PHILIPPINES – Sen. Pia Cayetano believes the passage of
the Reproductive Health (RH) bill would give priority to the plight and burden
of Filipino mothers.
In a statement on World
Population Day on Wednesday, Cayetano said this year’s theme of “Universal Access
to Reproductive Health Services” emphasizes the need for an RH law to help
bring down the number of maternal deaths.
“On World Population Day, let’s
prioritize the plight and burden of Filipino mothers,” she said.
“They are the ones who risk their
life to bear new life, carry the primary burden of ensuring the health,
education and welfare of their children, and balance the family’s meager
resources to survive from day-to-day.”
Cayetano said the situation of
Filipino mothers has gone from bad to worse over the past few years as
indicated in the rise of maternal deaths.
“This should be reason compelling
enough for any fair-minded legislator to support the enactment of the RH bill,
which would allow mothers universal access to reproductive health services of
the government,” she said.
“As more and more of our
colleagues are enlightened on the importance and urgency of implementing a
national reproductive health policy, we expect the RH bill to finally hurdle
the obstacles and see passage soon after Congress reopens its session.”
Cayetano said the RH bill would
prevent more maternal deaths by expanding access to the following services:
natural and artificial family planning services to allow mothers to plan and
space their pregnancies; prenatal care to ensure the mother’s health and
nutrition, and allow for early detection of complications; safe and modern
birthing facilities manned by health professionals to ensure safe deliveries;
and postpartum services to monitor and address complications after delivery.
“Based on the FHS, prevalence in
the use of modern contraceptives is much lower for married women belonging to
poor households compared to those belonging to non-poor households,” she said.
Cayetano said a disparity exists
in the use of contraceptives between married women with little or no education
and those with higher levels of education.
“What these figures prove is that
clearly, there’s a very huge unmet need for reproductive health services for
women in general, but more so, for those who come from the poorest families and
those who are less educated,” she said.
“There clearly is an urgent
material need for an RH Law, but its hard-line critics refuse to see the
reality. They refuse to lift a finger to help alleviate the condition of Filipino
mothers despite the alarming rise in maternal deaths. It’s high time we end
this vicious cycle where mothers are callously denied access to reproductive
health services, which is their right and need. It’s high time to pass the RH
bill.”
Cayetano and Sen. Miriam
Defensor-Santiago are the principal authors of the RH bill.
It would be considered for
approval on second reading when Congress resumes session later this month.
Source: ABS-CBN News
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