HB 4244 Provisions Notably Beneficial to Women and Young People

Philippine Daily Inquirer
11:47 pm | Saturday, September 1st, 2012

– Information on and provision of the full range of all legal (registered with the Food and Drug Administration), medically safe and effective modern methods of family planning (whether “natural” or “artificial,” “without bias for either”)

– Modern family planning products and supplies recognized as “essential medicines” in the National Drug Formulary to facilitate volume procurement (based on the WHO’s categorization of contraceptives as “essential medicines”)

– Centralized procurement and distribution of family planning supplies by the Department of Health

– Adequate number of midwives for skilled birth attendance at delivery; Capability-building on reproductive health for barangay health workers

10 Things You Should Know About the Reproductive Health Bill

February 17, 2011

Learn the basics about the RH Bill. By Ana Santos

Reproductive health is not just a poor woman’s concern. Many brush off the need for the RH Bill thinking that it is only about sex and only for women who cannot afford to purchase modern contraception pills and condoms. But reproductive health is everyone’s concern. Think about every person you know (or are related to) who has had: a) an unwanted pregnancy, b) an additional pregnancy they could not afford, c) has considered terminating a pregnancy, or d) who has suffered from pregnancy-related complications and you will know that RH should concern every person who is able to bring life into the world and bear what should be the joyful responsibility of caring for it.

Read on for a no-nonsense run down of what the RH Bill means and why it’s relevant to you.

1. IT WILL STANDARDIZE RH POLICIES

Because there is national legislation on RH in place, varying RH policies are implemented in the local government unit level (LGU). These policies and provisions are often subject to the whims and personal religious beliefs of LGU officials.

In Manila for example, when staunch pro-life advocate Lito Atienza was mayor, he was able to pass the infamous Executive Order (E.O.) 003. This E.O. effectively declared the City of Manila as a provider only of pro-life methods. Thus, women were denied access to modern contraception methods (pills, condoms) and procedures (ligation) in government-run hospitals.

In contrast, Quezon City, often regarded as having one of the most progressive RH policies in the country, makes both modern and traditional family planning services available to its constituents for free.