Amnesty International to Senators: DO NOT be obstacles
to Women’s Rights, Pass the RH Bill!
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Amnesty International Philippines will
deliver petitionsfor the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill signed by
4,500 individuals from all over the Philippinesto Senate President Enrile,
demanding him not be an obstacle to the prevention and reduction of maternal and infant deaths in the country. More
than 30,000 signatures have already been submitted by the human rights
organization to Senator Enrile since it started campaigning in 2010 to have millions
of Filipino women, girls and couples access to sexual and reproductive
information, contraception and services through the passage of the RH Bill.
“We ask Senator Enrile to follow the lead of the House of
Congress which passed the RH Bill on second reading last Thursday and the
President who had then certified the bill as urgent. Senator Enrileand the
other members of the Senate could now join in this historic stand for women’s
rights or forever be relegated to the dustbin of history as would be killers of
women’s hopes in the 15th Congress.”declared Dr. Aurora Parong,
Director of Amnesty International Philippines.
Amnesty International, a Nobel Peace awardee, joined RH
advocates in celebrating the historic passage of the RH bill on second reading
by the House of Representatives last Thursday as well as the rejection of
proposed amendments that may weaken the reproductive health law. Amnesty
International had also previously called on President Noynoy to certify the RH
Bill as urgent and has welcomed the news that he had done so last Friday.
“We thank the legislators in both houses of Congress for
their courageous votes on the RH bill. We support them and hope that more
legislators will cast brave votes so that a law, which has been languishing in
Congress for about 15 years, that has the potential to improve the
maternal health of women and girls in the country will finally be enacted. Senator
Sotto is reported to submit several amendments to the RH bill before the voting
at the Senate today. Legislators must not be obstacles to the realization of
sexual and reproductive rights of women, girls, couples and family,” added Dr.
Aurora Parong.
Amnesty International Philippines hope that the events of
last week –passage on third reading by the House of Representatives (HOR) and
failure to water down the RH bill –will not be spoilt by unacceptable amendments
at the Senate by Senator Sotto today and by delaying actions by Senate
President Enrile.
Today, the Senate is expected to close the period of amendments
and vote on second reading and probably on third reading, as the President has
declared the bill urgent on 14 December. The HOR may concurrently do their third
and final reading today as well. Both dates for third and final readings
at both chambers are not guaranteed, but the aim is for the Bill to be approved
before the Congress goes on recess on 21 December, Friday.
“Women and girls have the right to the highest attainable
standard of health, but often, they face legal, economic and social obstacles
in access to health information and care, despite having a law that provides
for these rights like the Magna Carta of Women. This is true especially in the
Philippines thus Amnesty International Philippines is calling on Senate
President Enrile to not become an obstacle to women’s rights and lead the
Senate into passing the RH Bill into Law before the year ends,” added Dr.
Parong.
Amnesty International considers that
while current versions of the RH Bill still contain shortcomings, such as the
lack of provision for post abortion care, the RH Bill has the potential to make
a strong contribution to the realization of sexual, reproductive and maternal
health rights in the Philippines, and could contribute to improve the maternal
health of women and girls in the country.
“Philippine law and practice require
a number of changes to be in line with the country’s international human rights
obligations. Some of these issues could be partially solved through the
adoption of the RH Bill, whilst others remain. These include the criminalization
of abortion, barriers to adolescent access to health care, barriers to complete
and scientifically accurate information on contraception, and discrimination on
the basis of marital status and sexual orientation in access to sexual and
reproductive health care,” Dr. Parong Concluded
Background:
In the Philippines, the government’s policies on sexual and
reproductive health services restrict the ability of women to have control over
whether and when to become pregnant, and effectively deny them enjoyment of
their sexual and reproductive rights. Women living in poverty are often the
most affected by these policies, which fail to support them in preventing
mistimed, unintended or unwanted pregnancies, and harm their health and
wellbeing.
***
Three of the most debated provisions of the RH Bill are on
post-abortion medical care for women, the proactive funding of artificial
contraceptive methods by the government and the mandatory health and sexuality
education. Catholic priests in the Philippines campaign against the passage of
the bill, while the President has vocally supported efforts towards
promulgating such a law. The RH Bill affirms the state’s responsibility to
guarantee universal access to safe, affordable and effective reproductive
health care services, information and supplies that are essential in the
promotion of people’s right to health, especially of the poor and marginalized.
***
Both versions of the RH Bill
recognize that in the Philippines abortion is illegal, based on existing
domestic laws. As of September 2012, H.B. 4244 provided that the government
must ensure that all women needing post-abortion care for complications shall
be treated in a humane and non-judgmental manner and be given
counselling,(Section 3 of House Bill no. 4244) however the Senate version
deleted the provision for post-abortion care for women and girls during its
period of amendments in September 2012. Section
3 of Senate Bill 2865. (Paragraph (i) originally reads “While this Act does not
amend the penal law on abortion, the government shall ensure that all women
needing care for post-abortion complications shall be treated and counselled in
a humane, non-judgmental and compassionate manner”. It has been amended on 14
September as (j) “Abortion is a criminal act in accordance with existing laws”
and “(l) all complications arising from pregnancy, labor and delivery shall be
treated in a humane and compassionate manner”.) International human rights
standards require the state to decriminalize abortion in all circumstances, to
protect women’s rights to life, health, non-discrimination, privacy, physical
integrity, and other human rights.
Amnesty International recommends that
the Philippine authorities:
·
review all
laws and policies, which restrict the sexual and reproductive rights of women
and girls;
·
guarantee that
women and girls can access the reproductive health services and information
they need free from the threat of criminalization
·
review and
enact reproductive health legislation within the 15th Congress, and ensure that all
provisions are in line with international human rights law and standards.
The proposed law will prohibit the
refusal to “perform legal and medically safe reproductive health procedures” Section 28 of House
Bill no. 4244. on persons of legal
age on grounds of lack of third party consent, whereby in cases of disagreement
among married couples, the decision of the party undergoing the procedure shall
prevail. The bill allows for the possibility of conscientious objection,
provided that the health worker who conscientiously objects immediately refer
the person seeking such care to another health worker willing to provide the
information and services. Ibid.
ON AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the Senate version of
the RH Bill at the committee level:
Resource: http://senatorpiacayetano.com/?p=1348
AI welcomes the Senate’s rejection of
the amendment which sought to take away provisions in the RH Bill which
mandates local government units to upgrade or establish health facilities,
including hospitals, and to ensure that these health facilities are adequately
manned by qualified personnel.
AI is concerned, however, that the
provision stating, “no person shall be denied information and access to family
planning services, whether natural or artificial” in section 7 of proposed SB
2865, has been removed.
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