Give 6M Filipinas free birth control: Duterte
New executive order intensifies campaign to offer free contraceptives for 2 million women from poor households in 2018 Move is likely to stir opposition from the Roman Catholic Church, but administration says it’ll curb poverty
President Rodrigo Duterte signed on Monday an executive order that his administration believes will give millions of women free access to contraceptives.
At least two million Filipinas who want but cannot afford contraceptives should have a free supply by 2018 once the executive order is enforced, said Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Abella. Government’s target is to reach four million more women after that.
The Supreme Court delayed enforcement of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RP-RH) Law in March 2013, but decided in 2014 that the law did not violate the 1987 Constitution.
“If we don’t implement the RP-RH Law fully, then we’re unable to meet the poverty reduction target,” Pernia said. The EO is also meant to prevent teen pregnancies and lower maternal deaths, now at 231 women for every 100,000 live births. “We think the EO is pro-life, pro- children,” said Pernia.
President Rodrigo Duterte has directed government agencies to ensure free access to contraceptives for six million poor women — a move expected to be opposed by the dominant Roman Catholic church and pro-life groups.
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said Wednesday the intensified drive to make contraceptives available and ensure “zero unmet need for family planning,” is important to reduce poverty.
The government’s target is to cut the poverty rate from 21.6 percent in 2015 to 14 or 13 percent by the end of Duterte’s term in 2022. Pernia, who is also the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) director general, said in a press conference in Mala- cañang yesterday that the President signed the executive order (EO) on the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RP-RH) Law on Monday.
The executive order says two million women from poor households with unmet needs for modern contraception should have access to them by 2018, and the rest thereafter.
Pernia said the executive order was primarily focused on letting couples “achieve the desired number of children rather than having children (more than they can) afford.”
This way, Pernia said the government would also be able to bring down the poverty rate by 14 percent by the end of the Duterte administration.
“The EO is really for modern family planning services, contraceptives to be adopted by women in order for them to achieve their desired number of children,” Pernia said.
“If we don’t implement the RP-RH Law fully, then we’re unable to meet the poverty reduction target,” he added.
Pernia added that EO on RPRH Law would lower maternal mortality rate and teenage pregnancy.
He noted that to date, there are about 231 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.
RP-RH Law aims to guarantee the universal access to methods of contraception, fertility control, sexual education, and maternal care. The Supreme Court (SC) delayed the implementation of the law in March 2013 following opposition from pro-life group. However, it ruled in April 2014 that the law was “not unconstitutional.” The government is expecting that the SC would lift the temporary restraining order it issued against two contraception medicines.