Human Rights Advocates Call on Congress to Junk Anti-Choice House Bill No. 8354 and to Support Decriminalization of Abortion
Quezon City, July 26, 2021 – “In President Duterte’s SONA speech, the right to safe and legal abortion was glaringly absent. It is unfortunate that the passage of a law decriminalizing abortion that would have a far-reaching impact on the rights of women and persons with diverse gender identities was absent in his speech,” said Atty. Clara Rita Padilla, Spokesperson of the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network (PINSAN).
In a Position Paper submitted to the House of Representatives, over 50 human rights organizations and over 130 human rights advocates call to junk anti-choice House Bill No. 8354 and to support decriminalization of abortion (see Position Paper and its signatories).
Meanwhile, over 29,000 individuals urge Congress and political parties to support decriminalization of abortion. Women’s rights groups and almost thirty thousand individuals are pushing for the Decriminalization of Induced Abortion Bill to save the lives of women, girls, persons of diverse gender identities.
This is a public health, human rights, and social justice issue. At least three women die each day from complications from unsafe abortion. Over one million (1.2 million) women induced abortion in 2020 placing their lives and health at risk due to lack of access to safe and legal abortion.
A change.org petition with over 29,000 signatures and counting are supporting the decriminalization of abortion, and over 130 individuals and 50 organizations from different sectors such as RH groups and advocates, women’s rights advocates and feminists, young people, academe, and human rights groups and lawyers were consulted about this bill. Over a million women and their children and families yearly who would benefit from decriminalization of induced abortion could make or break the election of a president, vice president, senator, and congressional representatives.
Atty Clara Rita A. Padilla shared, “My Facebook post on the bill I drafted to Decriminalize Induced Abortion went viral with over 12,000 supporters in just a few days. Many believe that decriminalization of induced abortion has been long overdue and that nobody, not even the government can intrude into women’s privacy rights and bodily autonomy.”
“There are many Millennials and Gen Z supporting this bill apart from the 1.2 million a year needing the medical service and the staunch reproductive rights and women’s rights advocates supporting this bill. Our vast group across many sectors (women, youth, workers, migrant workers, indigenous peoples, Bangsamoro, persons with disabilities, persons with diverse SOGIE) will vote and will campaign for those who support decriminalization of induced abortion and other bills such as divorce, SOGIE Equality Bill/CADB, marriage equality, gender recognition, increasing age of sexual consent to 16, ending child marriage, amending the Anti-Rape Law, ensuring adolescent access to contraceptives, repeal of sexual infidelity laws and repeal of vagrancy provision on ‘prostitution’,” added Atty. Padilla.
Atty. Padilla also stressed, “We will campaign against anti-choice candidates, against candidates who have previously opposed passage of the RH Bill into law and challenged the RH Bill’s constitutionality before the Supreme Court and against candidates who oppose the bills we are pushing for.”
The PINSAN Spokesperon also emphasized, “Candidates and political parties should not be afraid to support the Decriminalization of Induced Abortion Bill because this bill will save women’s and girls’ lives. Anyone opposing this bill is complicit to the three women dying every day from complications from unsafe abortion. Candidates and political parties should be mindful that there was no backlash on politicians who supported the RH Bill passage into law and those supporting bills on SOGIE, divorce, ensuring adolescent access to contraceptives and even pro-choice bills such as Rep. Roy Padilla in the 11th Congress.”
At this point where the legislators are already making discussions on their strategies for the national election in May 2022, women’s rights organizations are carefully watching over these possible candidates who will be true to their oath of serving their constituents. On top of the current challenges the government faces on asserting the country’s sovereignty, the on-going economic and health crisis brought by the pandemic should never be ignored, and this includes the sexual and reproductive health and rights issues of women, girls, and persons of diverse SOGIE.
For 2020 alone, the following estimates the potential impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on SRH outcomes in the country:
- 5,169,000 estimated number of women age 15-49 with unmet need for family planning,
- 2,560,000 estimated number of unintended pregnancies
- 102,200 estimated number of unintended pregnancies among women age 15-19
- 3,170 estimated number of maternal deaths
- 2,000 estimated additional intimate partner violence cases per month of COVID-19-related quarantine.
Additionally, the estimated number of induced abortions was 1,261,500. In the Philippines, where safe abortion services are highly restricted, and women are forced to seek unsafe procedures, it means thousands of women suffering from complications resulting from unsafe abortions. That is why it is high time for our legislators to pay attention to these needs, and decriminalizing abortion in the Philippines will be a major step forward in addressing the SRH needs especially of women, girls, and and persons of diverse SOGIE.
Examples of increased access to safe and legal abortion as election agenda and government priority are the administrations of Joe Biden (US), Michelle Bachelet (Chile) now UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), Jose Luis Rodriguea Zapatero (Spain), and Nestor Kirchner, Mauricio Macri and Alberto Fernandez (Argentina), and Jacinda Arden (New Zealand).
“Many of us pushing for this bill have been successful in our advocacy to pass the laws on anti-sexual harassment, anti-rape, anti-VAWC, reproductive health, anti-trafficking, expanded anti-trafficking, and repeal of vagrancy, among others,” added Atty. Padilla.
Further, Atty. Jihan Jacob of the Center for Reproductive Rights also pointed out, “Abortion restrictions result in grave consequences on the lives and health of pregnant persons. As a signatory to major international human rights treaties, the Philippines have been called upon by several treaty monitoring bodies to decriminalize abortion. These bodies and other human rights experts have further recognized that cases of denial of abortion and forced continuation of pregnancy are serious human rights violations. Recognizing the impact on the fundamental human rights of pregnant persons when abortion is restricted, they have severally recommended for the Philippine Government to remove punitive measures imposed on those who are seeking abortion care and those providing it.” Pointing out the progress made in other countries, Jacob added that, “during the recent two decades, around 50 countries have liberalized their abortion laws and made transformative changes in pregnant people’s lives. This year alone in Asia, at least three countries–South Korea, Thailand, and India–have amended their abortion laws to increase access to safe abortion”
“This bill to decriminalize induced abortion is part of the historical fight for women’s right to equality and non-discrimination. We are making a stand to save the lives of women, girls and persons with diverse gender identities. Join our stand and be counted!,” urged Atty. Padilla.
Join the petition to decriminalize abortion at: change.org/
Read the full text of the bill to decriminalize abortion at: https://decriminalizeabortion.