What happens to women?

By Rina Jimenez-David - AT LARGE - Philippine Daily Inquirer

What happens to a woman who cannot afford to buy pills and other contraceptives from private drug stores and has no access to free or subsidized supplies at government health centers? A better question would be: What happens to her, her husband and her children?

Listen to the story (translated from Filipino) of Bernadette Antonio, one of the women interviewed for the study “Imposing Misery: The Impact of Manila’s Contraception Ban on Women and Families” (Likhaan, Reprocen and Center for Reproductive Rights, 2007).

“As a painter,” Bernadette says, “my husband earns P300 daily but his work is irregular. When their contract ends, they sometimes remain idle for a month. There are times when his weekly pay, which I’ve already promised as payment for a loan I made, is delayed.

“Only the eldest and third of my children go to school (they have five, but wanted only three). Each has P5 to bring to school. I pity them because they go to school on an empty stomach. That’s why I try to produce P20 the night before for their breakfast and allowance. I just walk them to and from school. (Read the full article here)