My body, My choice

BULL'S EYE

erhaps no medical or therapeutic intervention is much misunderstood than abortion, and social media and search engine companies have been too slow to intervene leading to a spike in misinformation around what is already one of the most politically charged topics.

“Effective po ba yung cortal (aspirin) with coke?” one person asked in a Facebook group for people who need assistance in terminating their pregnancy. It generated unsettling responses, with some agreeing and others offering options such as abortion pills and “private clinics,” which many of those who responded believe to be a more fruitful alternative.

Many of these people are unaware of the consequences of these unsanitary conditions and the use antiquated since they are misguided and are deprived of what should have been appropriate care for this situation and its aftermath. If otherwise, these individuals usually push through it regardless of risks because of personal reasons. This right here mirrors the reality of Filipino women who are confronted with an unintended adopt measures like the Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) Bill and laws legalizing same-sex marriage, divorce, and abortion, among others, have been rejected by the Philippine delegation to the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla stated in his radio program that because the Philippines is primarily a Catholic country, they flatly rejected these recommendations as “not acceptable.” However, he personally supports the legislation of the death penalty which is quite the irony. One can’t be a supporter of death and an opponent of pro-choice advocacies.

What most people also found hilarious is that the country that converted the Philippines to Catholicism has since made abortion, same-sex marriage, divorce, and open access to Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT) legal. So, there is no justification for our extreme conservatism and stringent abortion regulations.

Another truth is that many young women and girls from impoverished and large families people force their repressive religious beliefs on women seeking life-saving abortion care. It is incumbent on the Philippine government to legalize abortion, which is the major impediment to women’s access to safe abortion and even postabortion care.

Decriminalizing abortion will not force people to have abortions that contradict their values; instead, it will give services to countless women who choose to terminate their pregnancies and suffer complications from unsafe abortions.

Rules must also be established to accommodate those who arrive with troubling circumstances that have influenced their decisions. If full decriminalization cannot be pursued, negotiations on exceptions in circumstances of rape, incest, a threat to the health and life of the mother, grave fetal disability incompatible with life outside the uterus, or abortion up to 14 weeks of pregnancy should be opened.

Furthermore, the enactment of the Reproductive Health Law is a watershed moment that will aid in the reduction of maternal mortality

Without access to safe abortion, many of these women and adolescent girls would end their pregnancies in an unsafe manner, endangering their lives and health.

pregnancy yet are unfortunate enough to live in a country where abortion is dangerous, restricted, and stigmatized.

This should not be the case for women. Women should be given the right to self-determination. No woman should experience disability or death because of unsafe abortion complications.

Realities of Abortion

Each year, complications from unsafe abortion are one of the five top causes of maternal death (ranging from 4.7% to 13.2%) and a leading cause of hospitalization in the Philippines. The number of women who die every year because of complications from illegal abortions even exceed the number of persons who die from dengue.

According to a study conducted by the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN) that was completed in 2020, 1.26 million abortions were performed in the country, “putting the lives and health of Filipina women at risk,” and that figure is anticipated to rise.

The main reason why these women die and if fortunately, intervened are hospitalized, is due to the penalty imposed by the law on women and those assisting them by an archaic colonial Spanish law. The Philippine penal law on abortion is only one of now 2 countries in the world with the most restrictive prohibitions on abortion. Under the law, women found to have aborted their fetuses face prison terms of between two to six years.

The realities of abortion and the need to decriminalize abortion were again discussed when the recommendations for the country to are sexually exploited/trafficked by their own parents, with some being raped and dehumanized as a result. One of the myriad reasons is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in higher rates of unexpected and undesired pregnancies due to a lack of contraception access, as well as higher rates of rape, intimate partner abuse, and sexual exploitation. About 2.56 million women are estimated to have unintended pregnancies in 2020—a 42% increase.

Without access to safe abortion, many of these women and adolescent girls would end their pregnancies in an unsafe manner, endangering their lives and health, and may become part of the anticipated 26% rise in maternal mortality by 2020 due to the pandemic’s disruption of access to health services.

Decriminalizing abortion will end the discriminatory, harsh, and inhumane treatment of women seeking abortion care for induced abortion (viable or therapeutic/medical necessity), as well as women in need of emergency post-abortion care for unsafe abortion complications. This is a step toward reducing gender discrimination, sexism, and misogyny.

What now?

We approach this by decriminalizing abortion in the Philippines by passing bills that become laws. Period. Allowing this colonial law to continue to exist in our society will promote animosity and prejudice toward Filipino women who induce abortion. Women would die and suffer disability as a result of complications from unsafe abortion if abortion stays banned in the Philippines and and the overall health and well-being of Filipino women and their families. With the law fully implemented, Filipino women should have access to reproductive health information and services that will assist them in planning and caring for their families. Better sexual and reproductive health education, as well as access to effective contraception, can reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, reducing the number of Filipino women who resort to unsafe abortion and suffer the health implications. Investing in women’s health helps not only their status and productivity but also their families and society at large.

Finally, and most importantly, this country must acknowledge that denying women access to safe and legal abortion is a method of controlling their bodies, perpetuating female subordination in which women’s decisions, particularly personal decisions about pregnancy and childbirth, are completely ignored.

Limiting women’s autonomy to decide their own bodies encourages discrimination and inequality in the law, clearly violating women’s rights to equal legal protection and privacy.

Women comprise one-half of the entire global population and for many centuries men have been looking for ways to control their bodies. It is the women getting pregnant and not the men, they should make decisions when it comes to their bodies without letting centuries’ worth of laws get in the way. Let’s not get caught up in society’s patriarchal ideals. Let us build a community where every woman has the freedom to choose what is best for their bodies. C

Kapag patuloy tayo na nagpapalabas ng Korean telenovela, ang hinahangaan ng ating mga kababayan ay itong mga Koreano at nawawalan ng trabaho at kita yung ating mga artistang

Pilipino…Kaya minsan pumapasok sa aking isipan na i-ban na itong mga telenovela ng mga foreigners at dapat ang mga artista nating Pilipino talagang may angking galing sa pagarte ay ‘yun naman dapat ang ipalabas natin sa sariling bansa.”

Ito ang pahayag ni Senator Jinggoy Estrada sa ginanap na budget hearing noong ika-18 ng Oktubre para sa Film Development Council