RHAN's Position on SB 2378 and Senate Resolution 238

The Reproductive Health Advocacy Network (RHAN) and our 43 national member organizations with no less than 10,000 members in grassroots communities nationwide fully support SB 2378 and Senate Resolution 238.

Reproduction and nonreproduction are twin aspects of women’s and couples lives that need to be respected and assisted by the State. Women who want to be pregnant should have access to the services that will keep them from dying during pregnancy and childbirth. Women and couples having difficulty conceiving should likewise be assisted.

Based on our work as health and development NGOs, we validate the urgency of the maternal, newborn, teen and HIV problems cited in the rationales of both the bill and the resolution, especially among the poorest and geographically remote areas. In Malabon, for example, a study by Likhaan of maternal mortality done between 2000 and 2003 counted 3 maternal deaths in only 12% of the population, all of which were missed by city health officials who were reporting zero maternal deaths for the whole of Malabon. In a clinic run by Likhaan in Manila, providers have seen the client load jump from 100/month in 2008 to almost 1000 a month this year, only for the service of Family Planning.

Beyond what we see in Metro Manila, the reproductive health situation is dire: 11 women dying daily due to pregnancy complications; 21 additional newborns dying daily due to birth spacing of less than 1 year; 700 teen-aged girls giving birth every day; and 3 HIV cases per day documented in February 2010. All these tragedies could have been prevented by a Reproductive Health law. Foot-dragging on the issue since 2001 has already condemned countless mothers’, teenagers’, babies’, men’s and women’s lives. What could be more criminal or ‘sinful’?

We fully agree with the reproductive health and rights framework of the bill (Sections 2-4). Reproduction and nonreproduction are twin aspects of women’s and couples lives that need to be respected and assisted by the State. Women who want to be pregnant should have access to the services that will keep them from dying during pregnancy and childbirth. Women and couples having difficulty conceiving should likewise be assisted. And women and couples who do not want to conceive should have the information and means to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Providers must not coerce their patients either way and the State must make the full range of services available, especially for the poor and disadvantaged.

We fully agree with the provisions mandating maternal care, family planning, RH and sexuality education, DOH as implementing agency, prohibited acts, and appropriation (Sections 5-22). Family Planning, skilled attendance during pregnancy and birth, and access to Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care are considered the 3 pillar strategies for effective reduction of maternal mortality. It is vital to ensure the integrated provision of these life-saving services at national and LGU facilities, with funding support for the poor.

Because of all these reasons, we support Senate Bill 2378 and Senate Resolution 238. We also appeal to the Senate to pass both measures expeditiously.

Junice L. Demeterio-Melgar, MD
Secretary General
18 October, 2010