RH Law is now implemented and it is expected that all actors must comply to the same. As can be seen, the RH Lawis replete with substantial provisions envisioning an empowered Filipino woman with choices in her life. ‘ACourse Module for Gender and Society: A Human Ecological Approach