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Vol. 81/No. 23 June 12, 2017
Philippines’ women unite in struggle for legal abortion
BY LINDA HARRIS
AND JANET ROTH
MANILA, Philippines — “Three women a day die from unsafe abortions in
the Philippines,” Red Tani told the Militant April 7. Tani and two other
representatives of the Philippines Safe Abortion Advocacy Network were
talking about the challenges facing women with unwanted pregnancies here.
Pinsan, established in 2014, brings together 10 organizations to advance
the struggle for women’s rights and decriminalize abortion. In January
2016 the group hosted the first public meeting in recent years to
discuss women’s right to choose in the Philippines.
Abortion is illegal here even in cases of rape, fetal impairment or
where the pregnancy poses a threat to the woman’s life. There are only
five other nations in the world where abortion is illegal under all
circumstances — El Salvador, Malta, Chile, the Dominican Republic,
Nicaragua — and the Vatican.
“There are over 600,000 abortions a year in a country with a population
of over 100 million,” Tani told us. They are performed clandestinely and
usually in unsafe conditions. An estimated two in every three women who
have an abortion experience complications.
A woman charged for inducing an abortion can face up to six years in
prison. Someone assisting can face up to 20 years. Police carry out
sting operations against those suspected of performing abortions. News
reports of arrests, prosecutions and convictions of women and providers
on abortion charges are common.
Mary Jean Lagmay, a 48-year-old nurse, was arrested for performing an
abortion in a police entrapment operation Nov. 16, inside the Vigare
Clinic in Laoag City, 250 miles north of Manila. Police have since
closed the clinic.
The Philippines is a majority Catholic country where the church
hierarchy wields strong political influence and all attempts to roll
back the law have failed.
“The constitution states that the life of the unborn and of the woman
are equally protected,” so hospitals are required to provide for women
who need medical care following an abortion, Pinsan member Kristine Chan
said. The numbers are so great that at the Fabella Hospital in Manila
there is a sign saying “post-abortion care ward.” This is one of the
busiest maternity facilities in the world and delivery rooms are
overcrowded. Mothers are forced to share beds, as are their newborn babies.
The Philippines is the only Asia-Pacific country where the rate of teen
pregnancies rose over the last two decades. Single women have greater
difficulties than married women in accessing contraceptives. The morning
after pill Postinor was banned in 2001.
In 2012 the Reproductive Health Law was passed to provide greater access
to contraceptive services, counseling and sex education. But the
Catholic Church vehemently opposed full implementation of the law and it
has been stalled by government officials. The Supreme Court issued a
temporary restraining order on certain provisions of the bill in 2015,
limiting women’s contraceptive choices. A recent Commission on
Population statement warned that if it’s not lifted birth control
devices could be unavailable by 2020.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, in opposition to the Catholic
hierarchy, says he supports making available contraceptives like
condoms. But he has spoken out against abortion rights.
“Abortion is a reality for Filipino women,” Claire Padilla, a lawyer and
Pinsan spokesperson, told Rappler, an online news site. The fact that
abortion is illegal has not deterred women, she said, “it has only made
it more dangerous.” Women who are poor, young or live in rural areas are
most likely to resort to unsafe self-induced abortions.
“We believe that sexual and reproductive health rights are human
rights.” Padilla said in a May 28 Pinsan statement. “If women cannot
control their own bodies, including their right to access safe abortion,
they cannot exercise other civil, political, economic, social or
cultural rights.”
“Now more than ever,” Padilla said, those who support women’s rights
“must join the fight everywhere.”
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