23 May A Reproductive Health Policy is Also an Anti-Poverty Policy
It was June 2015 when the Supreme Court of the Philippines released a temporary restraining order to stop the distribution of contraceptive implants. In 2016 there was a petition to lift the TRO. However, this petition was denied by the Supreme Court.
Here’s the problem: Contraceptives expire. By 2018, the contraceptives meant to aid everyone to plan their families would no longer be certified for use.
In the CNN Philippines article, “Why the Philippines might run out of contraceptives by 2018“, Regine Cabato writes:
The slow and steady expiry of contraceptives in the Philippines is a quiet problem — one that will spill out of the slums and into gated subdivisions, as the struggle to provide reliable access to family planning options becomes more politicized.
This is just an example of how backward the reproductive health policies are here in the Philippines.
In the same article, Klaus Beck, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Philippine Country Representative, explains how the very presence of the TRO interferes with the availability of reproductive health options in the Philippines.
Although the TRO only targets contraceptive implants, it has a massive impact on the availability of local contraceptive options.
Beck says, “The implants have increasingly become the method of choice for many women because it’s very convenient. That’s particularly important if you’re living very far away from health facilities, you have limited access to health services and health supplies.”
He continues to explain how the TRO interferes with the distribution of other forms of contraception. He says, ” Secondly, by having this TRO in place, it has sown a lot of confusion among people about what is and what is not allowed, which has meant that many healthcare providers, government units have been confused about what is covered [and what isn’t].”
A rational, humane reproductive policy should provide citizens a comprehensive range of fertility management tools, including abortion care, should these contraceptive technologies fail or no longer be available.
The unavailability of both practical methods of contraception, like the implant, and abortion care punish the most vulnerable sectors of society. The privileged few have the option to find these resources in other countries. It is those who need these services the most, the poor, that are deprived of reproductive choice.
One doesn’t have to be a genius to predict that having two kids instead of ten is easier on the budget. And any government concerned with poverty alleviation should invest in the reproductive health and reproductive education of its most vulnerable citizens, as well as the means to end an undesired or unplanned pregnancy.
Many studies declare a truth that our government continues to ignore:
Intentional childbearing helps couples, families and communities to get out of poverty, and a lack of reproductive health options causes multi-generational poverty.
Rappler’s article, “Are you financially ready to have children?” gives us a snapshot of how much it costs to raise a child in today’s economy.
According to that article, the annual living expenses of a family of five could amount to about P394,000!
In a country where the average annual income in 2015 is P267,000, it is obvious that most people are not financially prepared to raise a child, much less a dozen children.
It’s about time we start fighting for the Filipino woman’s choice over what happens to her body.
For more resources on abortion please visit: EnGendeRights’ Policy Briefs and Fact Sheets
Sources:
Bersales, L. G. (2016, October 24), “Average Family Income in 2015 is Estimated at 22 Thousand Pesos Monthly (Results from the 2015 Family Income and Expenditure Survey).” Philippine Statistics Authority. Retrieved on: April 4, 2017.
Cabalto, R. (2017, March 31). “Why the Philippines might run out of contraceptives by 2018.” CNN Philippines. Retrieved on: April 4, 2017.
Rappler.com (2015, April 25), “Are you financially ready to have children?” Rappler. Retrieved on: April 4, 2017.